Jan. 20, 2026, 11:36 a.m. ET

The Philadelphia Eagles‘ offseason came faster than some expected. That is, until we reached the latter stages of the campaign. Some thought they ought to have beaten the San Francisco 49ers, but no one really knows how things will play out until they do so.

Ultimately, this team’s flaws caught up with them. Each contributed to the loss. That makes the task of knowing what to fix less daunting.

ESPN recently released a collaborative effort titled“2026 NFL offseason: Free agents, draft notes, predictions.”

“Get the offense pointed in a better direction. The Eagles have the highest-salaried offense in football, but the unit was still average or below average for most of the season. The Eagles will need to examine everything from coaching to personnel to avoid a repeat showing in 2026.”

The most important part of this process is seeing the Eagles nail their next offensive coordinator hire. Some names have sparked conversation, such as Brian Daboll and Mike McDaniel. Other names haven’t really moved the meter. One thing everyone can agree on is that Philadelphia must nail this hire.

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They also have to set aside some money to pay important young contributors on their defense. McManus mentions that as well.

“Navigate some tough decisions on defense. Three key contributors in edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, linebacker Nakobe Dean and safety Reed Blankenship are set to hit free agency. General manager Howie Roseman likely won’t sign them all, especially with Jalen Carter and others in line for big paydays in the near future.” 

As McManus’ colleague Dan Graziano states, one of those ‘tough decisions’ is whether Philadelphia will re-sign Dallas Goedert. He just played on an expiring contract that was restructured after he failed to secure an extension during the most recent offseason.

“He is a valuable member of the offense, but the Eagles have a lot of tough free-agent decisions. The 31-year-old might have more value to them than any other team, and if he’s not eager to max out his value in free agency, it makes sense that the Eagles find a way to keep him. But if he’s back, I expect it’ll be on a team-friendly deal.”

That expensive offense will only become more expensive if Goedert is retained. That is, unless A.J. Brown travels elsewhere, but that’s another story for another day.

The offseason is about sweeping changes, subtle adjustments, and making tough decisions. The 2026-27 Eagles will look different in some areas than this year’s version.

They know where the problem areas are and which players are foundational. This offseason will be discussed no matter how it’s handled. The right offensive vision must be paired with an already expensive unit, and again, it’s nearly time to pay the young defenders.

Championship-level expectations won’t die. They’ll only amplify, but windows close quickly. The good news is that this leadership structure has fixed this team before. Look no further than the 2023-24 collapse for evidence.