The Eagles are in an oddly unique spot as they get set to begin the 2026 season.

Their floor is that of a good football team that should have more than enough to make it back to the playoffs, and their potential ceiling is a squad that can march right back to the Super Bowl if everyone's at their best.

And yet last year's burnout, along with the memory of 2023's implosion, also leaves this era of the Eagles feeling like it's on the verge of crumbling.

It's a never-ending world of extremes, and pretty much has been ever since Nick Sirianni was hired as the head coach and when Jalen Hurts took hold of the starting quarterback job five years ago.

But hey, if it adds up to another Super Bowl this year, there won't be any complaining.

Can they do it, though?

Here are our staff's predictions for that and more ahead of the Eagles' opening kickoff against Washington on Sunday...

Will the Eagles make the playoffs?

Geoff Mosher: For sure. It would take an unforeseen number of major injuries for the Eagles to outright miss the postseason. On talent alone, they're one of the five best teams in the NFC.  

Evan Macy: I think they're one of the seven most talented teams in the NFC — I think this is an easy yes.

Nick Tricome: Yes. Even if they're only semi-healthy by midseason, they're too talented and, frankly, the rest of the NFC East is too weak. Getting there shouldn't be their problem.

Will they be a three-peat NFC East champion?

Geoff: I'm going with yes, but somewhat reluctantly because repeating as NFC East champs last year was the first time in more than 20 seasons that the division had a back-to-back winner. I don't think they'll win it by 4.0 games in the win column again. Dallas is coming for them. The Eagles will need to take at least one from the Cowboys. 

Evan: I'm not as high on the Cowboys as a lot of other people are. I don't think the defense (under former Eagles DBs coach Christian Parker) is going to improve into a top 10 unit in the league. And I am not convinced Javonte Williams and the running game can do it again. They're a Wild Card team, perhaps, but I think the Eagles will win the division.

Nick: Yes. Again, for the major questions they do face, the Eagles are still a cut above the rest of the division. Washington is already in pieces; the Giants, or at least their fans, are leaning on about two months of Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo repeatedly getting flagged for medical tent trips resembling anything sustainable (it's not); and all it takes for the Cowboys is two decent games against mediocre opponents for them to get almost comically overrated as a contender.

All things considered, the Eagles are a very well put together team, and if they even have just a competent offense, that should be enough to get them through the division schedule.

Who is your breakout Eagle?

Geoff: Maybe it's because Makai Lemon missed most of camp, and that Dontayvion Wicks never really "broke out" in Green Bay, and that Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore weren't significant factors for their respective team in 2025, but I just have a strange feeling that Darius Cooper is going to get on the field more than anticipated and show that he can really play in the NFL. 

Evan: I don't think I was at a training camp practice that didn't feature Jalyx Hunt wrecking faces. He lived in the backfield. I think he's going to lead the team in sacks this year and will crack double digits.

Nick: I'm going to say that Jeremiah Trotter Jr. finds his way in at linebacker and surprises a lot of people. He looked great during the preseason, and sure, the preseason is one thing. But it was the way he was playing. It was smart, it was methodical, anticipatory. He was reading the play and always seemed to end up where he needed to be, while looking a lot stronger.

Jihaad Campbell is going to be the starter next to Zack Baun because his upside is huge, and he was always set up as the next in line after Nakobe Dean. But I don't think his spot is necessarily written in ink. I'd at least keep an eye out.

Who is the Eagle you're most concerned about?

Geoff: Lane Johnson, even more so than Landon Dickerson. Johnson was away from the team during some critical learning time as the Eagles were adjusting to their new offensive system and blocking schemes. Johnson is 36, entering his 14th season and still hasn't played in a game –  regular season, playoffs, or preseason – since Nov. 16. Sure, Landon Dickerson could also be on his last legs, and that's another concern for this year's team. But it's a little easier to replace a Pro Bowl left guard than an all-time great offensive tackle, and I have concerns that the decline could come quickly for Lane.

Evan: I think the drop off from DeVonta Smith to the other receivers is considerable. Makai Lemon showed absolutely nothing in training camp, and their embarrassment of riches — players washed up after falling short of expectations on other teams — between Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore aren't ready for the No. 2 spot. There might be some struggles in the pass game because of it, and the team will be missing A.J. Brown big time.

Nick: Landon Dickerson. That he restructured his deal to a more short-term outlook after being hurt all of last season tells me that the Eagles probably have far less time with him than most realize. Lane Johnson might not be the only key O-lineman hanging them up after this season.

Will any Eagle be in the MVP, OPOY, DPOY, or any other award conversation?

Geoff: I think they'd have to win 13-plus games for any Eagle to be considered for those kinds of awards, and I don't think that will happen. Maybe – a real long shot – Quinyon Mitchell for DPOY if the Eagles win the NFC East and Mitchell makes another All-Pro and has at least five INTs.

Evan: Maybe Hunt, if he breaks out as I predicted earlier, and also maybe Jalen Carter, who also had a really good training camp and is in the best shape of his career.

Nick: No, not this year. They're going to have a lot of good to great players. But I don't think there's going to be anyone that individually grabs the national media's attention.

How many receiving yards will DeVonta Smith have?

Geoff: This guy is gonna be a target monster this year, but one of the storylines of the season will be if his 170-pound body can withstand the kind of workload that, say, Jaxon Smith-Njigba endured last year en route to 163 targets and 1,793 yards. It's a little concerning. It's also still a run-first offense, so I'll go with 1,340 yards. 

Evan: I'll go 1,200. As for where the other 2,500-to-3,000 of them will come from for Jalen Hurts, I have no idea.

Nick: I think he hits 1,400. He's the guy now that A.J. Brown is gone, and I think he'll live up to the billing. His route running is as crisp as any receiver in the league, his ability to go up and catch the ball at even the weirdest angles is second-to-none, and he's proven pretty durable in spite of his slim frame.

He's the one and only No. 1 option now, and I think Smith is going to take off with the responsibility, with Jalen Hurts being able to steadily get him the ball.

MORE: DeVonta Smith to replace A.J. Brown, if the offense works

How many rushing yards will Saquon Barkley have?

Geoff: In his "down year" last year, Barkley still finished top 10 in rushing with 1,140 yards. So that's the baseline. Thinking that O-line will be healthier and with a new offensive system, Barkley will get to 1,300 yards. It would be higher if I didn't anticipate Tank Bigsby getting about 6-8 touches per game.  

Evan: I think he's going to be back to beast mode and eclipse 1,500 with a healthy offensive line. I also think he'll catch more passes in this new offense, for 500. He'll have 2k and will be among the league leaders.

Nick: I'll say 1,400 for Barkley as well. The offensive line is going to be better, and in turn, so will he. But I don't think it's reasonable to expect a 2,000-yard season again. Those types of years are 1-in-1,000, and it looks like Tank Bigsby is set to take up a share of the carries to ease up the workload, too.

But I think Barkley will have his explosiveness again, and the big plays along with it that he lacked for much of last season. The biggest thing, though, is that he's going to command attention as a constant threat again, which hopefully opens up a more dynamic passing game.

MORE: What can a good 2026 look like for Saquon Barkley?

By, say, Week 4, will the Eagles add another tight end (possibly named Zach Ertz)?

Geoff: Yes, but his name won't be Zach Ertz and, technically, it'll be after Week 4, when Grant Calcaterra comes off IR and enters the practice window. (Not exactly the name you were hoping to read, eh?)

Evan: They need a wide receiver, not a tight end. I think the depth there is fine. Goedert is healthy, they have some veterans behind him and rookie Eli Stowers, who will hopefully be relevant at some point.

Nick: I do think Ertz will sign on a few weeks in for a farewell tour with the Eagles. I think everyone is in agreement that Dallas Goedert's production last season was an outlier, and with the way Sean Mannion is setting up the offense, the Eagles are likely going to need one more pass-catching tight end that just ins't on the roster right now.

Ertz, even pushing into his mid-30s, was still plenty serviceable in that regard. But the catch is, is he still serviceable post-ACL tear? Eventually, I think the Eagles will get to that point where they're willing to see.

MORE: The Eagles' future at tight end is more urgent than they realized

Who will lead the Eagles in sacks?

Geoff: The Eagles don't have a Myles Garrett or Brian Burns type of pass rusher. They have a bunch of really good interior and edge rushers, but nobody who'll get 15+ sacks. Any one of their guys up front is capable of ringing up 6-10 sacks. I'm going with Moro Ojomo, with somewhere around 8-10 sacks. It's a contract year for him.

Evan: Hunt will lead the team, as I hit on a few questions ago.

Nick: Jalyx Hunt, and he's going to hit double digits. He looked mean all training camp and was constantly living in the backfield, and with all the attention Jalen Carter is going to command inside (he'll probably be the most held player in the NFL again), I think that's going to free Hunt up to go to town on opposing tackles.

It's going to feel like the second coming of prime Trent Cole.

MORE: Jalyx Hunt is the Eagles' not-so-secret weapon

What poses the biggest threat to the Eagles?

Geoff: Jake Elliott, 100 percent. He cost them a playoff game with a PAT miss last year. If we're talking about the one thing that could be a toe stub for winning the Super Bowl, it's him. Go ask the Rams about bad special teams ruining Super Bowl dreams. If we're doing the no-kicker thing like some fantasy leagues do, and I'm not allowed to take Elliott, I would go with offensive line health.

Evan: Probably Nick Sirianni, who needs to get out of the scheme conversation and let his coordinators call the shots. If he can be a delegator and a locker room guy, the team has Super Bowl potential.

Nick: Themselves. Look, the Rams are looking amazing on paper right now, and the Seahawks are right there as the defending champs, too. But there really isn't any team in the NFC where I don't believe that the Eagles can keep up with them.

I'm not concerned at all with the defense either. They're going to be fine to outright dominant under Vic Fangio and with the talent they have.

It's the offense that scares me the most. Camp showed off all the parts (motion, play action, under center snaps, etc.) that the modern McVay-Shanahan offense requires and that the Eagles badly needed to update to under Sean Mannion.

But what if it doesn't work? What if playcalling becomes too predictable again and they can't move, leaving the defense needing to repeatedly bail them out?

If it doesn't work, then the Eagles have a much lower ceiling, and where would that ultimately leave Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni?

The Eagles don't need the No. 1 offense in the league to win a championship again. They just need to be competent.

And they can absolutely not go entire halves without Hurts completing a pass. That was embarrassing last year for a team that talented.

Will the Eagles make it to the Super Bowl?

Geoff: Probably not. I like the Rams and the Lions to battle it out in the NFC Championship. Seattle also should still be very formidable. I see the Eagles falling short in the divisional round.

Evan: I don't think so. But hey, they've done it in even years — in 2022 and 2024, so maybe they'll continue the trend.

Nick: I'm going to say no. They're going to look good and push to the NFC Championship, but I think they're going to fall just short there. But everyone's going to leave knowing that the Eagles are still plenty good enough to make it right back.

If so, will they win it? If not, who will?

Geoff: I have the Rams over the Broncos in the Super Bowl. The Rams are loaded, and Jaylen Waddle is the missing piece Denver needed to win the AFC.

Evan: Josh Allen and the Bills. He's too good not to have a title. 

Nick: I actually like the Broncos to beat the new "Dream Team" Rams. Denver already would've made it last year had Bo Nix not gotten hurt.

*For the curious, check out 2025's season-long staff predictions for the Eagles HERE.

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