Eagles Mailbag: What Are Philadelphia’s Biggest Remaining Weaknesses?
The Philadelphia Eagles will start training camp in less than one month. While Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has made plenty of moves this offseason, there are still several questions that remain unanswered in the City of Brotherly Love. What are Philadelphia’s biggest remaining weaknesses? I’ll discuss that and much more in my latest Eagles mailbag.
I was asked a similar question in a recent mailbag and said that the Eagles still needed to address the interior of the offensive line. It felt like Philadelphia really lacked experienced depth in that area, yet they addressed that need by signing veteran guard Michael Jordan. But there are still two spots that I believe the Eagles could use an upgrade at.
Despite Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio saying the right things about Marcus Epps, Michael Carter II and others…I’m still not comfortable with Philadelphia’s safety room. It feels like there is still room to add in that area and it’s clear that Roseman is never afraid to make a move. While he may let the situation play out for a few weeks in training camp, it wouldn’t surprise me to see another C.J. Gardner-Johnson-esque trade in late August like the Eagles made back in 2022.
Another area where I believe Philadelphia could use an upgrade is at returner. It feels like the Eagles have shuffled returners for far too long in recent seasons. While I understand that the updated kickoff rules call for a different type of returner, it would still be nice to see Philadelphia invest in a return specialist. Britain Covey has shown promise as a punt returner but he struggles to stay healthy and has played in just 11 games over the last two seasons.
I never believed that it was a forgone conclusion that the Eagles and Jalen Carter would agree to a contract extension before the upcoming season. In fact, months ago, we talked in several videos about how there was a chance that nothing would get done this offseason. It feels like both sides could benefit from playing out this upcoming season and reopening talks in 2027.
The Eagles just handed a ton of money to Jordan Davis and will have players like Quinton Mitchell, Cooper DeJean and Jalyx Hunt become extension eligible in 2027. Meanwhile, Jalen Carter’s production has dipped and he dealt with a shoulder injury last season. He may want to prove his worth again before settling for a new deal this offseason. Regardless, the Eagles will have to be calculated with their next moves given the other contract extensions that are likely approaching in the near future.
Former Eagles wide receiver Paul Turner turned heads at Philadelphia’s training camp and during preseason action in 2016. Yet it wasn’t enough for the undrafted rookie to make the team’s final 53-man roster. He ultimately settled for a spot on the Eagles practice squad after many fans were shocked that the team waived him in the first place.
If I had to guess which player would become this year’s equivalent of Turner, I’d go with undrafted rookie tight end Dae’Quan Wright. Many expected Wright to be drafted on day three of the 2026 NFL Draft, yet he fell through the cracks. Given the team’s need for some new talent at tight end, I could see him turning heads on the field but eventually being waived during final cuts.
In my latest 53-man roster projection for the Eagles, I had a total of 10 offensive linemen making it through final cuts. Here are the starters and reserves that I believe will be sticking around in Philadelphia.
Starters:
LT: Jordan Mailata
LG: Landon Dickerson
C: Cam Jurgens
RG: Tyler Steen
RT: Lane Johnson
Reserves:
OT: Fred Johnson
IOL: Michael Jordan
IOL: Drew Kendall
OT: Markel Bell
OT: Cameron Williams
For the sake of this question, I obviously won’t count the three players that the Eagles drafted in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft since they haven’t had a chance to make a final 53-man roster yet. Since 2016 , the Eagles have drafted seven players in the seventh round of the NFL Draft:
Jalen Mills, DB
Alex McCalister, EDGE
Joe Walker, LB
Jordan Mailata, OT
Casey Toohill, EDGE
Patrick Johnson, EDGE
Moro Ojomo, IDL
Mills, Mailata, Toohill, Johnson and Ojomo all made Philadelphia’s initial 53-man roster. Toohill was waived by the Eagles in October of his rookie season and claimed by the Washington Football Team. Both McCalister and Walker were placed on injured reserve in late August ahead of final cuts.
It’s easy to project DeVonta Smith as WR1 and the clear leader among Philadelphia’s pass catchers in 2026. Yet it’ll be interesting to see how things play out beyond that. While many expect rookie wide receiver Makai Lemon to be next in line behind Smith, I’m not sure that will be the case for the Eagles next season.
If you go back to the 2021 season, which was the last season that Jalen Hurts started at quarterback without A.J. Brown on the team’s roster, tight end Dallas Goedert was actually second on the Eagles in targets. Following the hire of new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, I believe that could be the case once again in 2026.
Here’s how I would fill each of those spots:
Hurts #2 option in the passing game: Dallas Goedert, TE - Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft was on pace to lead the team in targets last season. My guess is Mannion will bring some of those same aspects to Philadelphia and combined with Hurts’ trust in Goedert, that’ll lead to him being second on the team in targets in 2026.
Hurts most reliable option in the passing game after Smitty: Dallas Goedert, TE - Goedert has hauled in 272 of his 362 targets since Hurts was named the Eagles full-time starting quarterback in 2021. That completion percentage of 75.1% has made him one of the most reliable passing targets in Philadelphia.
Hurts most effective option in the passing game after Smitty: Makai Lemon, WR - While Lemon may receive less targets than Goedert as he builds up his rapport with Hurts, it wouldn’t surprise me if he had more receiving yards than Goedert. Lemon has the ability to make defenders miss after the catch and will likely have a more creative role than Goedert in Mannion’s offense.