The Eagles open game week with a familiar goal and a long list of things that have to break right if they’re going to chase a third straight NFC East title.
Sunday’s matchup with the Washington Commanders at 4:30 p.m. is the starting point, but the bigger picture runs through a handful of pressure points that could define how this season unfolds. The offense, in particular, has plenty to prove.
It starts with the run game. Saquon Barkley’s 1,140 rushing yards last season were a steep drop from the 2,005 he posted in 2024, and the Eagles need that ground attack to find some of its old bite.
That doesn’t just mean more from Barkley, either. Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley also have to be part of the solution, because this is a deep backfield and Barkley is 29.
Up front, health may be the biggest swing factor of all. Last season, the line never really got a clean run, and the offense paid for it.
Yes, former OC Kevin Patullo drew plenty of blame, and he deserves some of it, but the bigger issue was a front that was constantly patched together. This year brings a new scheme from offensive coordinator Sean Mannion and a new voice in offensive line coach Chris Kuper, so staying on the field matters as much as anything.
Kuper sounded encouraged by where the group stands now.
“We've come a long way,” Kuper told reporters last week when asked about the starting five. “Still not there yet in terms of what we're gonna be at the end of the season, but these guys make it really fun to come to work every day. They're very much into their job and mastering their craft, which is kind of what we harp on in the room every day, and they're doing a good job bringing up some of the younger guys.”
The Eagles also have a receiver room that looks almost completely remade behind DeVonta Smith and Darius Cooper, the only two returnees. Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown, Elijah Moore and Makai Lemon are all new faces, and that means somebody has to step forward fast.
Aaron Moorehead likes what he’s seen so far.
“It's a good mix of different guys from different places,” said receivers coach Aaron Moorehead. “We've had a really fun spring and a really fun camp and … the guys we have in this room right now, it's a good group of guys and I think it's gonna be a really fun year.”
That new-look group will be asked to help replace the kind of production A.J. Brown gave the Eagles over four seasons, a stretch that ended with two Super Bowls.
There’s also the turnover issue, and that one sits squarely on Jalen Hurts. Throws across the middle naturally carry more danger than balls to the outside, so Hurts has to be decisive and accurate with where he wants to go with it. He has been careful with the football, throwing just 11 interceptions over the last two years combined across 542 pass attempts.
Defensively, the back end needs to hold up. The depth behind the top three is a concern, which puts extra weight on All-Pros Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.
Both looked sharp over the summer, and there’s nothing in that work to suggest they won’t be ready again. The question is whether Riq Woolen can recapture the form he showed as a rookie four years ago.
And then there’s Makai Lemon, the Eagles’ first-round pick. The team needs something from him, and needs it soon.
An injury has slowed his development, and that raises obvious questions about whether he can become the player the Eagles envisioned when they traded up for him. In a receiver room that has been rebuilt from the ground up, Lemon’s contribution isn’t optional.
It’s part of the formula.
In Other News...
Jayden Daniels Gives Eagles An Early Week 1 Problem
Week 1 already comes with the usual opening-day uncertainty, and for the Eagles, the first defensive question is how to handle a Commanders attack that looks much different than the one they prepared for a year ago. Jayden Daniels is back as Washingtons offensive leader, and he will have plenty of help around him with additions like Stefon Diggs and Chig Okonkwo joining a group that already includes Terry McLaurin. Even before the first snap, that gives Philadelphia a lot to sort through.
The supporting cast around Daniels adds another layer of concern, especially with players such as edge rusher Odafe Oweh and linebacker Sonny Styles part of the broader matchup picture. Washington has clearly tried to raise its ceiling on both sides of the ball, and the opener is now less about easing into the season than about seeing how quickly the Eagles can answer a more dangerous-looking division rival. For a Week 1 game, that is already a pretty serious test. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Have A Pass Catching Problem Beyond DeVonta Smith
DeVonta Smith gives the Eagles a dependable starting point in the passing game, but the bigger question is what comes after him. The rest of the wideout room is less settled, with Makai Lemon and Dontayvion Wicks carrying their own questions, and the tight end depth behind Dallas Goedert does not offer much comfort if the offense needs more reliable targets.
What makes the issue more pressing is the overall shape of the receiving group, which does not appear built to absorb much attrition. Injuries could quickly thin out a pass-catching unit that already has limited margin for error, leaving the Eagles leaning heavily on Smith and Goedert while waiting to see whether the other options can make themselves part of the answer. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Hurts Faces One Eagles Test That Will Define His 2026
Jalen Hurts enters 2026 with a familiar kind of pressure in Philadelphia, where the standard is less about surviving the season than proving he can keep the Eagles offense moving upward. The benchmarks attached to that expectation are straightforward enough: a completion rate at 67 percent or better, something in the neighborhood of 3,800 passing yards, and more touchdown production through the air. It is the kind of statistical line that would signal a quarterback not just managing games, but helping define them.
Sean Mannions arrival as offensive coordinator adds another layer to the evaluation, because Hurts is also expected to run more often in this setup. For an Eagles offense that has leaned on his dual-threat skill set from the start, the question is how the balance will look when the passing game has to carry more of the burden and the ground game becomes part of the equation rather than the whole identity. The numbers will matter, but so will the shape of the offense around him, and whether Hurts can meet those targets while still looking like the player Philadelphia trusts most when the stakes rise. [Read more 🡒]