With the start of the Philadelphia Eagles' season kicking off Sunday afternoon, let's make predictions about how things will go in 2026, as the Birds will try to bounce back from a disappointing 2025 season.

1) The run game will be better this season

The Eagles finished second in rushing yards and fourth in yards per rush attempt in 2024, while Saquon Barkley broke the NFL record for the most rushing yards in a single season (playoffs included). They dominated.

It was a different story in 2025, when the team finished 17th in rushing yards per game and 24th in yards per attempt.

Frustration with the Eagles' offense was probably focused more on the failings of the passing game, but the ineffective run game was the first big domino to fall, and everything else suffered as a result.

Spoiler: If the Eagles can run the ball this season, the offense will be fine. If they can't, well, I don't care how creative the new scheme may or may not be, it's going to be a tough season to watch.

Fortunately, they should be able to run the ball. The offensive line is healthier than it was a year ago, with better depth, and Barkley looked explosive this summer. But also, Jalen Hurts did not want a lot of designed quarterback run plays in the gameplan last season, and I believe he'll be more amenable to them this year.

2) The passing game will be up and down all season

The Eagles' new offense under Sean Mannion is predicated on timing and precision. Run plays must look like pass plays and vice versa. Routes must be run with correct pacing and tempo. And Hurts must adjust to often having his back to the defense while running under center play action.

It's tough enough to master the intricacies of this offense with everyone healthy, but when you add in that DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon missed most of training camp, it could all look pretty choppy for while.

On the bright side, the offense will make several improvements from 2025 to 2026:

• They will get to the line a lot faster.

• They won't be anywhere near as predictable.

• Route concepts won't be so remedial anymore.

• They will have their moments when they scheme players wide open instead of constantly asking the receivers to win contested catches on iso matchups. 

• There will be more play sequencing, in that plays run early in the game will set up other plays later.

But it's going to take time, and there could be some ugly possessions where everyone is not on the same page.

3) The Eagles will have a top 3 defense

The Eagles are absolutely loaded on defense.

• Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Moro Ojomo form what is probably the best interior defensive line trio in the NFL.

• Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, and Riq Woolen form what is probably the best set of cornerbacks in the NFL.

• Zack Baun has become a top linebacker, and Jihaad Campbell is a gifted athlete who showed promise as a rookie.

• Jalyx Hunt feels primed for a breakout season, Nolan Smith came on at the end of the summer, and Jonathan Greenard will be back in the rotation soon. That's a potentially very good edge defender trio.

• And then even at safety, once considered the worst positional group on the team, Andrew Mukuba had an encouraging summer and Marcus Epps is a solid vet who at least knows where he needs to be.

That is an extremely talented group, which now also has good continuity playing for a legendary defensive coordinator. They're going to be great.

4) This will be the least immediately impactful Eagles rookie class in a long time

Howie Roseman was on a generational half-decade heater in the draft, and was due for a clunker. That might be the 2026 draft class.

To begin, three of the eight players the team selected — Cole Wisniewski, Uar Bernard, and Keyshawn James-Newby — did not make the team. They were all seventh-round picks in a draft widely considered the weakest in year, so, OK.

Two more — Cole Payton and Micah Morris — will only play this year if the Eagles suffer a disastrous number of injuries. Morris is a success story, in that he is a project player who didn't look lost through the summer and earned a roster spot. Payton showed enough talent to be worthy of making the 53 as well. Still, if the Eagles suffered a handful of injuries at Morris' and Payton's respective positions, my bet is that the team would try to add experienced veterans to the roster rather than play either of those guys in meaningful games.

Their second-round pick, Eli Stowers, simply isn't ready to play in real games yet. He is a project player to some degree, but he did not show much of anything as a receiver or blocker during training camp or the preseason games. If/When the Eagles add Zach Ertz after Week 1, Stowers will be the TE5 behind Dallas Goedert, Ertz, Johnny Mundt, and E.J. Jenkins.

First-round pick Makai Lemon missed most of training camp with a hamstring injury, and he did not impress when he was healthy. The Eagles have continued to give him first-team reps. We'll see if he's out there with the starters Week 1, but it wouldn't be surprising if someone else is out there instead.

The only rookie who looks ready to play immediately is third-round pick Markel Bell, who may or may not even be the first guy off the bench at offensive tackle.

5) Projected breakout seasons

• RG Tyler Steen: Steen had a good first season as a starter in 2025, and a great training camp in 2026. He's primed for a breakout season, just in time to cash in on a big pay day in 2027 free agency.

• S Andrew Mukuba: Fangio trusts Mukuba, who made it through the summer unscathed after a frustrating injury-plagued rookie season. He knows what he's doing and should have a lot more confidence.

• LB Jihaad Campbell: He'll be focusing on his off-ball linebacker responsibilities instead of cross-training on the edge. He still has a ways to go, mentally, as Fangio noted, but he has all the tools to make big plays when the opportunities arise.

• iOL Drew Kendall: Kendall will be the first guy off the bench at all three interior line spots. He's going to play this season, and possibly start some games. I think he's ready to be a good player immediately.

• LB Jeremiah Trotter: Like Kendall above, Trotter is a backup who is going to play, and I'm even more certain that he is ready.

6) 'Next level' seasons

These are guys who already had breakout seasons, but feel primed to take the next step forward into their prime years.

• WR DeVonta Smith: Smith is going to be the focal point of the passing attack, and will get a ton of targets.

• EDGE Jalyx Hunt: Hunt was a unique, play-making edge defender in 2025, but he made notable strides as a pass rusher this offseason and has a chance to become a star.

• iDL Moro Ojomo: Ojomo has made consistent strides every year of his career, and he only just turned 25 in August. He'll keep getting better.

7) Howie Roseman will make a significant trade deadline deal

Roseman makes trades every year around 53-man cutdowns. He did not make any this year, while a lot of other teams around the league did. His hands have to be shaking.

So what position might it be? My bet is wide receiver, as I believe there's a scenario where opposing defenses simply give DeVonta Smith a lot of extra attention and the rest of the Birds' pass catchers don't step up.

8) The league will try to ban the Tush Push again next offseason

During the 2025 offseason, teams around the league — as well as the commissioner — tried to ban the Tush Push on the premise that it was an unsafe play, when in reality they just didn't want to have to try to figure out how to stop it.

This offseason nobody gave a rat's ass about the Tush Push because the Eagles weren't effective running it last season.

With a healthier offensive line and a more willing Hurts, the Tush Push could once again be an effective play for the Eagles in 2026, and the league will attempt to ban it again in 2027.

9) The Eagles will three-peat as NFC East champs

The Eagles won back-to-back NFC East titles in 2024 and 2025. Prior to that, the last time a team repeated as NFC East division winners was when the Eagles did it from 2001 to 2004. In between there were 20 seasons in which we saw the previous year's division champion dethroned. 

The Washington Commanders are trash and the New York Giants should be marginally improved but still a ways away from contention. 

The only real threat is the Dallas Cowboys, who have actually been a super popular pick to win the division this season. And certainly, the Cowboys have a good regular season quarterback in Dak Prescott and a bunch of weapons on offense. 

But, man, that defense was historically bad last season. They'll be better on defense this season, because, I mean, it's about as low a bar as you can get. But, spoiler, they're still going to be comfortably a bottom half of the league defense. Of course, it's also probably true that the offense won't be as good as it was a year ago. We're talking about a team here that went 7-10 last season with a -40 point differential. Did they really get that much better?

Put me down for an Eagles NFC East three-peat.

10) 11-6, one playoff win, and then out in the divisional round

It's been all or nothing for the Eagles in the playoffs during the Nick Sirianni era:

• 2021: Loss in the wildcard round.
• 2022: Super Bowl appearance, but a loss.
• 2023: Loss in the wildcard round.
• 2024: Super Bowl champions
• 2025: Loss in the wildcard round.

If that pattern holds true, the Eagles will be back in the Super Bowl this year. And certainly, when the Eagles went to the Super Bowl in 2022 and 2024, they were not expected to, much like in 2026. So, we'll see.

In my view, they're good enough to win a playoff game, and possibly even make some serious noise in the playoffs. But more likely they'll get bounced at some point, and the second round feels about right.

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