Eagles Mailbag: Can Offense Bounce Back After Slow Start?

The Philadelphia Eagles are three practices into training camp as the team works to implement a new offensive scheme. Eagles first-year offensive coordinator Sean Mannion has said all of the right things but Philadelphia’s offense has struggled at times against the team’s loaded defense. Should fans be concerned about the offense’s slow start? I’ll answer that and more in my latest Eagles mailbag.

In my opinion, Philadelphia’s offensive struggles are being blown way out of proportion. If anything, I’d be more concerned if the defense that is going into its third year together was getting beat by the new-look offense early in training camp. The Eagles are just three practices into learning a brand new offensive scheme under first-year offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. There should be struggles and issues along the way, especially this early into training camp.

According to multiple reports, it sounds like the defense has won two of the first three practices thus far. One of those practices that the offense lost was without starting All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson. It’s also worth noting that none of these practices have been with pads yet either. If the offense is still struggling three weeks from now, then maybe I’ll be concerned. But it’s hard to be worried this early into training camp, especially against one of the best defenses in the NFL.

Can I pick a number lower than 1? It sounds like Mannion is finding creative ways to get Eagles rookie wide receiver Makai Lemon the ball early in training camp. This entire thing is a feeling out process, as both the coaches and the players are getting used to each other. According to multiple reports, it sounds like Lemon has been utilized a ton in motion and Jalen Hurts has found him a few times, primarily for short gains.

Maybe I’m crazy but I never expected Lemon or any of the other rookies to make a big splash early on in training camp. Therefore, I’m personally not hitting the panic button for any of these players anytime soon. The Eagles revamped the entire wide receiver room, outside of DeVonta Smith, and now Mannion is working his way through finding a role for each of them. Lemon will still have a significant role in Philadelphia’s offense next season, regardless of what some may categorize as an underwhelming start.

Unfortunately, I don’t have media credentials so I’m unable to attend practices. But according to multiple reports from those in attendance, it seems like there’s been somewhat of a consensus on who has stood out thus far in Philadelphia. Eagles third-year edge rusher Jalyx Hunt has been a common name as one of the most dominant players through the first three practices. It seems like new Eagles wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks has made a few big plays and is turning heads during training camp.

While Hunt has stood out on the edge, fourth-year edge rusher Nolan Smith Jr. has reportedly failed to do so. Smith is also still rocking a bulky arm brace, which some appear to find concerning. Eagles second-year interior defensive lineman Ty Robinson is stuck working with the third-string defense and has failed to make an impact following a disappointing rookie season.

I agree with you on the first part of the question, as I also believe that DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert will be first and second in targets for the Eagles in 2026. As you mentioned, the question then becomes who will be next in line and how will those targets be divided? Eagles general manager Howie Roseman invested in more players at both wide receiver and tight end this offseason than he has in recent years — and I don’t believe it that’s just a coincidence.

Mannion is coming from a team where six players had 40 or more targets in each of the last two seasons. During Nick Sirianni’s tenure as the Eagles head coach, no more than four players have ever had 40 or more targets in a single season. My guess is that Mannion will keep that streak going and I believe that the six players that you listed (Smith, Goedert, Lemon, Wicks, Brown and Barkley) will be the beneficiaries of his approach.

If I had to set a line on the receiving yardage total for each of those six players in 2026, here’s what I would go with, as of right now.

• DeVonta Smith: 1,149.5

• Dallas Goedert: 625.5

• Makai Lemon: 765.5

• Dontayvion Wicks: 540.5

• Hollywood Brown: 415.5

• Saquon Barkley: 375.5

I’d be willing to bet a lot of hypothetical money that Eagles general manager Howie Roseman will make at least one trade this month. The Eagles have made at least one trade in August in each of the last five years. Therefore, I’d expect that trend to continue as Roseman and Philadelphia’s front office staff continue to evaluate rosters around the NFL, obviously including their own as well.

While the Eagles have their starting spots locked up at several positions, Roseman could look to add depth at a few different spots. As of right now, I’d argue that Philadelphia has underwhelming depth along the interior of the offensive line, interior of the defensive line and at safety. The depth along the interior of the offensive line, particularly at center, could be the biggest concern.

I’d call the Minnesota Vikings and see if backup center Michael Jurgens is available, who played for two years under Eagles offensive line coach Chris Kuper. While he shares the same last name as Philadelphia’s current starting center, Cam Jurgens, there is no relation between the two players.

It feels like every Eagles mailbag that I’ve done over the last several months has included a question about potential trade targets at safety. If anyone has missed my previous responses, here is the list of veteran safeties that I’ve often mentioned, which used to also include Browns safety Grant Delpit.

• Jessie Bates III, Falcons

• DeShon Elliott, Steelers

• Budda Baker, Cardinals

• Justin Reid, Saints

While all four of those players are still enticing, I wonder if the Eagles could opt to go in a different direction. What if Philadelphia targeted a younger, cheaper and more unproven option at safety? One name that I’ve got my eyes on is Houston Texans second-year safety Jaylen Reed. Philadelphia hosted the former Penn State safety on a 30 visit in 2025 and now he’s listed behind Calen Bullock, Reed Blankenship and Kamari Ramsey on Houston’s depth chart.

I’ve actually mentioned veteran safety Darnell Savage as a potential target for the Eagles in the past. But at this point, it seems like Philadelphia has had quite a few chances to sign him — yet they have elected not to do so. Savage was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars in September of 2025 and then signed with the Washington Commanders a few days later.

Savage requested his release from the Commanders in December of 2025 and was then claimed by the Buffalo Bills. Fast forward to this offseason and Savage remained unsigned in free agency until he signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers in June. Savage overlapped with new Eagles secondary coach Mike Pellegrino in Buffalo last season but I’m not sure that’s enough for him to land in Philadelphia.

I’d certainly take a flyer on veteran guard Ben Cleveland, who was recently waived by the Los Angeles Chargers. But I’m not sure how much of an upgrade he would be over their current depth at guard. At 6’6” and 370 lbs., Cleveland is also a massive player and I wonder if the Eagles would prefer a more athletic player on the inside. It’s also worth noting that Cleveland has played just 688 offensive snaps through five seasons in the NFL.

If the Minnesota Vikings were willing to part with either Theo Jackson or Jay Ward, Philadelphia should certainly give them a call. Ward is the younger player and it seems like his role is only growing in Minnesota’s defense. Therefore, my guess is that Jackson would be the likelier trade option but I don’t think that the Vikings would be in a rush to trade either player.

Despite Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio basically begging Roseman to sign interior defensive lineman Moro Ojomo to a contract extension, it seems highly unlikely. Ojomo is on track to land a Milton Williams-esque deal next offseason and remains an incredibly valuable player for the Eagles in 2026. Given Philadelphia’s lack of depth along the interior of the defensive line, it would be hard to part with Ojomo this year.

Yet if they were somehow confident that Byron Young, Ty Robinson or someone else could fill Ojomo’s cleats, the asking price would be high. Assuming that Ojomo’s departure in free agency will likely net the Eagles a compensatory 2028 third-round pick, my asking price would start at a 2027 second-round pick. If no team was willing to offer that, I may accept a 2027 third-round pick with some type of a sweetener added on top.

I’m really, really interested to see how the Eagles will approach the preseason in 2026. In recent years, we have rarely seen any of Philadelphia’s starting offensive players take the field during the preseason. In the first preseason game last year, the only noteworthy offensive players that played were Jahan Dotson and Tyler Steen, who both played nine snaps each. Tanner McKee also started and played 43 total snaps.

Yet this year’s approach could be entirely different on offense following the hiring of Mannion. Could the Eagles play their starters for a series or two to get live reps against a defense? I still have my doubts and the two joint practices scheduled against the New England Patriots are a big reason why. My guess is that Sirianni will use those as the “controlled environment” to evaluate his offense instead of risking injury during preseason games.

Meanwhile, only one eventual starter played for Philadelphia’s defense in the preseason opener. Eagles starting cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, who was still competing for the starting job at that time, played 24 snaps in the first game of the preseason in 2025. Therefore, my guess is that the only defensive starter that we’ll see in this year’s preseason opener could be Marcus Epps, as he battles with Michael Carter II for the starting job.