June 08, 2026
Each year, we try to determine which 10 players the Philadelphia Eagles can least afford to lose to injury. Obviously, the Eagles' best players are included, but we also try to consider their importance to the scheme, depth behind them, long-term vs short-term effects, and other factors.
This exercise is probably more fun to go back and look at in hindsight. For example:
• In 2017, the Eagles won the Super Bowl despite missing No. 1, No. 3, and No. 7 on that list.
• In 2018, they were among the final eight teams remaining despite losing No. 1, No. 9, No. 10, and occasionally No. 8 on the list.
• In 2019, by the time the clock hit all zeroes in the playoff game against the Seahawks, they were without No. 1, No. 9, and No. 10.
• In 2020, No. 1 got benched, No. 8's season ended in June, and Nos. 2, 7, 9, and 10 all missed significant chunks of the season.
• In 2021, they had good injury luck, as there were no players in the top 10 who missed more than five games.
• In 2022, once again the Eagles had injury luck on their side, though they did miss No. 1 and No. 2 for a few weeks late in the season, and No. 4 for five games.
• In 2023, the Eagles couldn't blame their epic late-season collapse on injuries, as the top 8 players on the list all started at least 16 games.
• In 2024, No. 2 and No. 6 each missed a few games, and No. 9 missed seven games, but on the whole the Eagles were among the healthiest teams in the NFL.
• In 2025, No. 2 and No. 9 missed games and otherwise weren't themselves because of shoulder and triceps injuries, respectively, and No. 4 missed almost half the season.
Here's our list for 2026, in descending order:
Davis had a breakout season in 2025, finishing the regular season with 72 tackles (nine for loss), 4.5 sacks, six batted passes, and the biggest play of the Eagles' season, a blocked kick against the Rams that he also scooped and scored for a TD. His 72 tackles were good for third in the NFL among interior defensive linemen:
• Cameron Heyward, Steelers: 78
• Derrick Brown, Panthers: 73
• Jordan Davis, Eagles: 72
• Jonathan Allen, Vikings: 68
• Jeffery Simmons, Titans: 67
Davis has also been durable, starting all 57 of the Eagles' games (regular season plus playoffs) in the last three seasons. He also played just under 700 snaps, after conditioning issues his first three NFL seasons. He is the Eagles' best run defender, and he has become more of a threat as a pass rusher.
Aside from his play on the field, Davis is taking the reins from Brandon Graham as the big man locker room leader. It's harder to lead when you're not on the field.
2025 rank: Unranked
In 2025, Baun didn't quite have the type of extraordinary type of season he had in 2024 when he was a finalist for NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors, but his production really wasn't that far off, and he was deservedly named to his second straight Pro Bowl.
| Zack Baun | Tackles (TFL) | Sacks | INT-PBU | FF-FR |
| 2024 | 151 (11) | 3.5 | 1-4 | 5-1 |
| 2025 | 123 (7) | 3.5 | 2-7 | 1-1 |
The Eagles have good depth at linebacker, but they also don't want to find out what their defense would look like without Baun.
2025 rank: 7
Mailata is one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL, and the Eagles' offense changes whenever he or Lane Johnson is missing from the lineup, even if the Eagles have good offensive tackle depth. We'll get a little deeper on that in the Lane Johnson section below.
2025 rank: 6
Barkley was the best player in the NFL in 2024. He was not remotely close to that in 2025. Certainly there were reasons outside of Barkley's control that affected his production in 2025, like offensive line performance, a garbage scheme, fewer leads in games, and the quarterback being less involved in the rushing attack.
But also — subjectively speaking — he did not have the same explosiveness in 2025 that he did in 2024. Perhaps that was due to extreme usage in 2024.
Barkley could be in line for a bounce-back season of sorts in 2026, which is a weird thing to say of a guy who rushed for 1140 yards a year ago. But it's probably fair to say that expectations for Barkley aren't as high heading into this season as they were a year ago, and the team also has better RB depth after the acquisition of Tank Bigsby.
2025 rank: 3
DeJean is an All-Pro slot corner who has also played outside corner, dime linebacker, punt returner, and coming soon... safety. He is also the backup holder on the field goal team and could probably flip to wide receiver if he really wanted to.
He's just an awesome football player, and his extreme versatility gives the Eagles so many options to fill glaring holes.
2025 rank: 10
Mitchell became a legitimate star player in 2025. He had no regular season INTs, but per PFF, he allowed just 36 completions on 82 targets for 389 yards, and 0 TDs allowed (58.4 passer rating), with 17 pass breakups while often following the opposing team's best receiver. Despite recording no regular season INTs, Mitchell was (rightfully) named First-Team All-Pro.
He did finally give up a TD in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, but he also had 2 INTs and a forced fumble that prevented points in that game.
If he can start converting some of his PBUs into INTs over the course of his career he'll be a Hall of Famer. He is a true shutdown corner, and is becoming an irreplaceable player.
2025 rank: 8
Carter missed six games in 2025. One was because he spit on Dak Prescott, and one was the "resting starters" game Week 18 vs. Washington; the other four were due to shoulder injuries. They missed him when he was out.
The Eagles' two worst defensive performances of the season were Week 6 against the Giants and Week 13 against the Bears. The Eagles got bullied in the trenches in both of those games. Carter did not play in the Giants game, and he was clearly playing hurt against the Bears, so much so that it became apparent that he had to be shut down for a while thereafter.
Carter is arguably the most talented player on an Eagles roster full of stars. He brings a certain nasty attitude to the defense that is obvious to see but difficult to quantify. He is pretty clearly the player that opposing offensive coordinators are focusing their attention on first and foremost when prepping to face the Eagles' defense.
His mere presence — and the added attention he gets from opposing offensive lines — opens up one-on-one opportunities across the board for the Eagles' other D-linemen. He's a nightmare to block, and he makes everyone else around him better.
2025 rank: 2
A huge part of the equation for the Eagles' willingness to trade A.J. Brown was that they believe that Smith is primed for stardom. Smith has averaged over 1000 receiving yards per season despite serving as a complementary piece to Brown. He is wired for big moments and big roles, and feels more than ready to become the focal point of the Eagles' passing game. He will almost certainly dominate targets in 2026 as long as he stays healthy.
But beyond Smith's obvious elevated role in 2026, the Eagles don't have an established receiver anywhere near Smith's ability. If Smith were to go down, the only player left on the roster that Jalen Hurts has established trust with is Dallas Goedert, a good tight end but not a player who can carry a passing offense.
2025 rank: Unranked (he'd have been 11th last year)
Since 2016, the Eagles are 15-29 when Johnson is out of the lineup. Let's go ahead and update that after Johnson missed eight games last season:
• 2016: 2-8
• 2017: 1-0
• 2018: 0-1
• 2019: 3-1 (0-1 in the playoffs)
• 2020: 2-7
• 2021: 1-3
• 2022: 1-1
• 2023: 1-0
• 2024: 1-1
• 2025: 3-4 (0-1 in the playoffs)
In past years, opposing edge rushers have often taken advantage of whoever Johnson's replacement has been. In 2024 and 2025, Fred Johnson did a decent enough job holding his own in relief.
But Johnson's absence in 2025 was definitely felt, even if it was a little more subtle than usual. For example, in the Wildcard Round of the playoffs the Niners' edge rushers were Bryce Huff, Yetur Gross-Matos, and Sam Okuayinonu. Those guys had a combined 7 sacks in 2025, and yet, the Eagles still gave Fred Johnson help all day.
Contrast that with Lane Johnson, who the Eagles will leave out on an island all day against literally anyone, including guys like T.J. Watt.
With Lane Johnson, the Eagles' offense is more aggressive. Without him, it's more conservative. They significantly change what they do when he is out.
Last year we moved Johnson down a few spots from his usual spot at No. 2. That was dumb. He's still the best offensive tackle in the NFL, in my opinion, and maybe the most underrecognized difference maker in NFL history.
2025 rank: 4
As always, let's not overthink this. While I believe that Tanner McKee is a good QB2 and will someday get a shot to start somewhere, the Eagles aren't going to do special things in 2026 if Hurts doesn't play, and play well (duh).
2025 rank: 1
Dropped out of the top 10:
• WR A.J. Brown (5th last year)
• EDGE Nolan Smith (9th last year)
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