The Eagles head into Week 2 with more questions than answers, and Sunday’s trip to Nashville gives them a chance to start sorting through them.
Philadelphia escaped Washington in a messy opener, but the win came with a price: Pro Bowl guard Landon Dickerson is now on injured reserve with a bone bruise in his right knee. That leaves the Eagles trying to patch together the left side of the line against the one place Tennessee can really make life miserable - the interior of its defensive front.
Jeffery Simmons is the headliner there, and for good reason. The All-Pro tackle is coming off an 11-sack season and now carries the label of highest-paid interior defender after his contract extension.
He is not operating alone, either, with John Franklin-Myers giving Tennessee a strong second punch up front. That is a serious test for an Eagles line that already had issues in Week 1 and now has to adjust without Dickerson.
Drew Kendall, a second-year interior lineman who played center at Boston College, looks like the top candidate to step in at left guard. Willie Lampkin is the other in-house option, while Fred Johnson also took some first-team reps during limited practice windows. Cam Jurgens is expected to stay at center, which keeps Philadelphia from shuffling even more pieces around.
That matters because the Eagles are also still figuring out what first-time play-caller Sean Mannion wants this offense to look like. Mannion is 1-0 as an NFL play-caller, but the Week 1 tape suggested the result was better than the process. Philadelphia used more 11 personnel than expected, and the motion plus wide-zone ideas that come from Mannion’s background showed up, though not with much consistency.
Jalen Hurts was the difference against Washington, not some sweeping schematic edge. This week, the Eagles would like Mannion’s job to be simpler: stay on schedule, avoid leaning so hard on the off-script stuff, and give Hurts cleaner answers.
The matchup on the other side of the ball is just as important. Tennessee’s defense is now being run by head coach Robert Saleh, and that is not a small detail when it comes to Hurts.
Saleh has already had success against him, including a 2023 game in which the Jets held Philadelphia to 14 points and intercepted Hurts three times in a 20-14 upset. He also saw a limited San Francisco team beat the Eagles in January in the postseason.
That gives Tennessee a real path to making this uncomfortable if it can win up front and squeeze Hurts into tougher situations.
The bigger long-term question in Nashville, though, is Cam Ward. The No. 1 overall pick in 2025 has not looked like a finished product, and the numbers reflect it: he is 3-15 as a starter.
Against the Jets last Sunday, he finished 19-of-32 for 140 yards and a touchdown, with no completion longer than 14 yards. The accuracy problems have followed him through a rocky rookie season.
Saleh has urged patience and pointed to Ward’s seven coordinators in seven years, but that explanation is starting to wear thin as the performances stay uneven. Every week that Ward gives Tennessee little to work with, the patience argument gets harder to defend.
Philadelphia’s defense does not look like the ideal place for him to find relief, either, even with Jalen Carter banged up and Jonathan Greenard out for a second straight game. Ward can move, and he does like to extend plays, but that also opens the door to sacks.
If the Eagles handle early downs and force Ward into obvious passing situations, they should have a clear edge in a game that will be played in punishing heat at Nissan Stadium.
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Vic Fangio didnt mince words after the Eagles opened the season with a win over Washington, saying the pass rush was too inconsistent and never finished the job with a sack. For a defense built to tilt games at the line of scrimmage, it was the kind of performance that leaves room for concern even in a victory, especially with key edge help still out because of injury and the early schedule already asking more of the front.
Now the focus shifts to Tennessee and rookie quarterback Cam Ward, who took plenty of hits in Week 1, giving Philadelphia a clear chance to be more disruptive. Jalyx Hunt and A.J. Epenesa both acknowledged the group has to be better, and Fangios critique has put the pressure on this rotation to turn a promising opener into something sharper in Week 2. [Read more 🡒]
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Mukubas status is the piece to watch, especially with the Eagles already navigating a practice week that included limited work for Jalen Carter and Cooper DeJean, both of whom are expected to play. Philadelphia still has one open roster spot, so the team has some flexibility, but the decision to bring up Pulley suggests the safety situation is now something the Eagles cannot afford to brush aside. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Rookies Suddenly Carry Two Early Concerns Into Titans Game
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The more immediate concern may be up front, where Landon Dickersons move to injured reserve opens the door for rookie Micah Morris to take on a more important backup role. Philadelphia is weighing its options at left guard, and Morris suddenly looks like the kind of depth piece who could be asked to do more sooner than expected. For an offense built on stability in the trenches, his readiness is now part of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]