The Eagles’ future is already taking shape, and the core pieces are hard to miss. Over the last six years, Philadelphia has stacked young talent through the draft, building a roster that looks set up to last.
General manager Howie Roseman leaned heavily on defense for most of that stretch, and the 2026 NFL Draft marked the first time the offense became the focus. Even with more help still to come, there are five current players the Eagles simply cannot imagine moving forward without.
Quinyon Mitchell sits near the top of that list. The cornerback has already established himself as a shutdown presence, and the numbers back it up: 17 pass deflections and a 44.3% completion percentage allowed last season.
That production helped him earn Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors in just his second NFL season. He looks like the kind of player who will eventually reset the market at his position and stay in midnight green for as long as possible.
Cooper DeJean belongs in the same conversation, even if his game looks a little different. The Eagles’ versatile defensive back also became a Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro in his second season, but his value comes from more than coverage. He’s one of the league’s top-tackling defensive backs, and that kind of impact is exactly why Philadelphia will likely have to reset the market for him in some form when the next contract comes around.
Jordan Mailata has been one of the most remarkable success stories on the roster. He entered the league as an unknown seventh-round pick who had played rugby before football, and now he’s one of the best left tackles in the sport.
He still hasn’t made a Pro Bowl, but his importance to the franchise is undeniable. With the offensive line potentially heading into some transition soon, the Eagles need Mailata around for as long as they can keep him.
DeVonta Smith suddenly stands even taller in the team’s long-term plans now that A.J. Brown is gone.
Smith has already proven he can carry a WR1 role, piling up three 1,000-yard seasons in five years. Freed from Brown’s shadow, he has a chance to fully become the player Eagles fans expected when Philadelphia drafted him in the first round in 2021.
Then there’s Jalen Carter, who remains too important to imagine the defense without. Trade rumors may swirl, but the Eagles cannot afford to lose a defensive tackle who has already made two Pro Bowls in the last three years. That kind of production is rare at the position, and it points to a future in which Philadelphia hands him a massive extension and keeps him anchoring the line for years to come.
In Other News...
Howie Roseman Has Become The NFL GM Nobody Wants To Face
Howie Roseman has spent years building a reputation as one of the NFLs most aggressive and efficient dealmakers, and around the league, that means other teams tend to stay on alert whenever Philadelphia gets involved. The Eagles general manager has become known for squeezing value out of negotiations, managing the cap with unusual precision and keeping his team in position to strike when the price is right.
Even rival executives acknowledge how difficult that can be to navigate. Chiefs GM Brett Veach recently praised Rosemans draft-day instincts on a podcast, the kind of respect that comes from knowing a call from Philadelphia can change the shape of a board in a hurry. Roseman has kept that pressure on with recent moves, including the A.J. Brown deal and a small climb in the 2025 draft to secure linebacker Jihaad Campbell, another reminder that the Eagles are rarely passive when a target is in reach. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Suddenly Have A Trade Watch Fans Wont Feel Great About
With the NFL trade deadline set for Nov. 10, the Eagles are at the point in the roster cycle where depth charts start carrying real meaning. Philadelphia has already spent the summer and early part of camp sorting out competition at quarterback, tackle, special teams and defensive tackle, and that kind of internal traffic can create a few names worth monitoring if the right opportunity comes along.
Tanner McKee, Fred Johnson, Kelee Ringo and Thomas Booker Robinson all sit in different kinds of roster jams, and each has a path to becoming more valuable to another team than to the Eagles if the pecking order shifts. The bigger picture is that Philadelphia does not have a shortage of movable pieces, which is usually a sign a front office can be active if it wants to be, even if the most interesting conversations are still waiting to happen. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Suddenly Have A Troubling Question Up Front
The Eagles guard picture looked stable enough on the surface with Landon Dickerson and Tyler Steen penciled in as the starters, but the concern is what comes after them. Dickersons injury history has long made that spot worth watching, and Steen now has a real chance to turn his first extended run into something more permanent if he takes another step in pass protection.
Michael Jordan was brought in at the end of minicamp to help shore up the depth chart, which tells you how unsettled the backup situation still is. For a team that wants to keep its offensive line among the leagues best, the question up front is not just who starts in Week 1, but who the Eagles trust if one of those two has to miss time. [Read more 🡒]