As I’m writing this, it’s the 4th of July.
The outdoor temperature is comparable to the surface of Venus, folks are trying to stay cool enough to watch some fireworks, and the NFL is not foremost on people’s minds.
Advertisement
But with a break in minicamps and the Eagles’ roster relatively stable for the moment, it’s a good time to sit down and take a look at some unanswered questions that remain for a Birds’ team that will attempt to reach their third Super Bowl in six years.
Can Jalen Hurts flourish under Sean Mannion?
Hurts has yet another new offensive coordinator to contend with, and all eyes on how he will adapt to a brand new style of offense that will challenge him to do things differently in 2026.
Mannion’s scheme is expected to involve more under center plays and utilize more of Hurts’ receivers over the middle, two areas Hurts doesn’t feel comfortable doing yet has shown he can excel doing both. He no longer has A.J. Brown on the outside, with is both a blessing and a curse. It sometimes appeared as if Hurts was forcing the ball to Brown, either to keep his former star receiver from complaining too loudly or because the offense was so stale the only option was to throw it up and hope Brown came down with it.
Advertisement
Without Brown demanding so much attention, and with a cadre of new receivers led by DeVonta Smith, perhaps Hurts will excel in a new scheme designed to get players open without relying solely on them winning one-on-one battles all the time.
One other aspect of all of this is Hurts and running the football. Hurts stopped running in 2026. He just stopped. Even as the offense flailed, he refused to run, even in their playoff loss to the 49ers. Will he need to run in Mannion’s offense? If so, will he do it? If Hurts isn’t going to run, he needs to show a dramatic improvement as a passer in order to succeed.
Hurts has had mixed results with new OCs. He took to Shane Steichen’s tutelage well, struggled under close friend Brian Johnson, had a decent season with Kellen Moore and Saquon Barkley setting records, and struggled mightily last year with Kevin Patullo.
For sure, this year’s training camp will be one of the most interesting of Hurts’ Eagles career thus far.
Advertisement
Carter is still under contract with the Eagles for another two years. He’ll play under the final year of his rookie contract this season, and the Birds picked up his fifth-year rookie option for ‘27. But he’s also eligible for a mega contract extension, and reports indicate the two sides are talking about one.
An extension with Carter could cost more than $35 million a season and more than $100 million in guaranteed money, numbers that would reset the defensive tackle market and make Carter one of the highest-paid defensive players in the game. But there are real questions about whether the Eagles would be wise to make that kind of commitment to him.
When healthy and motivated, there are no DTs in the NFL who are as dominant as Carter. He was second-team All Pro in 2024 and saved the Eagles’ Super Bowl run with his late fourth quarter sack of Matthew Stafford in the Divisional Round. But after starting 15 of 16 games in ‘24, he only played in 11 games a season ago. His sack total has declined in each of his first three seasons: 6.0, 4.5, 3.0, although he did finish with just one fewer pressure last year (17) than he did in his rookie season (18) despite playing in five fewer games. He also recorded nine QB knockdowns a season ago, just two fewer than in ‘24, again, in five fewer games.
Advertisement
He is an enigma. Are his best days still ahead? Or would he serve the Eagles better as a trade chip? If a deal is going to get done, you’d think it will happen before training camp.
Are the Eagles strong enough at safety?
The departure of Reed Blankenship in free agency leaves the safety room a bit bare and littered with question marks. At strong safety, Marcus Epps is a solid veteran who has played well in Philadelphia but is not a dynamic defender, and Michael Carter II, acquired from the New York Jets in late October last year. Carter didn’t play much safety, spending the majority of his time at slot corner. The Eagles are hoping Carter, who has spent his entire career in the slot, can make the transition to safety full-time. This will be a key camp battle to watch.
At free safety, Andrew Mukuba made 10 starts and played in 11 games as a rookie last season and, after some early unevenness, played pretty well: 46 tackles, 2 interceptions, 3 pass breakups and 2 TFLs. The Eagles are counting on that rookie production blossoming into something more in his second year, and Mukuba appears fully healthy after last season’s broken ankle that ended his season prematurely.
Advertisement
And while Cooper DeJean will still be the team’s primary slot corner when opposing teams go with 3 WRs, DeJean will also likely play some safety in base, according to Vic Fangio. Still, look for Howie Roseman to be on the waiver wire once players are cut in training camp or teams look to swing trades as the season grows closer.
How much will Nakobe Dean be missed?
Dean was perhaps the heart and soul of the defense, and his departure to the Las Vegas Raiders will be felt. But how much?
That all comes down to two things: Zach Baun’s ability to remain elite, and the progression of second year linebacker Jihaad Campbel.
Advertisement
Campbell was selected in the first round of the ‘25 Draft with the idea in mind he would replace Dean when Dean left in free agency. Despite another great season from Dean, the Eagles stuck to that plan. Thankfully, Campbell showed enough as a rookie to earn the trust of Fangio and the rest of the Eagles staff, but it’s hard to quantify the value Dean brought to the defense. Jeremiah Trotter, Jr.‘s role on the team will also increase in Dean’s absence.
There’s more to like at this position than at safety, but it’s still a major question mark for Fangio to figure out.
Will Jake Elliott be the kicker this year?
Elliott has had a legendary career with the Eagles. One of only two members of the Super Bowl 52 team still on the roster (Lane Johnson), Elliott simply hasn’t been very good over the last two seasons.
Advertisement
After knocking down 93.8% of his field goals in 2023 (including 7 of 8 from 50+), Elliott converted just 77.8% of his kicks in ‘24 (1 of 7 from 50+) and 74.1% last season (4 of 8 from 50+). In a world in which more and more kickers are nailing field goals from 60+ yards, Elliott’s inability to kick from distance or with much reliability inside 50 is a major concern.
Elliott has shown an ability to get it together in the clutch, though. He was money during the Eagles’ 2024 postseason run, with huge kicks in the snow against the Rams in particular.
There doesn’t appear to be a desire to bring in any competition for Elliott, either. It’s an interesting decision by special teams coach Michael Clay, who will try to squeeze one more productive season from the veteran kicker.
Sure, Nick Sirianni hates to kick field goals anyway, but all things being equal, you’d still like to have a good one.
Read the full article here