April 24, 2026
Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports
Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni are probably feeling better about the current state of the Eagles' roster.
And after Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft, all that was left for the Philadelphia Eagles was finding a starting safety.
The Eagles continued to reshape their offense and also fill immediate roster holes on Friday night, drafting a pass-catching weapon tight end in Eli Stowers from Vanderbilt in the second round, then trading with Minnesota for Pro Bowl EDGE Jonathan Greenard after failing to get an edge rusher by the end of Round 2.
Greenard, a Pro Bowler in 2024 who has two seasons of at least 12 sacks and 38 for his career, is the long-awaited answer for losing Jaelan Phillips to the Panthers in free agency.
Stowers is the latest second-round tight end concept that has served the Eagles masterfully well lately, from Super Bowl champion tight end Zach Ertz to Super Bowl champion tight end Dallas Goedert.
Greenard's impact will be immediate. He already reportedly agreed to a contract extension, per the Inquirer's Jeff McLane, evidence that the deal was in the works way before the weekend, which was reported shortly after the NFL Combine.
He joins the emerging Jalyx Hunt, Nolan Smith Jr. and newcomer Arnold Ebiketie to form a pass rush group that should give Vic Fangio enough ammunition to keep playing that signature zone and rushing four – the formula for the team's Super Bowl defense in 2024.
Stowers needs some blocking tutelage, but so did Ertz and Goedert before him. They worked out pretty well. Stowers can still make an early impact situationally on a remade Eagles passing attack under new coordinator Sean Mannion that will be without A.J. Brown once he's traded — but now has a first-round receiver weapon in Makai Lemon along Stowers.
DeVonta Smith, Lemon, Goedert, Stowers, Marquise Brown and Dontayvion Wicks should arm the Eagles with enough weapons of different skill sets for Jalen Hurts to assimilate into the new offensive design, and for Mannion to orchestrate a playbook that actually capitalizes on space and mismatches.
Oh, and the Eagles still have Saquon Barkley and potentially a really good offensive line if it stays healthy.
It's coming back together.
Little by little, the stench of the season-ending nightmarish loss to the Niners at Lincoln Financial Field in the NFC Wild Card round continues to fade as the Eagles piece their roster back together while also changing their offensive identity.
Make no mistake, there's still work to be done. They still need a real starting safety. They still need to address depth on the interior offensive line. They also might have to kick the can down on Lane Johnson's successor for another season; drafting towering third-round offensive lineman Markel Bell in the third round is no sure replacement for a Hall of Famer.
The Eagles also need proof that Hurts, the new offensive design, the new weapons around him, and the first-time play caller in Mannion can all settle in quickly, do their jobs competently, and reprise an offense that's been slowly decaying for two seasons until dying a painful death against the Niners in January.
Howie Roseman isn't done remaking the roster. More additions will come in the next days, weeks and months. Don't rule out another trade. Maybe there's even an under-radar late free-agency signing who can surprise, like Mekhi Becton did in 2024.
But the biggest personnel obstacles so far have been tackled head on. They have the upper echelon edge rusher Fangio needs to make his defense work. They have DeVonta Smith ready to assume the WR1 role. They have Hollywood Brown and Wicks to add their downfield dimensions, and Lemon, Goedert, and Stowers to work the middle.
Nobody is handing the Lombardi over to Roseman in April. The Rams and Seahawks will surely be favorites going into the season.
But for the moment, you don't have to squint as hard as you did a few weeks ago to see the Eagles as viable NFC contenders again.
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