The days, weeks and months after
a Super Bowl title
really are something.
There are
late-night talk shows
to visit (
though that circuit is shrinking
), parades where players and fans can
engage in joyous beer-can tossing
(watch out Howie Roseman) and endless social media videos chronicling everything from key moments to not-so-private sideline conversations.
How many times did you watch
“The Dagger,”
the name Jersey-born broadcaster Kevin Burkhardt so aptly gave to Jalen Hurts’ deep game-sealing touchdown to DeVonta Smith? What went through your mind when you saw Hurts tell Saquon Barkley
“that’s you,”
when it was clear the Eagles had beaten the Chiefs to win the franchise’s second Super Bowl?
The celebration never seemed to end. Even as some teams had already reported to training camp last week, the Eagles’ Super Bowl title was
still being celebrated at ESPN’s ESPY awards
when they became the first Philadelphia franchise to ever be named team of the year.
One final celebration took place Friday when
the players received their championship rings.
Now, it’s time to get back to work. Training camp begins Wednesday and the message from coach
Nick Sirianni
is clear: He wants his team to be in the present and not focused on repeating as champions.
“It’s just making sure that you’re focused and locked in where you are in each individual day,” the coach said after the team concluded its offseason workouts. “I know that’s boring. But success takes what it takes. I think when you say repeat something, that’s not where I want to go. We’re going to put our best foot forward every single day and we know that if our process is right the results will take care of themselves.
“That doesn’t mean you win every game. That doesn’t mean you win at all. The result puts you in the best position to do that. The word repeat, you’re not going to hear that come out of my mouth at all. It’s going to be about the daily work.”
Five training camp keys
Getting in sync with new offensive coordinator:
It’s another new season so that must mean the Eagles and Hurts have to adjust to another new offensive coordinator. For those of you scoring at home,
Kevin Patullo
will be the Eagles’ fourth different offensive coordinator in five years for the Eagles under Sirianni. He will be the fifth different play caller because Sirianni has also handled that duty in the past.
The adjustment could be a little smoother than usual because Patullo has been on Sirianni’s staff and involved in the offensive game planning since 2021. Hurts, unlike a few years ago, now seems to embrace the changes. Still, Patullo will have to prove he can push the right offensive buttons at the right time, something Brian Johnson could not do during the great collapse of 2023.
Replacing departed defensive veterans:
The rise of the Eagles’ defense was the biggest reason for the team’s 18-3 run to a Super Bowl title last season. Under first-year defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, the Eagles went from No. 26 to No. 1 in yards allowed and No. 31 to No. 2 in points allowed. A lot has changed, however, since the team’s shocking Super Bowl rout of the Kansas City Chiefs and Fangio must replace three starters (Darius Slay, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Josh Sweat) as well as other major contributors (Milton Williams, Brandon Graham and Isaiah Rodgers). Many of those spots are going to be filled by a cast of young players with little experience so Fangio is going to have his work cut out for him as he attempts to maintain the elite level the defense played at a season ago.
Getting and remaining healthy:
The Eagles head into training camp with injury questions about edge rusher Nolan Smith, center Cam Jurgens, guard Landon Dickerson and linebackers Nakobe Dean and Jihaad Campbell.
Smith, after finishing last season with eight sacks in his final 11 games, suffered a torn triceps injury during the Super Bowl and was limited during offseason practices. Jurgens underwent back surgery after playing through the pain in the playoffs and also was mostly a spectator during the offseason workouts.
Dickerson, while filling in at center for Jurgens in the NFC Championship against Washington, sustained a knee injury that required offseason surgery. He did participate in some team drills toward the end of the spring.
Dean, who suffered a torn patellar tendon to his left knee in the Eagles’ playoff win over Green Bay, and Campbell, who left Alabama’s New Year’s Eve bowl game with a severe shoulder injury, could both be headed for the PUP (physically unable to perform) list at the start of camp.
Depth was a major reason for the Eagles’ success a year ago and it appears as if it will be tested again at the start of this season.
Saquon’s encore season:
The last time Barkley had a season even close to what he did last season was as a rookie in 2018 with the Giants. He led the NFL that year with 2,028 yards from scrimmage.
The following three years he played in just 28 games because of an assortment of injuries and his rushing average went from 5.0 per carry to 4.1 during that stretch. Because the Eagles have so many other weapons on offense and a cast of stars along the offensive line, they don’t need Barkley to be as great in 2025 as he was last season.
But they also can’t afford for him to slip the way he did during his early years with the Giants. Still only 28, Barkley should have plenty left in the tank and he’s made it clear that he wants to go down in NFL history as one of the greatest backs ever. In order for that to happen, he needs to put together some more great seasons during the four years remaining on his Eagles’ contract.
Running back reserves:
We put this at the bottom of the list because Barkley was so incredible a year ago that it didn’t matter who played behind him. That said, Kenny Gainwell was a very good reserve during his four seasons in Philadelphia and also added a lot of value on special teams.
After he signed with the Steelers as a free agent, the Eagles replaced him with AJ Dillon, signing the former Packer to a one-year deal worth $2.75 million. When healthy, Dillon was a far more productive player than Gainwell. In fact, he led the Packers in rushing in 2021 and provided more than 800 yards from scrimmage three times. Dillon, however, missed all of last season with a neck injury and he’s not able to replicate the skill level he showed early in his career the Eagles will likely have to rely on second-year running back Will Shipley as the top backup.
Battles to watch
Safety:
Andrew Mukuba
vs.
Sydney Brown
Eagles defensive coordinator
Vic Fangio
is not afraid to play rookies, giving three of the team’s 2024 draft picks —
cornerbacks Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell
and
edge rusher Jalyx Hunt
— big roles last year.
Fangio’s evaluation of college prospects is trusted by general manager
Howie Roseman
and influences Roseman’s decisions.
This bodes well for Mukuba’s chances of beating out Brown at free safety.
If Fangio envisioned Brown as a starter, the Eagles wouldn’t have
drafted Mukuba in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Brown, who got buried on the depth chart after
returning from an ACL recovery
in Week 7 of the 2024 season
, sometimes gets into trouble for playing with reckless abandon. He shoots down hill, throws his body at the ball carrier and doesn’t wrap up.
Until he’s more reliable in that area, Brown won’t be an NFL starter.
As an undersized safety (5-11, 190 pounds), Mukuba is physical, tough, fast and smart. He amassed five interceptions last year for Texas, and he needs to intercept passes during his rookie season to replace
C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s playmaking
.
Cornerback:
Kelee Ringo
vs.
Adoree’ Jackson
Barring a terrible performance from Ringo during training camp, he should hold off Jackson from seeing the field.
Ringo’s physical gifts, including his size (6-2, 207 pounds) and speed (4.36 40-yard dash), creates an unlimited ceiling. After two years of sitting on the bench, learning from former teammate
Darius Slay
and his coaches, his technique should be better, allowing him to maximize his skills.
No. 3 edge rusher:
Azeez Ojulari
vs.
Josh Uche
During the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX victory over the Chiefs
,
Josh Sweat
,
Nolan Smith
,
Brandon Graham
and Hunt wrecked Kansas City’s offensive tackles and made Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes uncomfortable.
With Sweat,
who signed with the Arizona Cardinals in free agency
, and Graham,
who retired after his 15th season
, gone from the team, those types of performances might become a distant memory.
Smith and Hunt could emerge into solid starters, but three good pass rushers are needed to make a rotation strong, and the Eagles might be short of that number.
Ojulari or Uche has to emerge for Philadelphia’s defensive line to stay dominant.
Injuries have been the biggest problem for Ojulari, who has been more productive in his NFL career than Uche, who had a great season in 2022 but has been mediocre the last two years. Ojulari almost reached 10 sacks in 2024 despite missing six games.
Right guard:
Tyler Steen
vs. “the field”
Steen has an easy path to a starting job, only having to beat out former
Houston Texans’ first-round bust Kenyon Green
and sixth-year veteran
Matt Pryor
, who returned to the Eagles this offseason after playing the first two years of his career in Philadelphia. Since getting drafted in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Steen has been an adequate backup, but now the Eagles need him to be a consistent starter, or their offensive line could regress.
Swing offensive tackle:
Kendall Lamm
vs. the rookies
To replace backup tackle
Fred Johnson
, who started six games in 2024, the Eagles signed a 12-year veteran (Lamm) and drafted two rookies in the sixth round
(Myles Hinton and Cameron Williams)
.
Darian Kinnard
could be in the mix, too, after spending all of last season on the Eagles’ 53-man roster.
When
Jordan Mailata
missed four games with a hamstring injury and right tackle
Lane Johnson
missed one game with a concussion, Fred Johnson played well enough in their absences to help Eagles quarterback
Jalen Hurts
stay upright.
The Eagles’ swing tackle in 2025 might not play as well.
Lamm, who has started 44 NFL games, is the favorite to step into that role. Hilton or Williams might develop into their long-term swing tackle, but it might take a year to get them ready.
Veterans on the bubble
Cornerback Eli Ricks
Buried below five cornerbacks, Ricks might be left off Philadelphia’s roster after making it the past two years.
The Eagles drafted Central Florida cornerback Mac McWilliams in the fifth round
of this year’s draft and
signed veteran cornerback Adoree’ Jackson in free agency
, pushing Ricks to the sixth spot on the depth chart.
General manager Howie Roseman could hold onto Ricks, or he could trade him for depth at a different position.
Having played well in certain situations as a rookie, he might be the Eagles’ toughest decision on cutdown day.
Edge rusher
Josh Uche
Once a promising pass rusher, Uche’s career is now at a crossroads.
Uche has amassed just five sacks in the last two years, looking nothing like the player he was in 2022 when he amassed 11 sacks.
Betting on his past ability, the Eagles signed Uche to a one-year deal in March. He will compete against pass rushers
Patrick Johnson
,
Antwaun Powell-Ryland
and
Azeez Ojulari
for rotational snaps. If the Eagles only keep five edge rushers, Uche could be the odd-man-out.
Tight ends Harrison Bryant
and
Kylen Granson
The Eagles carried two tight ends on their roster last season and are likely to do the same this year. It would take a strong performance from Bryant or Granson to change that.
With their old teams, Bryant and Granson made minimal impacts, and as a result, both players settled for one-year deals this offseason with Philadelphia.
Wide receiver
Terrace Marshall Jr.
The Eagles are thin at wide receiver behind
A.J. Brown
,
DeVonta Smith
and
Jahan Dotson
, counting on second-year players
Johnny Wilson
and
Ainias Smith
to be their top backup WRs.
Although he’s been disappointing up to this point, Marshall is talented enough to push Ainias Smith and Wilson. The former LSU star only caught 67 passes for 808 yards and one touchdown in four seasons split between the Carolina Panthers and Las Vegas Raiders.
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Bob Brookover can be reached at
