After weeks of camp and preseason, the Philadelphia Eagles are finally headed into their 2026 season, and the fun part now is guessing which stars are about to pop. There’s no shortage of talent on this roster, and plenty of the biggest names have paths to monster years.
Start with Jalen Carter, because the Eagles are clearly betting big on him. They handed him a record-setting contact based on what they expect him to become, not just what he’s already shown.
Last season didn’t quite match the hype because he was dealing with shoulder injuries, but a clean bill of health changed the picture in camp. At 25, Carter looked overwhelming.
If there’s one Eagles defender with a real shot at one of the league’s signature awards, Defensive Player of the Year is the one - even if a defensive tackle hasn’t finished in the top three in voting since Chris Jones in 2022.
Zack Baun is another name that could climb back into the spotlight, even if he isn’t getting much of it right now. He wasn’t quite as dominant in 2025 as he was in 2024, when he broke through as a first-team All-Pro, but linebackers coach Bobby King said Baun “played through a bunch of stuff” last season and still piled up a team-high 1,038 snaps.
That kind of workload matters. The position doesn’t usually bring much noise, but Baun looks set to return to All-Pro form.
Saquon Barkley also feels overdue for a big number. There hasn’t been much buzz around him, which is strange considering what he can still do in Sean Mannion’s system.
The Eagles believe in him, and with a healthy offensive line and an offense built around his strengths, Barkley looks positioned to resemble the 2024 version again. He remains the centerpiece, and this summer has shown more passing-game usage too.
If he stays healthy, he should clear his rushing over/under of 1,050.5 yards on FanDuel and finish with well over 1,700 scrimmage yards.
On the defensive edge, Jalyx Hunt is ready to go from breakout to full-blown force. He already led the team in sacks and interceptions in 2025, but he still doesn’t carry the kind of recognition that comes with production like that.
That’s about to change. Hunt put together a dominant training camp heading into his third season, and the growth is obvious: bigger, more polished, faster, and more confident.
That’s a dangerous mix for opposing offenses.
And then there’s Jalen Hurts, who enters the season under a brighter spotlight than ever after a drama-filled offseason that included the ESPN expose and the A.J. Brown fallout.
But the prediction here is simple: the Eagles will get the best version of him yet. Under Mannion’s direction and play-calling, Hurts is set up to be efficient and effective, with the kind of decision-making and playmakers around him to push him past his career-high QBR of 68.3, set in 2022.
Last season, Brock Purdy, Jordan Love and Matthew Stafford all ranked near the top of ESPN’s QBR list, and Love, Stafford and Purdy all fit systems tied to Mannion. Hurts could be next.
In Other News...
Eagles Head Into Week 1 With Clear Offseason Winners And Losers
The Eagles head into Week 1 against Washington after an offseason that reshaped parts of the roster and the coaching staff, with the kind of changes that tend to leave a few clear beneficiaries. Sean Mannions promotion to offensive coordinator stands out as one of the more notable internal moves, while contract extensions for defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter gave the front of the defense a firmer long-term foundation. The 2025 draft class also appears to have moved the needle, adding another layer to a spring and summer that was anything but quiet in Philadelphia.
Not every part of the picture looks settled, though. Injuries have already complicated the outlook for players such as Jonathan Greenard and Makai Lemon, and the cornerback spot remains a concern as the team moves into the season opener. For a roster with playoff expectations, the offseason winners are easy enough to identify, but the unresolved questions are the ones that will matter once the Commanders arrive and the early September pressure starts to feel real. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Still Have One Unsettled Decision Behind Jalen Hurts
The Eagles have a small but notable question lingering behind Jalen Hurts as the 2026 regular season approaches: who is the No. 2 quarterback? On the unofficial depth chart, Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee are listed side by side, while rookie Cole Payton gives Philadelphia four passers on the 53-man roster and another layer of insurance if the room is ever tested.
Nick Sirianni has said the backup job is still a competition between Dalton and McKee, which keeps the situation very much alive even with the opener drawing closer. For a team built around Hurts, it is the kind of behind-the-scenes decision that can fade into the background until it suddenly matters, and Philadelphia still appears to be sorting out which veteran or developmental option it trusts most if the starter ever has to miss time. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Just Got A Brutal Warning About Paying Their Young Corners
Christian Gonzalezs new deal with New England has changed the top of the cornerback market in a way the Eagles cant ignore. The Patriots locked up their young star on a four-year, $135 million extension, and with that, the price of elite coverage talent just jumped again at exactly the kind of position Philadelphia has invested in heavily over the last two seasons.
For the Eagles, the timing matters almost as much as the dollar figure. Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are both trending toward major contracts of their own in the not-too-distant future, and the front office now has a fresh reminder of how expensive it can be to keep young corners together once they start stacking strong seasons. Managing those decisions while keeping the rest of the roster intact is going to be one of the tougher cap balancing acts ahead. [Read more 🡒]