The Philadelphia Eagles are in an enviable spot; the one where an 11-win season can be considered a disappointment.
Nick Sirianni's team became the first NFC East champions to repeat in more than two decades, leaving a crumbling division in its wake. Unfortunately for him, his offense was its own special brand of disappointing. The reigning Super Bowl champions lost a Wild Card game at home against the San Francisco 49ers and, suddenly, Sirianni's performance was once again the talk of sports radio across eastern Pennsylvania.
That led to adjustments. The receiving corps said goodbye to A.J. Brown and hello to Makai Lemon and Dontayvion Wicks. The defense added stabilizing veteran help at cornerback to bolster a lineup of young, blue chip talent
with ludicrous athleticism. The pressure is on now to turn an enviable collection of talent into more than a one-and-done postseason participant.
Let's go in for a closer look at how we got here.
Key addition: OC Sean Mannion
Firing Kevin Patullo served not only to revive a moribund offense but protect Patullo from the hordes of Philly fans who were forced to watch said offense. His lone year calling plays saw the Eagles fall from seventh to 19th in scoring offense, eighth to 24th in total yards and sixth to 17th in expected points added (EPA).
Mannion will be a litmus test of how much head coach Nick Sirianni was to blame for Patullo's uninspired architecture. Patullo and Sirianni had worked together for seven years before he was promoted to OC in the wake of Kellen Moore's hiring in New Orleans. Mannion is a breath of fresh air but is only in his third year of coaching after spending nine seasons as a backup quarterback. He helped Jordan Love find open targets in Matt LaFleur's system with the Packers. Doing the same could boost a deep group of young wideouts tasked with replacing A.J. Brown. Will it be enough to restore Philly's Super Bowl aspirations?
Key departure: S Reed Blankenship
More high profile players left in bigger deals — A.J. Brown and Jaelan Phillips — but Blankenship's departure shines a light on a potential weakness in the Philadelphia defense. Despite an electric young cornerback trio, the Eagles are set to start some combination of
a) an August 2025 cut-down day casualty of the New England Patriots (Marcus Epps)
b) a 2025 second round pick who struggled against the pass as a free safety before getting injured (Andrew Mukuba)
c) a slot corner who played only 24 snaps aligned at safety last season (Michael Carter II) and
d) a seventh-round rookie relegated to the practice squad after cutdown day (Cole Wisniewski).
Blankenship had flaws, but he was a stable option in what looks like a volatile rotation for 2026.
Potential 2026 breakout player: LB Jihaad Campbell
Philadelphia will be relying on two new wideouts to share the load behind DeVonta Smith, but Campbell may be the team's best chance to add to its list of Pro Bowlers. The latest link in a chain of uber-athletic first-round defenders from the SEC, the former Alabama star improved throughout his rookie 2025.
He allowed just 75 yards on 20 targets in coverage, recorded a 17.2 percent pressure rate on roughly four blitzes per game and had a missed tackle rate under six percent. Even a modest step forward could cement his place as a star.
Position ranks
- QB rank (expected points added per dropback, via RBSDM.com): 15
- WR corps rank: 12
- RB corps rank: 9
- TE corps rank: 15
Will they improve in 2026?
Nick Sirianni has proven seaworthy in Philly, which means not giving a rabid fanbase enough meat to chew on to devour his career. He's done a great job of dropping ice on his hot seat. Coming into 2026 with a first-year offensive coordinator is a risk, but history suggests he'll do enough to coax modest improvement from his guys.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Eagles 2026 season preview: Can Nick Sirianni pry his Super Bowl window back open?
