The offseason program is over, and the next time the Eagles get together at the Jefferson Health Training Complex, it will be for training camp — the official start to the 2026 NFL season.
The longest stretch of downtime around the league is right now, so it’s a good time to take stock of what we just saw during organized team activities and mandatory minicamp.
The workouts allowed for a first look at new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion’s offense and a few new key players for the Eagles, but they also left some lingering questions about the team during the break.
Here are some of the things we’re still thinking about:
How long should the probationary period be for the new-look offense?
The short answer: Longer than will probably be allowed.
Eagles fans read and watched analysis here and probably elsewhere that told them Mannion’s offense was little match for Vic Fangio’s defense during the recent practice sessions open to reporters.
Jeffrey Lurie and Howie Roseman speak with Sean Mannion (right) during mandatory minicamp.
What’s the reaction going to be if the offense looks sloppy a few practices into camp? It’ll be an outsized one, for certain. But it shouldn’t be.
There are a few reasons why:
Fangio’s defense might be among the best in the NFL this season.
The Eagles are installing a new offense with new blocking schemes.
Jalen Hurts is taking more snaps from under center.
The Eagles are using more play action and more motion.
Football is football, and some players will say as much, but there are going to be some growing pains before the offense is firing on all cylinders.
Plus, while the focus of many will be on the play-calling and what the playbook looks like, it may all just come down to the health and force of the offensive line anyway.
That’s not what the question asked, though. How long should the probationary period be? The view here is that drawing major conclusions about Mannion’s offense won’t have enough context until at least three games into the regular season. Patience levels are personal, right?
Is it possible that the A.J. Brown trade was such a foregone conclusion that the biggest roster storyline in an otherwise pretty standard offseason program was the backup quarterback position?
Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee are splitting reps behind Hurts, Nick Sirianni says, but the coach wouldn’t commit to saying McKee is the backup quarterback, the spot on the depth chart he held last season. He doesn’t have to commit to anything in June or even July or August.
But the fact that Dalton took so many reps with the second-team offense was interesting.
Quarterbacks Andy Dalton (left) and Jalen Hurts work out during mandatory minicamp.
It’s fair to wonder if McKee will be on the roster by the time camp breaks, and the Eagles are crunching numbers to get to their initial 53-man roster. The Eagles used a fifth-round pick on quarterback Cole Payton after sending a seventh-round pick to Carolina for Dalton.
It’s hard to imagine they will keep four quarterbacks on the roster, and it’s hard to imagine them wanting to expose a fifth-round pick to waivers unless Payton has the type of uninspiring training camp sixth-round pick Kyle McCord had last year.
The guess here is that Howie Roseman is hopeful McKee puts some good play on tape in the preseason, and the Eagles get some draft value back in a trade for their 2023 sixth-round pick, who is entering the last year of his contract.
Is a quiet spring from top Eagles rookies concerning?
It shouldn’t be.
But their first three picks were hampered by injuries.
First-round pick Makai Lemon, who will be asked to contribute in a big way right away with Brown out of town, missed some time with a hamstring injury but is expected to be ready for camp. Sure, he didn’t get a ton of on-field reps, but it wasn’t like he was on an island somewhere while the Eagles were installing stuff in the meeting rooms.
Makai Lemon was bothered by a hamstring injury during minicamp.
Eli Stowers, the second-round pick out of Vanderbilt, did not stand out in early workouts despite the Eagles raving about his athletic traits after selecting the tight end at No. 54. He then wore a sleeve on his right leg during the final workout of minicamp and sat out some drills.
Markel Bell, the big tackle the Eagles took in the third round, also missed the last practice of minicamp.
As for Stowers, Sirianni continued to have a lot of good things to say about him on the last day of the spring session. The former college quarterback is still only a few seasons into playing tight end, and while the Eagles are high on him — “He has an unusual skill set at the tight end position with the matchups that he is going to be getting,” Sirianni said— they also know he has a lot of work to do.
It’s way too early to be alarmed about the rookie class.
Will there be any roster additions before training camp?
Roseman kind of answered that question just hours after the final on-field workout finished when he signed former Bills edge rusher A.J. Epenesa. That move made some more sense on Tuesday, when the Eagles placed free-agent signing Joe Tryon-Shoyinka on the reserve/retired list.
Epenesa, who was drafted one spot after Hurts in 2020, originally signed with the Browns, but that deal did not finalize after Epenesa’s physical. Edge rusher was one spot, however, where the Eagles needed some more talent for some bottom-of-the-depth-chart competition. There’s a clear trio at the top in Jonathan Greenard, Jalyx Hunt, and Nolan Smith, and then there’s Arnold Ebiketie. Epenesa, who had six-plus sacks in three consecutive seasons from 2022 to 2024, figures to be in the mix for a roster spot.
A.J. Epenesa, seen here as a member of the Bills, is a recent addition to the pass rushing depth chart.
Where else could the Eagles upgrade?
Safety might be the only position on the team that still has some question marks. The Eagles plan to use Cooper DeJean at safety in their base defense with Quinyon Mitchell and Riq Woolen manning the outside corner spots. But that leaves around 75% of the reps next to Drew Mukuba for someone not named DeJean. Right now, it’s Marcus Epps’ spot to lose. But Epps is 30 and was available as a practice-squad addition last August.
Behind Epps is Michael Carter II, who has played mostly nickel, and J.T. Gray, another 30-year-old with mostly special teams experience. Then there’s a mix of young and unproven players.
Fangio has expressed confidence in Epps, and thinks Carter has the chops to play safety, but don’t be surprised if Roseman adds some more talent to the group before camp.
The NFL’s 2026 free agency period is ongoing — even as the lion’s share of the league’s headline-grabbing signings have come off the board. The Eagles are one team for whom the situation remains fluid, but enough has occurred to take stock of the post-free agency picture nonetheless.
The Inquirer’s Eagles reporting team of Jeff McLane, Olivia Reiner and Jeff Neiburg got together for a roundtable with a week of free agency movement in the rear-view mirror.
What has been your biggest surprise of the Eagles free agency period to date?
McLane: Nothing the Eagles have done or not done so far qualifies as surprising from this vantage point. Howie Roseman essentially laid out his plans ahead of free agency. He would be selective in retaining his own players, prudent in signing others, and continue to build from within via the draft. I thought that maybe the Eagles would make an effort to keep safety Reed Blankenship considering the relatively affordable contract he signed with the Texans at $8.25 million a year. But I guess the greater shock was that Roseman would make a cornerback his first free agent signing.
There isn’t some rule that general managers have to fill roster spots by order of need. And signing Riq Woolen indicated that Roseman saw value in inking the 26-year old to a one-year contract worth up to $15 million. In theory, that is good business. But the third corner spot behind Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean is a luxury. Woolen has enviable attributes in size and speed, if not issues with consistency and temperament. He could be a steal on a “prove-it” deal. But he’s essentially a rental with Mitchell and Cooper slated for extensions next offseason. The Eagles have time to address holes at edge rusher, safety and find the next generation on the offensive line and at tight end. So this isn’t a critique of Roseman’s initial choices. Just an early assessment.
Reiner: Jaelan Phillips was always going to get paid this offseason, it was just a question of how much. He was a young, talented player at a premium position within a relatively underwhelming free-agent class. While the Eagles had interest in bringing him back, it seemed unlikely that they were going to overpay him, given the team’s need to reward homegrown defensive players who are eligible/will become eligible for extensions. Plus, Phillips had just five sacks last season (two with the Eagles) and hasn’t yet eclipsed his career best of 8½ sacks set during his rookie season in 2021.
He signed with the Carolina Panthers for four years, $120 million, good for a $30 million average annual value. While I figured his AAV would be high, I didn’t anticipate it would be that high. That’s a pretty significant projection, especially for a player not too far removed from a pair of serious injuries. I’m not surprised the Eagles were outbid, but I am surprised that they were outbid by that much.
Neiburg: My surprise is that it’s March 17 and the only addition to the edge rushing corps has been Arnold Ebiketie. There is, of course, plenty of time for that to change. But I expected Phillips to be back — though not at that number — and if not, expected the Eagles to bring in another top-end talent like Trey Hendrickson or Maxx Crosby. It’s the lone position on the team right now screaming for an infusion of talent, so I’d expect something to change relatively soon.
New Eagles tight end Johnny Mundt (86) arrives from Jacksonville with a sterling reputation as a blocker.
Which new Eagles face needs to be the most immediate difference-maker?
McLane: The pickings are slim here so I’ll go with Ebiketie. I don’t imagine the Eagles will go into next season with the former Falcon as the third outside linebacker behind Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt. But right now that’s where he lines up in the pecking order. Ebiketie dropped down the depth chart in Atlanta after new faces arrived last season, but he was still effective. He had a solid 16.4% pressure rate, if only two sacks. He had six sacks in each of the two previous seasons, though.
Ebiketie projects as more than a serviceable rotation edge rusher. The same could have been said for Azeez Ojulari and Joshua Uche — two outside linebackers the Eagles signed to one-year contracts a year ago that didn’t exactly pan out. It wasn’t all their fault. They weren’t given much of chance. Roseman traded for Phillips and Brandon Graham was lured out of retirement. As stated above, the GM is likely to add more bodies at the position, even if it isn’t a No. 1 guy. Until then, Ebiketie will have to do the heavy lifting as the projected No. 3.
Neiburg: The answer for me right now is Johnny Mundt, which probably says more about the quiet nature of the free agent class so far. The second tight end isn’t all that sexy. But I think Mundt’s job with the Eagles is a more important one than Woolen’s. Sure, Woolen is the high-profile name, but we saw last year that CB2, in this defense, with Mitchell and DeJean, wasn’t that much of an issue. Adoree’ Jackson did fine, and Woolen is better. The running game, on the other hand, suffered from poor blocking from the tight ends. That needs to change, especially in this new scheme, to get the offense back on track. Mundt needs to be as advertised. Woolen, meanwhile, can get away with just being OK.
Reiner: With Dallas Goedert and Grant Calcaterra now under contract in 2026, the addition of the 31-year-old Mundt is all the more important. Howie Roseman admitted in advance of the combine that the Eagles needed a more diverse skill set in the tight ends room last season, given Goedert, Calcaterra, and Kylen Granson were stronger receivers than they were blockers.
That’s where Mundt comes in. The Eagles’ run game is poised to lean more into a wide-zone scheme under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. Mundt should be familiar with the revamped run game and the coaches installing it. He played with Mannion with the Rams in 2017 and 2018 and the Minnesota Vikings in 2021 and 2023. New Eagles offensive line coach Chris Kuper also served in the same role in Minnesota while Mundt was on the team. Given the struggles of last year’s unit, Mundt has the potential to make a positive impact on the ground as a blocker. After all, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell once called him “the best third tight end in the NFL.”
Jordan Mailata (left), Lane Johnson (center) and Landon Dickerson (right) are the present of the Eagles offensive line. The Eagles know they must think about the future in the trenches.
Name a position that concerns you heading into next month’s draft.
Reiner: Edge rusher. The Eagles could still use some more pass-rush prowess on the edge, especially after a quiet wild-card showing from the group (no sacks, just one quarterback hit, according to Pro Football Focus). Last year, the Eagles went into the season with Smith and Hunt as their top two edge rushers and ended up acquiring Phillips at the trade deadline to lead the group. Roseman ought to take a more proactive approach this year and add an impact player at the position before the season begins. Then, the Eagles should be set at the position for 2026 (and potentially beyond), as Smith and Hunt are promising, yet still developing.
Neiburg: In the immediate future, it’s edge rusher, but the long-term future of the offensive line is my primary concern for the state of this Eagles roster, and one they will need to help address in the draft. Lane Johnson’s career is winding down. Injuries and pain could soon force Landon Dickerson to retire before he hits 30. Cam Jurgens, like Dickerson, just got a treatment for his ailments in Colombia that they don’t do in the U.S. A position that has long been a strength of the Eagles has a lot of question marks as they enter the 2026 season.
McLane: I’ve mentioned the holes at edge rusher and safety, but I’m looking at a position with a longtime returning starter with question marks: left guard. We know that Dickerson will be back for a sixth season. Will he be able to finish it? I think that’s a fair question considering doubts he expressed about his future at the end of the season, and from sources close to Dickerson who know the full extent of injuries he’s played through the last several seasons. There might not be a tougher player on the roster, but a nowhere-near-100-percent Dickerson was often a detriment to the offense in 2025.
As Jeff mentions, he addressed his ailing body by receiving stem cell treatment, following Jurgens to Colombia earlier this month. Jurgens doesn’t get off scot-free. His regression last season wasn’t solely because he wasn’t full recovered from back surgery. He needs to bounce back. But the Eagles didn’t reduce the number of years left his contract like they did with Dickerson. They clearly know the end is nearing for the former Pro Bowler. They don’t have an obvious backup at this point after Brett Toth and Matt Pryor left in free agency. Roseman will likely add a veteran. But he may have to start thinking about finding a replacement in the draft, and that’s on top of preparing for Johnson’s retirement, which could be coming in a year.
Will the Eagles have regrets over whatever their decision is on A.J. Brown?
Crystal ball: What will we be saying about A.J. Brown at the end of the 2026 season?
Neiburg: Hello from late January. The Eagles just lost in the NFC title game despite A.J. Brown’s eight catches for 84 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles never got an offer worthy of parting with Brown, and so they kept him on the team and ran it back with Brown and DeVonta Smith at the top of the depth chart. Mannion’s offense opened up the passing and running games a bit, and Brown did fire off a few cryptic social media posts, but he went over 1,000 yards for the fifth consecutive season.
Reiner: Brown is still a great player … whether he is on the Eagles or not. Lately, it seems like “not” is the more likely outcome for the two parties. Perhaps the Eagles will wait to move him until after June 1, when they can spread out his dead cap charge over the next two seasons. Regardless, whoever ends up with Brown in 2026 is the better-off team. Even a 29-year-old Brown can make a difference in an offense, given he posted a paltry 1,003 receiving yards in a relatively down season in 2025.
McLane: I doubt there will be one uniform statement said about Brown, whether he’s with the Eagles or not. I suspect there will be a growing chorus, however, suggesting that he has taken another slight step back. We saw glimpses of that last season and perhaps that is why Brown voiced his frustrations in the middle of last season. He was still great at times. And it wasn’t like his average separation numbers when targeted dropped. He actually had a slight increase from 2.1 to 2.2 yards, per Next Gen Stats. But dropped passes and an occasional lack of effort were concerning. Jalen Hurts and Kevin Patullo weren’t solely to blame for last season.
Roseman wouldn’t be open to trading Brown if there wasn’t evidence that he’s slipping in his age-29 year. Every team knew about his knee concerns before the draft. The Eagles are the only ones to know how they’re holding up as he enters his eighth season. Any potential partner would perform a physical before signing off on a trade. But Brown isn’t coming off knee surgery like Maxx Crosby. There’s an uncertain expiration date with chronic injury. And some receiver-needy team is likely to take that risk. The Patriots or some other suitor will have to meet Roseman’s demands, but the asking price could drop post-June 1, especially if the Eagles draft a receiver.
A lot of NFL general managers are a lot less capable than Howie Roseman.
As for A.J. Brown, the impact of the Bills’ acquisition of Moore is being overstated.
Roseman may get the first-round pick he reportedly is seeking in exchange for Brown, but it’s no more likely now that the Bears have somehow managed to finagle a second-round pick out of the Bills for Moore. If anything, Roseman might deserve credit for driving up the price for Moore, who was the Bears’ fourth receiving option by the end of a season in which he caught just 50 passes for 682 yards. Buffalo had a clear need for a primary receiver. Dealing a second-round pick for Moore might sound more reasonable when your other option is trading a first- and second-round pick for Brown. What we know for sure is that the small pool of teams that made obvious sense as a trade partner for the Eagles just shrunk by one.
The Trent McDuffie trade could be just as much of a harbinger in the opposite direction.
A two-time All-Pro at a premium position (cornerback) entering his age-26 season, McDuffie is headed to the Rams for the No. 29 pick in this year’s draft, a future third, and change. I don’t think it’s accurate to say that the McDuffie deal is an indication of the elite cornerback market, at least not relative to Brown. Keep in mind, the Colts traded away two first-round picks and Adonai Mitchell for Sauce Gardner at the deadline. One of those picks ended up at No. 16 this year. Who knows what next year’s will be. That’s the elite cornerback market.
The McDuffie trade does give us a neat and tidy for-instance. Given the sacrifice the Chiefs just made at a more premium position, would they then be willing to turn around and trade the No. 29 pick they received for McDuffie to the Eagles for Brown? Maybe they would. Hey, maybe they will. They sure do need a wide receiver. That said, it seems far more likely that they are looking at that No. 29 pick the same way the Eagles would in justifying a trade of Brown: as a chance to add another five years of well-below-market-rate production in the form of a rookie.
The overall point is that you can talk yourself silly trying to project the market based on one deal. The Moore deal can just as easily be construed as the price a team is willing to pay to not pay the price the Eagles are asking for Brown.
Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie (left) was traded to the Rams for the 29th pick in this year’s draft. Could Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown fetch a similar haul?
The Eagles are justified in asking for a first- and second-rounder for Brown, assuming what they really expect is a first-rounder and an assortment of mid-to-late-round picks.
There are plenty of comps.
The Raiders acquired 29-year-old Davante Adams from the Packers for No. 22 overall and No. 53 overall in 2022.
The Bills acquired 26-year-old Stefon Diggs for No. 22 overall and change from the Vikings in 2020.
The Chiefs acquired No. 29 overall, No. 50 overall and change from the Dolphins for 28-year-old Tyreek Hill in 2022.
It’s easy to see the genesis of Roseman’s current reported asking price. It’s also easy to see why that asking price has drawn snickers.
Consider:
The first-round pick the Bills traded to the Vikings turned out to be Justin Jefferson.
The second-rounder that the Raiders traded to the Packers turned out to be Alec Pierce (after Green Bay traded the pick to draft Christian Watson). The first-rounder was Quay Walker, a four-year starter at linebacker.
The Chiefs used the No. 29 pick they landed for Hill to trade up to draft McDuffie at No. 21.
On the other side of these deals were two of the worst organizations in the NFL (Dolphins, Raiders), and the team that just traded a second-round pick for Moore and has the second-most expensive wide receiver room in the NFL without a true WR1 to show for it.
There aren’t many other for-instances. The Texans traded away DeAndre Hopkins for No. 40 overall in 2020, but that deal included running back David Johnson in the return and was universally panned regardless. Last offseason, the Steelers traded away No. 52 overall for 27-year-old DK Metcalf, whose four-year averages were worse than Brown’s 2025.
There aren’t many teams that can give the Eagles what they need.
I use the word “need” for a reason. The Eagles need a first-round pick to justify trading Brown. The only way they might otherwise justify it is by landing a future first plus a 2026 second, i.e. the “Ravens Scenario.” We’ll get to that in a second. First, let’s explain what we mean when we say the Eagles “need” a first-rounder.
This is not abstract. Concretely, the Eagles need to be able to replace Brown. The best way to do it is via the draft, where there happens to be a number of players who could help them and who are projected to be within striking distance of No. 23. But the Eagles need plenty else besides a replacement for Brown. We saw that this year, when they had Brown. To justify trading Brown, they need to at least end up with a pick that maximizes their odds of replacing him (even if they end up “replacing” him with a star at another position). Bare minimum is a top-50ish pick. But only if they feel like they need to trade him for the best offer. Right now, their best leverage is their willingness to bring him back. Which is why they are making that willingness known.
Not many teams are in a position to give them what they need. Cross off the Bills. Presumably the Chiefs, unless Andy Reid and Brett Veach have radically changed the philosophy under which they traded away Hill to pave the way for McDuffie. Nobody is giving up a top-10 pick for Brown, so cross them off too.
Could the Ravens be in the market to trade for Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown?
The Dolphins (No. 11) are more likely to trade Jaylen Waddle for a Brown-type package than to trade for Brown. The Cowboys (No. 12) don’t need a wide receiver, nor do the Rams (No. 13), who just traded their expendable first-rounder to the Chiefs for McDuffie. The Bucs (No. 15) are brimming with wide receivers, including last year’s first-rounder Emeka Egbuka. The Lions (No. 17) have a lot of needs more pressing than the skill positions. Same goes for the Vikings (No. 18). The Panthers (No. 19) spent significant draft capital on Tetairoa McMillan last year. Brown doesn’t fit their timeline.
Next up is Dallas again at No. 20, then the Steelers, who just traded for Metcalf and like to build from within. The Chargers don’t have the luxury of trading No. 22 for Brown. Forget the Browns (No. 24). We’ve already covered the Bears (No. 25). Cross off the Texans (No. 28), who have Nico Collins and youth around him.
That leaves us with the Ravens at No. 14, the 49ers at No. 27, the Broncos at No. 30, the Patriots at No. 31, and the Seahawks at No. 32.
If the Eagles are reluctant to trade Brown to a fellow NFC contender, that would leave three teams: Ravens, Broncos, Patriots. Denver and New England would need to offer their first-rounder, because the next best 2026 picks are No. 62 and No. 63, which isn’t nearly good enough. The Ravens are in the opposite boat. Their No. 14 overall pick is too high. Their second-rounder (No. 45) is borderline, and would only make sense if coupled with a high future pick.
The Eagles’ ability to land a first-rounder is contingent on the Ravens’ willingness to give up a future first or the Patriots/Broncos (or Seahawks/49ers) belief in the players who will be on the board at the end of this year’s first round.
None of that is impacted by the cost of trading for Moore. The Ravens and the Patriots are the two obvious teams, assuming we remove the Chiefs and the NFC contenders. The Ravens aren’t going to give up No. 14 for Brown, and No. 45 is only worth it for the Eagles if they have 45 players they love on their draft board. A future first from Baltimore would give them an opportunity to move up. The Pats’ first-rounder would work if coupled with a pick that also gives the Eagles ammo to move up from No. 23 or No. 31 to draft a guy they covet.
This is a pass-fail sort of thing. There is a bare minimum return the Eagles need in order to justify the competitive hit they’d take without Brown in 2026. It is a return where only a team’s best available draft pick is good enough. There are only a few teams that might consider it. That was the case before the Bills traded for Moore. It remains the case now.
The 2026 NFL free agency period begins on Monday, when “legal tampering” will give way to a number of reported deals across the league. Free agency will officially begin on Wednesday, and the Eagles will be players — though how aggressive general manager Howie Roseman and Co. will be remains to be seen. With limited available cap space and the specter of a possible A.J. Brown trade adding to the uncertainty, how the Eagles handle this period elicits a wide range of possibilities.
The Inquirer’s Eagles reporting team of Jeff McLane, Olivia Reiner, and Jeff Neiburg got together for a roundtable ahead of next week’s festivities.
What’s one practical free agent move you could see the Eagles making next week, given their cap space and personnel situation?
McLane: Dallas Goedert is slated to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career, but even if he signs with another team, the Eagles won’t have a clean break from their longtime tight end. They still have an approximate $20 million dead money charge from a void year added to Goedert’s contract. That’s a lot of money to eat for a productive player they may want to keep. The Eagles, more than any other team, have been comfortable kicking cash into future years. But Roseman can’t be reckless, and if trading Brown becomes a reality, the general manager would have around $45 million more in dead money on the books.
Could franchise staple Dallas Goedert run it back in Philly after his career touchdown year?
Brown’s return, though, could warrant Goedert coming back for a ninth season. He put up solid numbers, catching 60 passes for 591 yards and a team-high 11 touchdowns, despite the Eagles’ pass offense inconsistencies.
Was Goedert as dynamic as in years past after the catch? No. But he wasn’t given as many chances to run in space. The new Shanahan-McVay parts of the offense could accentuate Goedert’s post-catch abilities. The bigger question is whether he can run block like he once did. The Eagles weren’t happy with his output there. You have to wonder if taking a $4.25 million pay cut last season affected his effort, or occasional lack thereof. Goedert will have suitors on the open market. Is he worth as much as the Ravens’ Mark Andrews, who signed a three-year, $39 million deal in December? If so, it seems unlikely the Eagles re-sign Goedert, unless he wants to end his career in Philly and takes less.
The draft is believed to be deep at the position and there are other avenues to finding a No. 1 tight end — perhaps a trade? — but there’s an argument to be made for keeping Goedert.
Reiner: Re-signing Braden Mann. This seems like the football equivalent of a layup (a check down, perhaps). Mann, 28, is coming off the single best season by an Eagles punter in franchise history. He averaged 49.9 gross yards per punt, making his Eagles career average a franchise-leading 49.5. His net yards per punt (subtracting return yardage) finished within the top 10 in the NFL (43.1; No. 9 in the NFL).
Mann often helped flip the field during a season in which he was forced to punt a lot (72 punts, tied for No. 4). He deserves an extension, which wouldn’t break the bank. The Eagles are just a few years removed from their previous punter woes and they shouldn’t go back down that path by starting over with new contenders for the gig.
Is Christian Kirk (13) a free agent wideout possibility for the Birds?
Neiburg: Signing Christian Kirk to a relatively cheap contract given his talent. This is with or without Brown on the roster. Kirk has been limited by injuries over the last few seasons and ran routes with a crowded receiving corps in Houston. But he had a stretch of really good football from 2021 through 2023, tallying 2,877 yards on 218 catches, 16 of them for touchdowns. Kirk’s alignment favors the slot, but he has played plenty on the outside. The Eagles need to infuse the unit with more young talent, but Kirk, 29, could help bridge the gap, and if Brown is traded he would give the Eagles an experienced running mate for DeVonta Smith.
What’s a bolder, but perhaps less likely move you could see the Eagles making?
McLane: Trade for Maxx Crosby. If the Eagles decide they can’t afford Jaelan Phillips, they could be in the market for a top-end edge rusher. Crosby qualifies as a difference maker and would be an upgrade over Phillips or the returning Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith. It would cost a lot, of course. The Raiders are said to want two first-rounders and a player (Smith?) in return. But elite edge rushers are rarely available and Crosby’s existing contract isn’t a backbreaker. He has four remaining years at around $29 million per season, but only next season’s $30 million base salary is guaranteed. (editor’s note: Crosby was traded to the Ravens Friday night).
Crosby has made it clear he wants out of Las Vegas. He has expressed his fondness for the Eagles and Philadelphia as a sports town. Perhaps he would be willing to adjust his deal to expedite a trade. Roseman may be cautious for various reasons. Crosby turns only 29 in August, but he’s logged more snaps than almost any defensive end over the last five seasons. He’s also coming off back-to-back season-ending injuries that required surgery to repair his ankle and a torn meniscus in his left knee. That’s why I think the Raiders’ reported asking price is unrealistic.
There will be competition for Crosby, but the Eagles aren’t likely to repeat the mistake of going into another season with just Hunt and Smith on the edge. Phillips was a good trade deadline acquisition, but a tepid pass rush was an under-the-radar reason why the Eagles defense struggled in the second half of the playoff loss to the 49ers.
Jaelan Phillips is a top-5 NFL free agent who could end up with a huge deal in a location other than Philadelphia.
Reiner: Re-signing Phillips. He might be the Eagles’ top priority among their own group of pending free agents, but he isn’t a slam dunk to return. At 26 years old, he slotted in nicely to Vic Fangio’s defense in a short period of time at a premium position. He made an impact on the pass rush despite posting unassuming sack numbers (two in eight games). He stayed healthy for all 17 games in 2025, with the Eagles and the Miami Dolphins, one year removed from a partially torn ACL (and two years removed from a torn Achilles).
But the Eagles ought to be realistic about a potential extension. Phillips was a net-positive addition last season, but he was not a game-wrecker. The Eagles likely won’t be inclined to pay him as such, given their lack of cap space in 2026 and their need to extend key defensive players both this offseason and in years to come. The Eagles will likely set a walkaway number for Phillips and move on if another team outbids them.
Neiburg: Trading Brown … and trading for his replacement. Trading Brown is pretty bold in itself, but if it happens, the Eagles have a big hole to fill. There’s no doubt DeVonta Smith can handle all that comes with being the focal point of the passing game, but the roster is bereft of receiver depth, and if the Eagles aren’t thrilled with the free agent market — like, say, Kirk or someone like Romeo Doubs are more expensive than they prefer — they could go the trade route and trade from their roster or draft picks to acquire a receiver. Who could be available? Here are a couple of names to target via trade: Jacksonville’s Brian Thomas Jr. and Buffalo’s Keon Coleman.
Does Sean Mannion scheme require a tailoring of the team’s offensive personnel?
How much do you think the team’s offensive staff changes will inform their free agent and draft approaches?
McLane: Aside from the quarterback position, the offensive line is the most likely to be affected by the expected scheme changes. New offensive coordinator Sean Mannion is bringing with him a Shanahan-McVay system that will alter blocking in the run game. Will there be a complete whitewash? No. But the Eagles are likely to shift from less mid-zone to more wide-zone blocking. Those terms might not indicate how different the techniques are, but the former emphasizes more reactionary blocking and winning at the point of attack, while the latter features O-linemen firing off the ball and blocking at an angle.
Asked how the changes may affect his evaluations, Roseman conceded he may be looking for more agile O-linemen. The Eagles already have athletic freaks up front, although injury-riddled left guard Landon Dickerson may not qualify as such.
I don’t think Roseman will do much at the position in free agency. He does have decisions on reserves Fred Johnson and Brett Toth. I don’t think the scheme change rules out either for a return. But they don’t have an advocate in former offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland anymore. His replacement, Chris Kuper, won’t likely have as big a voice as Stoutland in personnel. But the Eagles are almost guaranteed to expend a high draft pick on an O-lineman with right tackle Lane Johnson closer to retirement than ever.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah recently projected seven first-round O-linemen in the 2026 draft and then a drop-off in terms of talent. Maybe one of the top guys slips into the second round and there’s a chance to pick up value, but I’d be surprised if Roseman didn’t expend the Eagles’ No. 23 overall pick — or more in a move up — to secure Lane Johnson’s expected successor.
Neiburg: It should inform the approach plenty. Especially when it comes to how they address the tight end position. Roseman knows he has long appreciated the receiving component of the tight end, but the new scheme will require a lot better blocking than the Eagles got last year and even in prior seasons from the players behind Goedert. As Jeff mentions, it’s possible Goedert returns in 2026 in free agency, but the Eagles would need to slot players behind him who block a lot better than Grant Calcaterra. One name I could see fitting in well is Jake Tonges, who doesn’t offer a ton in the pass game but was an elite blocker for the 49ers.
A.J. Brown’s situation could have an impact on the team’s free agency approach.
Reiner: Given the expected shift in run-game philosophy under Mannion, the tight end and offensive line additions could reflect those changes. I think the prospective wide receiver additions will have layered influences, especially as it relates to Brown’s future. Naturally, the Eagles’ need at receiver becomes much more pressing if (big if) they decide to move the star receiver before the start of the season.
Otherwise, aside from adding a WR3, the Eagles don’t need to overhaul their receiving corps to fit the scheme. If we’re looking to the Packers offense for clues about what the Eagles might look like in 2026, we can expect to see more under-center play action, pre-snap motion, and misdirection as a means of scheming open space in the passing game. That space helps receivers generate yards after the catch and explosive plays downfield.
The prosperity of the scheme seems to be rooted more in its design, not so much in the raw talent of its players, a departure from Eagles offenses past. That isn’t to say the Eagles aren’t looking for talented receivers, but more so that the prototype of a talented receiver isn’t likely to change dramatically.
Besides A.J. Brown, who else could the Eagles trade?
McLane: This may seem like a reach, but I could envision a world in which Nolan Smith is being floated on the trade market, assuming either Phillips, Crosby or some edge rusher equivalent is on the roster by the draft. Smith hasn’t been a bust — far from it. A shoulder injury limited him during his rookie season, but he blossomed in the second half of his sophomore year. Tricep woes sent him to injured reserve last season and he finished with just three sacks and 11 quarterback hits. He’s good at setting the edge and has a high motor, but he’s undersized and struggles to win consistently as a pass rusher.
Hunt has a higher ceiling, is one year younger and was drafted two rounds after Smith. It’s going to be tough for Roseman to pay both, especially with defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter slated for possible extensions this offseason.
Is Nolan Smith Jr.’s long-term future with the team set in stone?
The Eagles could pick up the fifth-year option (around $15 million) on Smith’s first-round rookie contract after the draft. That isn’t an exorbitant amount for a premium position player. He has potential he hasn’t tapped into. But I’d be worried about his durability. And there will be the occasional casualty after strong drafts on the defensive side and upcoming deals for All-Pro cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.
Reiner: Tanner McKee. Ahead of the combine, Roseman expressed just how much he values the backup quarterback position and the importance of having a competent player in the role. McKee certainly fits the bill despite his limited action in his lone year as the full-time backup. But the soon-to-be-26-year-old quarterback is going into the final year of his rookie deal. If Roseman doesn’t see a future for him in Philadelphia beyond next season, would he be inclined to move McKee at the peak of his value to the team?
This offseason is a seller’s market at quarterback. The draft lacks high-end talent beyond Fernando Mendoza, who doesn’t have the cachet of other recent No. 1 overall picks. The free-agent market is led by Kyler Murray and Malik Willis. If McKee has a market among teams that want him to compete for the starting gig, the Eagles ought to entertain offers. But Roseman would need to get a strong return for McKee, all the while feeling comfortable about a replacement plan in 2026 for Jalen Hurts’ backup. Perhaps they liked what they saw from Sam Howell in practice enough to warrant a low-cost extension and make him the full-time No. 2.
Neiburg: Sydney Brown. The Eagles have a few candidates in their secondary who are due for a change of scenery, and Brown might be at the top of the list. The Eagles need help at safety, but they won’t be lining up with Drew Mukuba and Brown at the back of the secondary to start the 2026 season. Brown, who has one year left on his rookie deal, will be a backup again, and will see some work on special teams. But if you can convince a team to part with a Day 3 pick to acquire a player who isn’t part of your long-term plans, you have to do it.
INDIANAPOLIS — Howie Roseman opened his session with Eagles reporters last week in Philadelphia ahead of the NFL scouting combine by laying out a basic blueprint for building a championship-caliber roster: Draft well, re-sign your best homegrown talent, add here and there in free agency, and hopefully rinse and repeat.
But in setting those parameters, Roseman was also managing expectations for how the Eagles will approach their 19 unrestricted free agents, those who will reach the market next month, and how the general manager will navigate a tightening salary cap after years of pushing cash into future years.
On Tuesday at the combine, Roseman was asked about specific players whose contracts are up, and some still under contract who aren’t guaranteed to return next season — not that the GM would ever promise that any player will be back (see: wide receiver A.J. Brown).
Roseman, conversely, didn’t rule out the return of anyone he was asked about, even though he made clear last week that the Eagles will have to say goodbye to many of their free agents, a group that includes some starters they drafted.
Edge rusher Jaelan Phillips would seem to be a priority signing, even if he’s projected to be one of the more sought-after free-agent commodities when the new league year opens on March 11. The Eagles had Phillips for only two-plus months but praised his work.
“You certainly see his fit with Coach [Vic] Fangio in our defense, which a lot of times when you’re talking about free agency is a big part of free agency,” Roseman said. “How is this guy gonna fit into our defense? So you see that there, you’ve been with the guy. He’s got tremendous character, tremendous work ethic.
“And then all the things that you’re doing, you’re trying to balance the other factors that go along with that to try to come down with a value.”
In other words, the Eagles will negotiate, but they might be willing to only go so far. If they can’t bring the 26-year-old Phillips back, they may need to find other avenues at the position. Nolan Smith Jr., Jalyx Hunt, and Jose Ramirez, who signed a futures contract after the season, are the only Eagles edge rushers currently under contract.
“We usually take seven or eight guys to camp. We only have three on the roster right now,” Roseman said. “So definitely think we’ll have to address it. It’s a priority position for us.”
Aside from Phillips, Josh Uche, Azeez Ojulari, Ogbo Okoronkwo, and Brandon Graham are all slated to become free agents. Roseman didn’t rule out welcoming back the 37-year-old Graham, who came out of retirement in early November, for an unprecedented 17th season in midnight green.
“Brandon Graham is always welcome in Philadelphia,” Roseman said. “Obviously, when I think about what he’s done for us as a player, as a person, and then last year, even when he came back in, the versatility that he showed, coming in in the end of the year and reducing inside and playing defensive tackle, just an all-time Eagles great, future Eagles Hall of Famer.”
Dallas Goedert led the Eagles in touchdowns but might have played his last game with the team.
Roseman speaks on Goedert, Blankenship, other free agents, extension candidates
Roseman had the following to say about the Eagles’ three other free agents who started last season:
On tight end Dallas Goedert:
“Tremendous player and person for the Philadelphia Eagles. Really glad we were able to figure it out and bring him back to Philadelphia this year and for the season and [be] tremendously productive for us. Just a huge asset for our offense to have him on our football team. Again, we got to put the whole puzzle together. To sit here — we got a lot of other free agents, too — and say, ‘Hey, we’re definitely going to get this guy back …’ When we get this late, obviously, the market dictates a lot of that, as well. But we’ll certainly sit down with his agent here over the next couple of days and have a conversation.”
Goedert isn’t the Eagles’ only free agent tight end. Grant Calcaterra and Kyle Granson will be unrestricted in a few weeks. Roseman said last week he needed to do a better job of evaluating the position in prioritizing hybrids who can also block. He has a chance to remake the position, with new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion expected to implement the Kyle Shanahan-Sean McVay scheme.
On safety Reed Blankenship and linebacker Nakobe Dean:
“Really proud of Reed, undrafted free agent, and played in two Super Bowls, four years, four playoff appearances. Was a captain this year for our team, tremendous player, tremendous person.”
Roseman wasn’t asked directly about linebacker Nakobe Dean, but when the topic of 2025 first-rounder Jihaad Campbell stepping back into a starting role was brought up, he brought up Dean.
“Obviously, we have a free agent at that position, a guy that we drafted, a guy that we think is a really good player, and unbelievable character,” Roseman said. “And so, all those decisions here [will be] made in the next couple of weeks.”
Still, it seems unlikely that Dean will be back. Blankenship’s future in Philly seems more dependent upon his leaguewide value or whether the Eagles can afford Phillips.
On potential contract extensions across the defensive line:
The Eagles also have three defensive players available for extensions three years into their rookie deals: defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Moro Ojomo along with linebacker Nolan Smith Jr.
The Eagles picked up the fifth-year option for defensive tackle Jordan Davis last offseason rather than extend him, and their gamble paid off after he took a jump in Year 4. Davis may be the most likely of the quartert to have his contract reworked this offseason.
“That’s another guy, obviously, that you draft, you develop, tremendous character and continues to get better,” Roseman said. “That’s a group of a lot of players that we have, that we have tremendous confidence in, and the puzzle is trying to keep as many of them together as we possibly can.”
Howie Roseman expressed confidence in up-and-down kicker Jake Elliott.
On Jake Elliott:
Kicker Jake Elliott is under contract for three more seasons, but he has become increasingly inconsistent after having a career year in 2023. Elliott has been under 80% in field goal efficiency the last two years. Roseman gave him a strong endorsement, however.
“Jake has been a tremendous kicker for us since we got him off practice squad in Cincinnati in 2017,” Roseman said. “Tremendously clutch. Have a lot of confidence in him as a player, as a kicker, as a person, captain on our team, and continue to believe in him as our place kicker.”
At cornerback, the Eagles have two of the best at their respective positions: outside corner Quinyon Mitchell and nickel corner Cooper DeJean. The third spot was unsettled until veteran Adoree’ Jackson settled into the spot in the second half of the season.
But he is also a free agent and the Eagles are unlikely to spend with Mitchell and DeJean likely to warrant big extensions next offseason.
“When you look at Q and Coop leading that group — two All-Pro players, guys who we want to be part of Philadelphia Eagles for a long time,” Roseman said. “Coop, he can play anything. He can play outside corner, he can play nickel, he could play at an All-Pro level anywhere. So having him gives you some flexibility.
“And so, we’ll go into the offseason looking to add to that position. Adoree’ did a really nice job for us last year and got better throughout the course of the year. … He’s a free agent and we’ll just kind of see how the offseason plays out.”
Nick Sirianni praises new Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker
Christian Parker during a news conference last week with the Cowboys.
Former Eagles defensive assistant coach Christian Parker reportedly beat out eight other contenders to land the Dallas Cowboys’ vacant defensive coordinator position.
“Every impression we had with CP just left us wanting more,” Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer told reporters at a news conference last week. “The conviction that he has, but curious, his calm demeanor, just the way he carries himself, is awesome … It became very clear he was the guy for the job.”
Speaking to reporters at the NFL scouting combine Tuesday, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni called Parker “a phenomenal football coach,” crediting him with “a lot” of the team’s player development success.
“I think the world of him and wish him the best,” Sirianni said, “with the exception of two games each year.”
Howie Roseman: Brandon Graham ‘always welcome in Philadelphia’
Brandon Graham un-retired to play for the Eagles last season.
Eagles GM Howie Roseman praised veteran defender Brandon Graham, who unretired to rejoin the Birds for a 16th season.
But Roseman didn’t say whether Graham, 37, would be back with the squad this season.
“Brandon Graham is always welcome in Philadelphia, obviously,” Roseman told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine Tuesday. “When I think about what he’s done for us as a player, as a person, and then last year when he came back, the versatility he showed … future Eagles Hall of Famer.”
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni shared Roseman’s sentiment when asked about Graham at the combine Tuesday.
“I’m not going to say it’s a ridiculous question, but of course, you want guys back like that,” Sirianni said.
Maxx Crosby said he loved playing in the hostile environment of Lincoln Financial Field.
The Las Vegas Raiders are planning to keep star edge rusher Maxx Crosby despite the trade talk around the five-time Pro Bowl pick, general manager John Spytek said Tuesday.
“Maxx is an elite player. I’ve been very upfront from the start since I got here, that we’re in the business of having really good players on the team, and we need a lot more of them,” Spytek said at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.
Crosby has been rehabilitating from left knee surgery he underwent three days after the regular season ended, as speculation about his status has persisted following an NFL-worst 3-14 record for the Raiders and the firing of coach Pete Carroll after just one year on the job.
Crosby said earlier this month he doesn’t want out and that the unsubstantiated reports suggesting he does make him laugh. His future with the club that drafted him in the fourth round out of Eastern Michigan in 2019 became a subject when he was placed on injured reserve with two games left against his wish, preferring to play out the season. Crosby, who has 69½ sacks in seven years, had a career-high 28 tackles for loss in 2025.
— Associated Press
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Watch: Nick Sirianni, Howie Roseman speak at the NFL scouting combine
// Timestamp 02/24/26 2:03pm
New UFL rules include a four-point field goal and Tush Push ban
Andre Mintze, a Philly native and former Imhotep standout, plays for the DC Defenders.
While all eyes are on the NFL scouting combine, don’t forget about the United Football League.
In case you’d forgotten, the upstart, eight-team spring football league is the re-branded result of a merger between the XFL and USFL in 2023.
Ahead of its third season, the UFL announced some interesting new rules Tuesday, including a ban of the Tush Push, something the NFL hasn’t been able to get through.
It doesn’t look like this will be the year, either. NFL competition committee co-chairman Rich McKay said on ESPN Sunday he’s not anticipating any challenges to the Tush Bush this offseason.
“There’s no team proposal that I’ve seen from it,” McKay said. “So, I wouldn’t envision it. But you never know.”
Here is a full rundown of the UFL’s new rules. Their season begins March 27, and will feature three new teams — the Columbus Aviators, Louisville Kings, and Orlando Storm.
Four-point field goal: Any successful field goal from 60 yards or farther will now be worth four points. Regular fields goals will remain three points.
No punting rule: Punts will no longer be allowed from anyone inside an opponent’s 50-yard-line. The only exception is with less than two minutes remaining before halftime or the end of the game.
Elimination of the Tush Push: No more pushing quarterbacks from behind in the UFL.
New overtime rules: Teams will have three alternating attempts to score from the five-yard line. If the score remains tied, teams will continue to alternate attempts until a winner is determined.
‘He’s going to be a huge asset’: Dolphins head coach praises Kevin Patullo
Former Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.
Following a Zoom interview with Kevin Patullo, new Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley was so impressed he knew he wanted to bring the former Eagles offensive coordinator down to Miami.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine, Hafley said Patullo’s knowledge goes beyond just the offense and extends to “game management” and “situational football”
“I got off the Zoom and I said to [Dolphins offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik], ‘We’ve got to try and hire this guy,’” Hafley said. “He had other opportunities and other options.”
The Dolphins indeed landed Patullo, whose brief tenure with the Eagles saw both the passing and running game regress. The Eagles’ offense finished the season ranked No. 19 in scoring and No. 24 in yards, down from No. 7 and No. 8 in those respective categories in 2024.
How long will the scouting combine remain in Indianapolis?
Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis will host the NFL scouting combine through 2028.
That’s the perennial question.
Indianapolis, which has hosted the combine since 1987, will continue as the event’s home through at least 2028, the NFL announced last month.
Despite other cities placing bids to host the event, the NFL has continued to stick with the combine’s roots. The league has also placed the desires of scouts and coaches — who enjoy the convenience of the Circle City’s downtown setup — over expanding the combine into a TV event the way the league has done with the NFL draft.
“For more than three decades, Indy has proven to be the best host city, efficiently moving prospects, team owners, coaching staff, medical personnel, and national media seamlessly through the city,” Colts Chief Operating Officer Pete Ward said in a statement.
How does this year’s draft class stack up with the Eagles’ needs?
The NFL world is descending on Indianapolis again this week for the NFL scouting combine.
This week, 319 college football prospects will descend on Indianapolis for the annual NFL scouting combine, where they will be tested physically, mentally, and medically, interviewed by NFL front office personnel, and will speak with hundreds of media members.
This latest step in the 2026 NFL draft process allows teams to home in on the next crop of players who will fill their franchises. All 32 teams will have 45 “formal interviews,” which last just under 20 minutes, can include watching film or any questions teams want to ask a prospect, and typically take place in the Lucas Oil Stadium suites.
The first direct touch point with prospects happened at last month’s Shrine and Senior Bowl games. NFL teams will utilize this next piece of the puzzle to identify which prospects match their team needs.
Here is how we’re ranking the combine position groups from strongest to weakest. Click through to read how they could help the Eagles address some roster needs:
‘We’ll continue to move on’: What’s next after Jeff Stoutland’s surprising exit?
Jeff Stoutland announced his departure from the Eagles earlier this month.
Two months after the Eagles hired Jeff Stoutland, they drafted Lane Johnson with the fourth overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft. Howie Roseman had his cornerstone offensive lineman, one whom Stoutland helped develop into a future Hall of Fame right tackle.
Stoutland was in the room with — and in the ear of — Roseman in the years that followed, even after the coach who hired Stoutland, Chip Kelly, left town. Stoutland survived 13 seasons and three coaching staffs in large part because he was arguably the best offensive line coach in football, but he also shared similar philosophies with Roseman.
“In 13 years, I probably couldn’t get on one hand our disagreements,” Roseman said during a session with Eagles beat writers on Friday, a few weeks after Stoutland announced his departure from the Eagles. “We looked at offensive line play very similarly.”
The offensive line, which took a step back in 2025 thanks to multiple injuries, has quickly gone from a position of strength and certainty to one that may soon need to be overhauled. The Eagles have been due to draft and develop Johnson’s eventual replacement, but now they may have big holes in the interior sooner than they anticipated.
It’s a crucial offseason for Roseman to address multiple spots on the depth chart, not just the offensive line, and retooling the offensive front now comes without the help of Stoutland.
“I probably could have 50 stories on our draft process and how we went through them,” Roseman said. “I miss him. … We’ll continue to move on. I feel like we have a really good group of people here. I feel confident in our ability to evaluate, but at the same time understanding how important he was to the process of adding good players and then developing those good players.”
Falcons GM Ian Cunningham told 92.9 The Game in Atlanta that the team plans to release Kirk Cousins on the first day of the league year, Wednesday, March 11.
Ertz, 35, turned around his career as a reliable target for Jayden Daniels, but the tight end’s contract with the Commanders is up this season. It remains unclear whether he’ll remain in Washington or become a free agent.
The Birds have marketing rights in Brazil and played there two seasons ago, but the NFL generally avoids scheduling divisional matchups in international games (though it’s already bucking that trend with 49ers-Rams in Australia, plus the Chiefs have played the Chargers, an AFC West foe, twice on foreign soil).
There’s also London, but even though the Birds are scheduled to play a road game against the Jaguars, it seems unlikely the NFL would want to waste the ratings potential of the Eagles on a game with a 9:30 a.m. Philly kickoff.
Nick Sirianni, Howie Roseman to speak more ahead of NFL scouting combine
Howie Roseman (left) and Nick Sirianni will speak to reporters Tuesday.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and general manager Howie Roseman will speak to reporters Tuesday afternoon ahead of the scouting combine.
Roseman is slated to take the podium at 2:45 p.m., followed by Sirianni at 3 p.m.
While most of the focus will likely be on whom the Eagles might take in the upcoming NFL draft, Sirianni and Roseman will undoubtedly face questions about a host of issues, including the future of A.J. Brown.
Sirianni and Roseman spoke to Eagles reporters Friday. Here’s what they learned.
Sean Mannion will be calling plays for the first time under intense scrutiny in Philadelphia.
Nick Sirianni sat perched back in a chair with his feet up in UGG slippers. The Eagles coach looked as relaxed as he has in over a year, and certainly since a tumultuous 2025 season ended with him having to oust consigliere Kevin Patullo as offensive coordinator last month.
Sirianni met with reporters at the newly named Jefferson Health Training Complex on the Friday before the NFL combine. He and general manager Howie Roseman normally answer questions with locals in Indianapolis before they hit the combine podium. But with so much change already — and more to come — the Eagles opted for the more familiar setting of their draft room to address pertinent matters about the team.
Sirianni and the more upright Roseman spoke separately, each for around 40 minutes. They tackled subjects ranging from wide receiver A.J. Brown’s uncertain future to longtime offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland’s departure. But a significant portion of their availability — especially the coach’s — was spent on new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion.
Why did Sirianni hire the inexperienced former Packers quarterbacks coach? Why was the search drawn out? How much did wanting the Shanahan-McVay offense factor into the decision? What did Sirianni like about the scheme? How much autonomy will Mannion have? How will quarterback Jalen Hurts and other returning players adapt to the new system? And how will the changes affect evaluations of Brown and future Eagles?
Sirianni was light on details — how could he not be with so many unknowns — but he and Roseman did provide enough information to allow for informed perspective on Mannion, the new scheme and what could be an inflection point for the coach, his quarterback, and the Eagles overall.
Here are 10 takeaways about the offense from Friday’s interviews:
Four players the Eagles could be watching at the NFL Scouting Combine
Will the Eagles be in position to fill a need with Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq (left) or Alabama offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor?
When evaluating NFL prospects, a player’s past performance is often the best predictor of future performance. The same can be said for the act of scouting itself.
Howie Roseman, who began serving as Eagles general manager in 2010, has an extensive draft history that can be used to project his future prospect preferences. Roseman has had personnel control during 15 draft cycles, not including 2015 when Chip Kelly was in charge of those decisions. Those 15 draft classes offer windows into Roseman’s valued traits and abilities at each position.
For years, the Eagles’ player personnel department has been gathering information about the 2026 draft class. At the scouting combine next week, Roseman and his staff will continue to learn about the scores of NFL hopefuls and determine their prospective fit within the organization.
What can the Eagles’ draft history tell us about the questions they will seek to answer about some of the top prospects at three positions of need next week?
Offensive line
Kadyn Proctor, Alabama: The 6-7, 366-pound tackle stands out for his movement skills at his hulking size. Proctor has the skill set to line up at guard, too, giving the Eagles another interior option with Lane Johnson returning for a 14th season.
Max Iheanachor, Arizona State: The 6-6, 330-pound tackle is a rawer prospect than Proctor, beginning his football career in junior college only five years ago. Iheanachor has the requisite size and quickness at the position, though, and he could continue to improve his draft stock with eye-catching numbers at the combine.
Tight end
Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon: The 20-year-old is the consensus top tight end in this year’s draft class who could come off the board within the Eagles’ range (potentially earlier) at No. 23 overall. His speed and athleticism are his strengths, and excels at making plays with the ball in his hands, which could be a benefit to the Eagles in the screen game.
Cornerback
Avieon Terrell, Clemson: The 5-11, 180-pound cornerback is relatively undersized at the position, but regardless of his size, Terrell has solidified himself among the top cornerbacks in this year’s draft class with his smart instincts and competitive spirit. He also has inside-outside versatility if the Eagles ever decide to move Cooper DeJean outside full-time. If Terrell tests well at the combine, he could get his foot in the door of the late first round.
NFL salary cap getting another big increase. Here’s where the Eagles stand.
The Eagles will have to make a decision on pending free agent Dallas Goedert.
The NFL salary cap just keeps going up and up.
The 2026 NFL salary cap is projected to land somewhere between $301.2 million and $305.7 million per team, a big jump from last season. At a minimum, it’s an increase of $22 million compared to 2025’s cap of $279.2 million, offering Howie Roseman and the Eagles some much-needed breathing room.
The Eagles have 21 pending free agents, including tight end Dallas Goedert, safety Reed Blankenship, linebacker Nakobe Dean, and edge rusher Jaelan Phillips.
“As for which players the Eagles will prioritize, it’s not hard to imagine them wanting to rework something with Goedert before they look elsewhere for a tight end,” Eagles beat writers Olivia Reiner and Jeff Neiburg wrote last month. Phillips will be at or near the top of the priority list, too. The Eagles are thin at edge rusher and could use an impact player like Phillips at the top of the depth chart to pair with Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith.
Princely Umanmielen (left) and Bradyn Swinson at last year’s NFL scouting combine.
Tomorrow’s potential draft picks will be on display this week in Indianapolis as the NFL scouting combine gets underway.
What once was a scouting event held far away from television cameras has morphed into one of the NFL’s tentpoles, drawing multiple days of live coverage on the NFL Network.
Compensatory picks have not yet been finalized, but the Eagles know where they’ll be picking in the first three rounds.
Currently, the Eagles have five total picks in the draft, which is slated to begin April 23 in Pittsburgh.
The Birds are also expected to receive three compensatory picks, awarded for high-profile free agency losses that include Milton Williams (Patriots), Josh Sweat (Cardinals), and Mekhi Becton (Chargers).
Over the Cap projects the Eagles will land one third-round pick (for Williams), one fourth-round pick (for Sweat), and one fifth-round pick (for Becton).
Nick Sirianni sat back in a chair with his feet up in UGG slippers. The Eagles coach looked as relaxed as he has in over a year, and certainly since a tumultuous 2025 season ended with him having to oust consigliere Kevin Patullo as offensive coordinator last month.
Sirianni met with reporters at the newly named Jefferson Health Training Complex on the Friday before the scouting combine. He and general manager Howie Roseman normally answer questions with locals in Indianapolis before they hit the combine podium. But with so much change already — and more to come — the Eagles opted for the more familiar setting of their draft room to address pertinent matters about the team.
Sirianni and the more upright Roseman spoke separately, each for around 40 minutes. They tackled subjects ranging from wide receiver A.J. Brown’s uncertain future to longtime offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland’s departure. But a significant portion of their availability — especially the coach’s — was spent on new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion.
Why did Sirianni hire the inexperienced former Packers quarterbacks coach? Why was the search drawn out? How much did wanting the Shanahan-McVay offense factor into the decision? What did Sirianni like about the scheme? How much autonomy will Mannion have? How will quarterback Jalen Hurts and other returning players adapt to the new system? And how will the changes affect evaluations of Brown and future Eagles?
Sirianni was light on details — how could he not be with so many unknowns? — but he and Roseman did provide enough information to allow for informed perspective on Mannion, the new scheme, and what could be an inflection point for the coach, his quarterback, and the Eagles overall. Here are 10 takeaways about the offense from Friday’s interviews:
1. The Eagles pivoted in their approach to the OC search after it became obvious that Mike McDaniel and Brian Daboll wanted to explore other opportunities.
Former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel (left) and former Giants coach Brian Daboll.
Sirianni didn’t confirm Inquirer reporting that McDaniel and Daboll were leading candidates, but he said he entered the offensive coordinator search looking for a veteran play-caller.
“I went into it … like I’d like for somebody to have some of the experience that’s done this,” Sirianni said. “Obviously, Sean has not had experience calling the plays. That, to me, was [secondary]. Like, we got into it and that kind of changed. I’m like, ‘No, this is the best guy for the job.’”
Sirianni also said he went into the process most interested in the Shanahan-McVay scheme, which would suggest that McDaniel was the primary target. Daboll comes from another system of offense, but he worked previously with Hurts at Alabama and would have checked other boxes. McDaniel went to the Chargers, while Daboll was hired by the Titans.
We’ll never know if the Eagles would have offered either McDaniel or Daboll the position, but clearly the search shifted into another phase. Sirianni said he interviewed a total of 17 candidates and that seven reached the second round. Only four of the final seven names — Josh Grizzard, Jim Bob Cooter, Jerrod Johnson, and Mannion — became public.
Mannion’s first interview was virtual, while the second was in person. Sirianni said that once he got him in the building, it confirmed his initial impression that the 33-year-old former quarterback was the guy for the job even though he had never called plays.
“What I was really looking for was the detail in which everything was explained to me, because the detail is so critical, conviction on what they believed and why they believed in it, and the vision and conviction of that how they went about it,” Sirianni said. “Like, OK, you haven’t called plays, but how do you go about thinking about calling plays in this particular area, like the vision for the offense, the vision and the conviction for how you would call it?”
2. Sirianni led the search and made the final decision — a fact that was made abundantly clear.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni listens to questions from media members with general manager Howie Roseman on Jan. 15.
Roseman, who touted Sirianni’s credentials as a CEO-type coach last month, made light of outside perception that he and owner Jeffrey Lurie hold strings over a powerless Sirianni when asked why he made those unprompted comments.
“Hold the strings, like during the games?” Roseman said. “Am I in his ear?”
Roseman, of course, remains one of the more entrenched figures in his position after two Super Bowl titles and 10 playoff appearances in 16 seasons as GM. He has final say over both the 90- and 53-man rosters and his influence with Lurie also can’t be overstated.
Roseman is also one of the most resourceful executives in the NFL. He helped Sirianni identify Mannion as a budding prospect.
“As you talk to people around the league, and they described him and his future, it became somebody that we really felt like we needed to talk to,” Roseman said. “It’s just his name kept coming up as we were doing things and as we were talking about the way that we were kind of moving from an offensive perspective.”
Sirianni, who spoke before Roseman, talked about a collaborative approach but identified himself as the “point man” in the search.
“The coaches that we bring in here always going to fall on me, right?” Sirianni said. “And I have to make those final decisions.”
Were the Eagles powers-that-be trying to empower their coach in giving him ownership over the coaching changes, or were they distancing themselves from the moves? Maybe only Lurie and Roseman can answer that question.
3. The Eagles are hoping Mannion will be the offensive coordinator version of Sirianni.
Nick Sirianni’s 2021 hire was an outside-the-box choice. Is Sean Mannion another diamond-in-the-rough choice?
The Eagles have had unprecedented success under Sirianni. They have a Super Bowl MVP in Hurts. They have Pro Bowl-caliber offensive players at multiple spots. And yet, there were rumblings that some OC candidates didn’t consider the job as desirable as other vacancies.
While previous coordinators Shane Steichen and Kellen Moore parlayed winning into promotions, Brian Johnson and Patullo were out after just one season at the helm. The position comes with both internal and external pressures. There’s also a question of Sirianni’s permanence in Philly and how Hurts has factored into coordinator turnover.
The Bears’ Declan Doyle, for instance, declined an interview request and reportedly told the Eagles he was staying in Chicago, even though he doesn’t call plays. Not long after, he took the offensive coordinator job with the Ravens, although it should be noted that he will work under defensive-minded coach Jesse Minter in Baltimore.
“All that really matters,” Sirianni said, “is the guy that you end up picking for the job and his excitement and willingness to be there.”
Sirianni might feel some kinship with Mannion, who didn’t interview for any of the other 14 coordinator openings this offseason. Sirianni, too, was an under-the-radar choice who surfaced late in the process when the Eagles tabbed him to be coach.
While Mannion had no other bites this offseason, like Sirianni five years ago, it doesn’t mean he won’t pan out.
4. It was the Shanahan-McVay scheme that led the Eagles to Mannion.
The schematic principles favored by Sean McVay (left) and Kyle Shanahan held increasing appeal for Nick Sirianni as he went through the OC process.
Sirianni interviewed coaches with backgrounds and experience in various offenses, but one scheme stood out more than others.
“It was in my forefront of my mind to say, ‘I’m interested in this,’” Sirianni said of the Kyle Shanahan-Sean McVay scheme. “But I didn’t necessarily say, ‘I have to have this.’ And then as the process went forward that’s where I kind of got to with that.”
The Shanahan-McVay system is often run-based that utilizes a wide-zone blocking scheme. It often marries the run with the pass through under-center play action. It features motion and misdirection. And it uses all the above to create space in the passing game for easy reads, yards after the catch, and explosive plays downfield.
While there were some commonalities between Sirianni’s and Moore’s schemes which allowed for a relatively easy transition, and maybe prevented the latter from fully implementing his offense, the Shanahan-McVay system is significantly different than Sirianni’s on early downs.
“Third down, red zone, backed up, four-minute [offenses] — a lot of those things are pretty similar in the thought process of people,” Sirianni said. “It’s the first- and second-down run, play action where people are a lot different and have different philosophies. And … that’s where I see just it’s going to be a little bit of a change there, but we’ve got good players.”
5. Improving the run game was paramount in choosing the new coordinator and scheme.
Could a Saquon Barkley renaissance be in store in the new Eagles offense?
There’s no question the Eagles’ passing offense was substandard and there needs to be more sophistication in the operation. But when Sirianni’s teams have had their greatest successes, it’s been behind a dominant running attack.
The Eagles were bound to face challenges after Saquon Barkley’s historic campaign in 2024. Injuries on the offensive line didn’t help matters. But when opponents devoted their efforts to stopping the run with increased numbers in the box, the Eagles struggled to adjust and make defenses pay through the air.
Sirianni equated how the Shanahan-McVay rushing offense handles defensive intricacies with how some passing offenses have adapted to modern coverages.
“You’ve seen a lot of teams that have done things where they’re reading pure progressions to handle all the junk that is being thrown at you by the defense,” he said. “This version of the run game is kind of in that mix, as well. It’s the run-game version of it.
“There’s a lot of junk that’s being thrown at you. This handles a lot of it.”
6. The run-blocking scheme changes were probably the chief reason Stoutland resigned.
Jeff Stoutland’s O-line alignment principles would not have meshed easily with Sean Mannion’s scheme.
The most significant change in the running game will come with the offensive line. The preferred wide-zone blocking scheme of the Shanahan-McVay offense is much different than the mid-zone scheme Jeff Stoutland employed with the Eagles for 13 seasons.
Stoutland was also the run game coordinator since 2018, but the alteration meant that he wouldn’t have returned in that role. Sirianni confirmed that he wanted Stoutland back, although the 64-year-old assistant would have had to teach his O-linemen a new run-blocking technique.
At its most elemental, wide-zone blocking has offensive linemen fire off the ball and block at an angle to create cutback running lanes. Mid-zone blocking has O-linemen more under control, perhaps required to win more at the point of attack and shuffle in their assignments.
One is not better than the other, they’re just different. The Eagles think their returning O-lineman can block in any scheme, but there will be an adjustment. The change could benefit an athletic center like Cam Jurgens, or it could hinder a cinder block like left guard Landon Dickerson.
“Will there be maybe a little bit more emphasis on movement and athleticism?” Roseman said. “Maybe a click. Maybe.”
Roseman was talking about how the new scheme may affect his evaluations in the upcoming draft. Right tackle Lane Johnson is returning for a 14th season, but the Eagles could be searching for his successor.
Stoutland was as involved as any coach in the pre-draft process and through his prioritization of “critical factors” helped the Eagles land Johnson, Dickerson, Jurgens, and left tackle Jordan Mailata, a former rugby player.
“We’re looking for a lot of the same things,” Roseman said, “with a lot of the same — a shout-out to Stout — critical factors that we’ve always been looking for.”
7. Hurts may actually run even less in the new offense.
Jalen Hurts might run less in the Sean Mannion scheme.
Hurts’ history with different offensive coordinators and play callers dating back to college is a fact that has been repeated so frequently at this point it’s almost not worth mentioning, especially for a quarterback entering his seventh NFL season.
He has admitted that having first-year success with Moore should give the discourse less meaning. The scheme has also been relatively similar during the Sirianni-Hurts partnership. There has been a natural progression with his coaches asking him to do a little more under center, off play action, and with motion.
“He’s shown that he can do all these things,” Sirianni said. “I think what’s awesome about Jalen is he’s shown he can do a lot of things really well. … The great thing about great players is they can usually fit to any scheme.”
And yet, the Eagles have never majored in any of the above. Was that on Sirianni and his coordinators, or was it on Hurts? How much did Stoutland’s preferred run scheme prevent the offense from evolving? All of the above were likely factors.
Whatever the answer, change is coming. Hurts should be on board, especially if he wants to run less and desires more schemed-up layups in the passing game. With less shotgun, there won’t be as many designed quarterback run opportunities.
It remains to be seen whether less of Hurts on the ground is a good thing. It wasn’t last season. There are ways to incorporate some quarterback runs into the Shanahan-McVay scheme, but there will likely be fewer zone reads and run-pass option plays.
8. Sirianni left plenty of wiggle room for carryover from the previous offense.
Nick Sirianni will continue to have a voice on offense, as he has had in all previous iterations of the attack.
While some Sirianni critics may have short attention spans, he has presided over an offense that has often been among the best in the league. And in winning a Super Bowl last year he was able to retain some of the better parts of his scheme and incorporate it with Moore’s.
He said the same will happen with Mannion.
“I think that some of the things that you can sprinkle in from the things that we’ve done, it’ll just be a good mesh of different things,” Sirianni said. “You want to have something that you can [hang] your hat, which I think that we’ve always had, but then adapt that to different things that your players do well.”
The best coaches scheme to their players’ skill sets. In 2021 and 2024, the Eagles installed pass-based offenses before switching at midseason to feature the run. Some of that had to do with Hurts’ limitations as a dropback passer, but also to emphasize his mobility, a dominant O-line, and Barkley.
It would be foolish for Sirianni to commit to anything, although the Shanahan-McVay offense will initially be the scheme the Eagles hang their hats on. But there won’t be a complete whitewash.
“Its ever-evolving,” Sirianni said. “Shoot, you might end up saying, ‘Hey, I wanted to be an outside zone team, but it looks like we’re going to be a little bit more of a gap team, or vice versa, right?’ And it could be the same with, ‘Hey, I wanted to be a little bit more play action, but it looks like we’re going to be a little bit more naked and move the pocket and stuff like that.’”
Mannion won’t have autonomy like defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. How could he with no experience? The offensive-minded Sirianni will obviously be involved at some level. But he wants Mannion to ultimately be responsible for running the offense.
“I know that the most important thing that I need to do is be the head football coach of the football team, not the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles,” Sirianni said. “I need to be the head football coach in charge of everything. It’s setting that vision, all the different things that go into it.
“But I’ve had a lot of experience in putting together an offense, so I’m here as a resource for him in that aspect.”
9. Mannion will work closely with Hurts.
Sean Mannion’s experience as an NFL quarterback could help ease communication with Jalen Hurts.
Mannion’s pedigree as a quarterback played some role in his hiring. Hurts had his best seasons under former quarterbacks in Steichen and Moore. Mannion has been credited with assisting the development of Packers starter Jordan Love and the reclamation of backup Malik Willis.
Hurts has a strong personality, so it’s no guarantee that Mannion’s playing experience or his relative youth will translate to a harmonious relationship. That could go in any direction. But Mannion’s former teammates and coaches have been unanimous in their praise of how he comports himself.
As for Hurts’ actual position coach, the Eagles opted to move pass game coordinator Parks Frazier to quarterbacks coach and let Scot Loeffler go. Sirianni said he wanted some continuity, but also pointed to Frazier’s one season working in the Shanahan-McVay scheme with the Dolphins under McDaniel.
Grizzard offered Sirianni the chance to keep a runner-up for the job who also has experience in the system and one year of play-calling under his belt. While he could be viewed as a backup if Mannion struggles, the Eagles were likely more focused on having an in-house replacement to guard against what happened after Steichen and Moore left.
New tight ends coach/run game coordinator Ryan Mahaffey and offensive line coach Chris Kuper were Mannion hires and will be instrumental in installing the new wide zone blocking scheme.
10. The new scheme probably won’t increase the likelihood that Brown wants to stay in Philly.
Change is coming to the Eagles offense, but it’s not necessarily the kind of change that will make A.J. Brown happier.
Roseman will ultimately do what’s best for the team even if Brown no longer wants to be an Eagle. Brown has expressed his love for Philly, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he wants to return if the passing game is going to remain secondary.
Brown could envision a scenario in which the Shanahan-McVay scheme improves Hurts as a thrower and gives the receiver opportunities to use his skills after the catch. But if the running game remains the focus, he may not get the targets he desires.
Replacing Brown wouldn’t be easy, even if receiver DeVonta Smith has a more prominent role. The free-agent market is light at the position. And while the draft is said to be deep, there are few Day 1 starters at receiver. The Eagles also have other needs.
Roseman may need to replace all three of his top tight ends with Dallas Goedert, Grant Calcaterra and Kylen Granson slated for free agency. The Shanahan-McVay scheme favors hybrid tight ends who can run-block.
“I would say that the tight-end position starts with me in evolving,” Roseman said. “I think that from my perspective, I’ve always had an affinity for kind of the receiving tight ends. I think that that’s shown in my work.”
It certainly showed this past season. Goedert, Calcaterra, and Granson were detrimental to the running game. They weren’t the only ones.
As he made the rounds at Super Bowl Radio Row two weeks ago, A.J. Brown didn’t sound like a player ready to demand a trade out of Philadelphia. But Nick Sirianni and Howie Roseman — even while praising Brown — don’t seem willing to shut the door on any possibilities surrounding the 28-year-old receiver.
At their annual pre-combine news conference with local writers on Friday, both Sirianni and Roseman were directly asked whether Brown would be back with the Eagles next season. While both expressed their affinity for Brown as a player and a person, neither outright said that he will definitely return.
“I can’t guarantee how anything’s going to play out into next season,” Sirianni said. “I can’t guarantee that, I mean, I’m thinking I’m going to be the head coach next season, but you can’t guarantee anything past tomorrow.”
Still, neither Sirianni nor Roseman indicated the Eagles were actively shopping Brown. After stating his inability to speak definitively about Brown’s future, Sirianni referenced the response given by Roseman in January following the team’s wild-card exit, when he was asked if he was open to trading Brown.
Roseman said at the time, “It is hard to find great players in the NFL and A.J.’s a great player. I think from my perspective, that’s what we’re going out and looking for when we go out here in free agency and in the draft is trying to find great players who love football, and he’s that guy.”
On Friday, Sirianni echoed Roseman’s remarks, calling Brown a “great player,” a “good teammate,” and a “good person.” The sixth-year Eagles head coach said he wants Brown in Philadelphia and he believes the receiver wants to stay, too.
Roseman also reiterated his January response, repeating that “it’s really hard to find great players” and “A.J. is a great player.”
“I think that from my perspective, we’re looking to improve in all areas, and you don’t do that by subtracting,” Roseman continued.
Howie Roseman (left) and Nick Sirianni did not shut the door on the possibility that A.J. Brown could be moved this offseason.
But the Eagles wouldn’t be giving up Brown — or any player under contract — without a return. The new league year begins March 11 at 4 p.m., marking the beginning of free agency and the trading period. In the next two weeks, prospective suitors could put together trade packages to persuade Roseman that he wouldn’t be subtracting from his roster by parting ways with any of his players, Brown included.
When asked if he would go into the new league year listening to offers on Brown specifically, Roseman gave a general response about all of his players, not just the star receiver.
“I think you go into the league year listening to offers for everything and anything,” Roseman said. “I don’t think that you can go into any conversation with anyone and just shoot things down without hearing what they have to say, because you never know. You never know on any player.
“If someone’s going to give you something that you didn’t anticipate and you won’t even have the conversation, I don’t think you’re necessarily doing your job or really servicing the team that you’re with. You never know what someone’s willing to do. Certainly, we’ve been in situations where there are guys that we didn’t anticipate trading, that we got an offer that was too good, and then you balance it with what you can get there.”
Howie Roseman dealt a disgruntled Carson Wentz (left) in 2021, offering some precedent for a Brown move.
Ultimately, Roseman wields the power to add or subtract personnel from the roster as he sees fit. How do player desires factor into the equation? The 50-year-old general manager previously jettisoned a highly-paid player with frustrations surrounding his role with the team when he traded Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts in 2021.
Every situation is unique. Earlier in the season, Brown voiced his displeasure with the offense and his role within it on multiple occasions, both in conversations with the media and through various online forums, from his own social media accounts to a Twitch livestream.
Brown’s frustrations were seemingly validated to some extent, as the offense never reversed course from its season-long skid on the heels of a Super Bowl win the year before. But while speaking publicly for the first time in two months on Micah Parsons’ podcast during Super Bowl week, Brown appeared optimistic when asked about the new-look offensive coaching staff headlined by offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, saying, “I’m excited for the season. I’m excited for what’s to come.”
He noted that “sometimes change is not a bad thing.” Brown also reflected on his trade to the Eagles in 2022, saying that “Philly welcomed me with open arms” and calling the city his home.
Sirianni and Roseman were asked about Brown’s desire to remain with the Eagles. While Sirianni said his “expectation” is that Brown wants to be in Philadelphia, Roseman adhered to his standard protocol of declining to reveal the details of his conversations with any player.
Roseman also spoke generally when asked how a player’s personal wishes impact his decision to execute a trade.
“I think that any trade that we’ve made, we’ve done because we felt it was the right thing to do for the Philadelphia Eagles,” Roseman said. “I can’t remember any time that I’ve done anything that when I did it, I didn’t think was in the best interest of the team. It’s always going to be about the team. It’s always going to be about our players. If I start doing things that are about individuals as opposed to the team, I’m not doing my job.”
Jordan Davis (left) and Jalen Carter could both be candidates for extensions this offseason.
Extensions incoming?
Brown’s future is just one piece of the Eagles’ roster-building puzzle this offseason. Roseman also must decide which key players will be part of the Eagles’ long-term plan, especially as young defensive standouts such as Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, and Moro Ojomo become eligible for extensions.
Davis, 26, and Ojomo, 24, are headed into the final years of their rookie contracts. Carter, 24, and Smith, 25, could have their fifth-year options exercised this offseason. Roseman could attempt to sign any of those players to team-friendly extensions early and prevent them from eventually testing the open market.
Additionally, Jalen Hurts could be a candidate for an extension. The 27-year-old quarterback is set to account for a team-high 10.1% of the Eagles’ salary cap in 2026, according to Over The Cap. An extension could lower that figure, giving Roseman more space to sign and extend others in the immediate future.
While Roseman declined to go into specifics about the contracts for all five players, he emphasized his longstanding philosophy of retaining homegrown players.
“Everything that we’re trying to do here is build sustained success,” Roseman said. “And how do you do that? … You’ve got to draft well, and then hopefully you’re re-signing and extending your own players, and you’re sprinkling on top additions. That’s going to be the priority for us.
“We have a lot of good players here that are going to come up this year, next year, and we’re going to try to keep as many as we can and continue to try to improve the team and understanding that there’s probably not a scenario where every single one of them can stay here.”
Linebacker Jaelan Phillips is a pending free agent who won praise from Howie Roseman after being obtained as a rental at the trade deadline last year.
Free-agent Phillips?
Jaelan Phillips isn’t one of those homegrown players. Roseman acquired him at the trade deadline from the Miami Dolphins at a premium for a player on an expiring contract, giving up a 2026 third-round pick.
Still, he is one of the major dominoes that could dictate the trajectory of the Eagles’ offseason moves. At 26 years old, Phillips is arguably the best edge rusher in the free-agent class and he is likely set for a hefty pay raise in the coming weeks.
Roseman has plenty of criteria to consider before deciding whether he would attempt to woo Phillips back to Philadelphia. With any player, Roseman said he factors in character, medical history, level of play, age, and scheme fit when considering a potential extension.
The trade of a third-round pick isn’t one of those factors. Roseman said he gave up what he thought was necessary to acquire a player to help the Eagles compete for a championship last season.
Even though the Eagles didn’t reach the pinnacle, their rental of Phillips gave them a positive, hands-on experience with a player they’ve held in high regard, which could influence their desire to try to retain him.
“Obviously, we do a lot of work on these players coming out, and we knew what kind of person Jaelan Phillips was from the time we spent with him in the pre-draft process, and it was confirmed throughout our time with him in Philadelphia,” Roseman said. “Unbelievable worker, unbelievable leader, incredibly talented player who cares desperately about winning.”
Howie Roseman acknowledged that his affinity for receiving tight ends, including Grant Calcaterra (left) and Dallas Goedert, might have limited the Eagles as a blocking team last season.
Transforming the tight end corps
Like Phillips, Dallas Goedert, Grant Calcaterra, and Kylen Granson are set to become free agents at the start of the new league year. With the offense charting a new course under Mannion, Roseman also could take a new direction with the team’s tight ends.
Last year’s group was deficient in blocking prowess. The 31-year-old Goedert has typically been a more well-rounded weapon, but he took a step back in the blocking game this past season. He was more effective as a red-zone threat, scoring 10 of his career-high 11 touchdowns inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. Calcaterra and Granson were most impactful when contributing as receivers, too.
Any of those players could theoretically return on new deals, but Roseman still expressed a need to expand the skill sets within the corps.
“I would say that the tight end position starts with me in evolving,” Roseman said. “I think that, from my perspective, I’ve always had an affinity for kind of the receiving tight ends. I think that’s shown in my work.
“You’ve got to be cognizant of the fact that at some levels, the game has changed. And so there’s certainly room for both of those spots. I think when you look at our room this year, probably needed more of a diverse skill set at that position.”
Could Tanner McKee be an attractive trade option for teams given the uninspiring draft and free-agent classes at QB?
McKee’s market
It’s a bad year to be a quarterback-needy team. This year’s draft class is relatively thin after Fernando Mendoza, the likely first overall pick by the Las Vegas Raiders. The top quarterback set to become a free agent is Malik Willis, the Green Bay Packers backup who has started six games over the course of his four-year career.
The trade market might be the most viable solution for teams to address their quarterback needs. Could Tanner McKee draw interest? The 25-year-old backup quarterback has one year left on his rookie deal.
McKee has had strong preseason outings and acquitted himself well in both Week 18 starts over the last two years. If teams believe he has QB1 potential, his market could materialize at the start of the new league year.
“I can’t speak to what everyone else thinks of our players,” Roseman said. “I know what we think of our players. That’s always been a position that we’ve put a great deal of priority on, to have a backup quarterback that we have a lot of confidence in, and we have a lot of confidence in him.”
Roseman reiterated the stance he took when asked about listening to offers for Brown.
“My job is to listen to anything about anyone,” Roseman said. “Whether I pull the trigger is a totally different story.”
The new league year is right around the corner, and it’s almost time for the 2026 Eagles roster to start coming into focus.
But first, the annual NFL Scouting Combine.
It’s the next thing on the offseason calendar, and while the focus for much of the week will be on the athletes going through performance testing, when it comes to the Eagles, it should be a big week for news related to the team.
Reporters typically get to talk to Nick Sirianni and Howie Roseman around the combine, and there are certainly plenty of questions to ask this year.
Here’s a look at five of the most pressing Eagles topics the coach and general manager may be addressing soon:
Why did the Eagles choose Sean Mannion, and why did they assemble this staff around him?
It’s been three weeks since the Eagles filled their vacancy at offensive coordinator by hiring Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion, a 33-year-old former quarterback with only two years of coaching experience. But we’ve yet to hear from Sirianni or Roseman, besides an initial statement released by the team, on why the Eagles hired Mannion, what they liked about him, and what hiring him means for the future of the scheme.
In the weeks since, the rest of the offensive coaching staff has been filled out. The Eagles hired one of their other coordinator candidates, former Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard, as pass game coordinator. They hired Packers wide receivers coach Ryan Mahaffey to be the tight ends coach and run game coordinator. Longtime offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland left the team (more on that later), and he was replaced by Minnesota Vikings offensive line coach Chris Kuper.
The Eagles retained wide receivers coach Aaron Moorehead and running backs coach Jemal Singleton, sources told The Inquirer, and, according to CBS Sports, plan to shift Parks Frazier, last season’s pass game coordinator, to quarterbacks coach.
Sean Mannion will be calling plays for the first time under intense scrutiny in Philadelphia.
The new offensive coaching staff, under a first-year play-caller, is an amalgamation of coaches with different backgrounds. What will it mean for the scheme going forward?
Sirianni said after removing Kevin Patullo that the offense needed to “evolve.” He’ll soon have the chance to explain why and how this group can help it do that.
What happened with Jeff Stoutland?
The longest-tenured coach in the building, who has been widely regarded as the best offensive line coach in the sport, is no longer coaching with the Eagles.
Why?
The Eagles wanted Stoutland back as the offensive line coach, league sources said, but Stoutland, who also held the title of run game coordinator, wasn’t going to be as involved in the running game, and the Eagles are shifting schemes. Change is in the air. But Stoutland’s role in the running game decreased as last season went on, The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane reported recently on the unCovering the Birds podcast.
How did it get to this, and how much of an impact will his departure have on the offensive line moving forward?
Don’t expect Roseman to say anything that strays too far from his normal line when it comes to A.J. Brown and players like him.
Here’s what Roseman said at the end-of-year news conference on Jan. 15 when asked if he was open to trading Brown or if trading him was a nonstarter: “It is hard to find great players in the NFL, and A.J.’s a great player. I think from my perspective, that’s what we’re going out and looking for when we go out here in free agency and in the draft is trying to find great players who love football, and he’s that guy. I think that would be my answer.”
Still, Roseman likely will be asked about the star receiver’s future in Philadelphia in the coming days. It’s for good reason. Brown, of course, hasn’t been shy about his frustrations with the direction of the offense. But during Super Bowl week, Brown appeared on Micah Parsons’ podcast and spoke about his excitement for the future and the new offensive coaching staff. “Sometimes change is not a bad thing,” he said. He also called Philadelphia “home.”
Does wide receiver A.J. Brown have enough love for Philadelphia to remain an Eagle?
While he didn’t sound like someone who was about to ask for a trade, it’s still early in the offseason.
Brown’s future with the team impacts how the Eagles approach the draft and free agency, so a decision on whether the Eagles see him in their immediate plans probably is already made. It’s complicated, however, because of the salary cap implications. The cost to trade Brown before June 1 would be $48.939 million, according to Over the Cap. If the Eagles traded him after that, they would incur a dead cap charge of $22.09 million. Much more palatable, but still a lot of dead money.
It begs the question, too: Could the Eagles ever get good value in a trade for Brown?
Roseman probably won’t be showing his cards in the coming days, but it’s a topic he’ll have to address.
How much has the future outlook of the offensive line changed, and how will it impact the plans?
The offensive line took a big step back in 2025 thanks to a slew of injuries. Lane Johnson missed half the season. Landon Dickerson was never fully healthy and may never be again. Cam Jurgens played through back pain.
At the time of Stoutland’s departure, it wasn’t even a sure thing that Johnson and Dickerson would be back for the 2026 season. A unit that basically was plug-and-play has turned into a big question mark for the Eagles. How much longer will Johnson and Dickerson play? (Editor’s note: Johnson announced his return for 2026 on Thursday.)
Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson’s health and future were in doubt before he announced his return on Thursday.
Jurgens, meanwhile, shared a video this week on social media of him in Colombia undergoing stem cell treatments. Jurgens, via his agent, declined to comment further on what led him to go that route or how he is feeling. The center had back surgery after the Super Bowl last year and did not play to his 2024 level this past season.
This impacts how the Eagles approach the draft and free agency. They’re due to get an eventual replacement for Johnson in the door, but they now need to think about the future of the interior.
Who stays, who goes, and who could get extended or restructured?
It soon will be time for the Eagles to go shopping on the free agency market, but there are some players on the current roster in line to have their contracts extended or possibly restructured.
Let’s start with Jordan Davis, who broke out in 2025 and earned himself a new contract. The Eagles picked up Davis’ fifth-year option last year, but signing him to a new deal is almost too obvious because it would free up much-needed cap space for 2026.
Will defensive tackle Jordan Davis be first in line for a contract extension after a breakout season?
There’s also Jalen Hurts, whose cap number jumps from nearly $22 million in 2025 to nearly $32 million in 2026. It will be more than $42 million in 2027, more than $47 million in 2028, and a whopping $97.5 million in 2029. But Hurts has no guaranteed money beyond this season. A restructure or extension could be on the table sooner than later.
What about the free agents? Jaelan Phillips, for example, is one of the best edge rushers on the market, and the Eagles need some of those. Safety Reed Blankenship is slated to hit the market, and the Eagles need a safety.
Roseman may not tip his hand, but he’ll certainly be asked about all of it with free agency just a few weeks away.
Diversification should be the operational word for Howie Roseman and his front office this offseason.
You’ve heard it said that the Eagles have more talent on their roster than any team in the NFL. The claim is more often than not the source of the shade thrown at Nick Sirianni and his coaching staff. When the Eagles win, it is because of their overwhelming talent. When the Eagles lose, it is because of how their overwhelming talent is coached.
That claim wasn’t true at the end of the 2025 season, and I’m not sure it was true at any point. The Eagles were getting less than 100 percent of Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens and zero percent of Lane Johnson. Even if A.J. Brown was 95 percent of the player he had been over the previous three years, that missing five percent is often what distinguishes very good players from unstoppable ones. Same goes for Saquon Barkley, whose name popped up on the injury report late in the season and who lacked at least some percentage of the lateral improvisation and finishing abilities that he’d displayed during the Eagles’ 2024 championship run.
All of these things could prove to be temporary, the result of the shortened recovery period that comes as a result of a season ending in mid-January rather than early February. It stands to reason that those most impacted would be players whose competitive advantage lies in their sheer physicality. Johnson, Brown, Barkley, Dickerson, and Jurgens weren’t as physically capable as they were in 2024. Yet, here we are, fixated on the play-calling.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is knee-deep in preparations for the draft and free agency.
That’s not to say the Eagles offense won’t benefit from a new strategic direction. But their problems clearly are not singular in nature, given the depth and breadth of their issues. For three seasons, the Eagles’ scheme was the logical conclusion of their personnel. They went to two Super Bowls and won one in a blowout because their talent allowed them — heck, required them — to keep it simple.
What we saw this season was a team whose elite performers could be mitigated enough to place the onus on those operating in their shadow. This reality expressed itself most clearly in the form of Dallas Goedert. He scored eight more touchdowns and averaged nearly as many targets per game as he did in 2022, when he averaged 59 yards per game and arrived at the Super Bowl being compared to Travis Kelce. But, this season, Goedert averaged just 39.4 yards per game, his lowest output since he was a rookie.
If the path forward for the Eagles is a scheme that does not rely as heavily on the singular abilities of players like Johnson and Brown and Barkley — and it almost certainly is — the path forward requires a roster that allows for such a scheme. It is a roster that has a third wide receiver with much better ball skills, and/or physicality on routes, than Jahan Dotson brings. It is a roster that has a second tight end who brings positive value as a run blocker and makes a catch or two a game. It is a roster that has a change-of-pace back who adds a different dimension from Barkley.
Let’s address those in order:
1) Fix the tight end position
Tight end is as important as it has ever been. Among the 13 highest-graded run blockers at the position according to Pro Football Focus, only two played for teams that missed the playoffs.
All three Eagles tight ends ranked among the 15 lowest-graded run blockers at the position (among 94 total).
Goedert’s future isn’t the only question. He’ll be a free agent after playing 2025 on a one-year deal. But the Eagles also need to find a TE2 who can complement the starter.
Grant Calcaterra and the Eagles tight ends came up short as blockers.
The Eagles were one of only five teams in the league that didn’t have a second tight end with at least 100 yards receiving. That’s partially due to the presence of two top-end wide receivers who were targeted on nearly half of Jalen Hurts’ pass attempts. But there is also a chicken-and-egg component to the Eagles’ narrow pass distribution. Would Hurts distribute the ball more evenly with a wider set of options? The Rams had four tight ends with at least 200 receiving yards despite Puka Nacua and Davante Adams combining for nearly half of the team’s targets.
The Eagles missed out on last year’s bumper draft crop at the position. They are missing what they once had in Goedert — a young, three-dimensional player who is poised to step up the way he did alongside of and then in place of Zach Ertz. They have no choice but to focus on the free-agent market. Jake Tonges is likely to return to the 49ers as a restricted free agent. The Ravens’ Isaiah Likely is unrestricted, but is likely to have a significant market. The Eagles need to find this year’s version of Colby Parkinson and move aggressively the way the Rams did post-2023.
2) Replace Jahan Dotson
A lot was made of the non-pass interference call deep down the left sideline in the Eagles’ playoff loss to the 49ers. But a receiver needs to earn those calls. Dotson has not.
In the entire NFL, there was only one wide receiver who caught fewer than 29 passes while playing at least 575 snaps. It was Jahan Dotson. He caught 18.
Eagles wide receiver Jahan Dotson caught only 18 passes this season.
The Eagles’ fourth-leading receiver was Saquon Barkley with 50 targets, 37 catches and 273 yards. Dotson was behind him with 36 targets, 18 catches and 262 yards.
Only three playoff teams didn’t have a fourth pass-catcher with 300-plus yards: the Eagles, the Seahawks, and the Panthers. Of the 14 teams that made the playoffs, eight had at least five players with 300-plus receiving yards, including six of the eight teams that advanced to the divisional round.
That doesn’t prove anything, of course. There are lots of different ways to operate a functional passing offense. Nobody is saying the Seahawks would be better off if more of Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s targets went to Elijah Arroyo. But even the Seahawks’ pass distribution was fairly broad beyond their top three target-getters. They finished the season with eight players who had at least 22 targets and 144 receiving yards. The Eagles had five players with more than 13 targets and 92 receiving yards while throwing the ball about as often as Seattle (slightly more, in fact).
Let’s not forget the whole point of this exercise. While functional NFL passing offenses take all sorts of forms, the Eagles’ passing offense was not functional. Assuming Brown returns and continues to draw the same coverages he and DeVonta Smith faced this season, the Eagles need a third wide receiver who can actually take advantage of the lack of attention paid to him.
3) A change-of-pace back
The Eagles need their version of the Ravens’ Justice Hill, a player who can take a screen pass 20-plus yards or gash a defense on the infamous third-and-long Will Shipley draw. Tank Bigsby was an excellent find by Roseman, but he brings a similar dimension to Barkley. The goal here is to find a veteran back with quickness and pass-catching ability who can be more than a lesser version of the lead back.
Long story short, the Eagles either need to upgrade the breadth of their skill sets behind their Big Three (Brown, Smith, Barkley) and/or find a fourth player who brings his own dynamic skill set that can exploit the defense’s focus on the stars.
Sure, they need a play-caller who can enable their skill players to fully express themselves.
