PHILADELPHIA — A year ago, when it was the Philadelphia Eagles preparing for the NFL’s biggest game, general manager Howie Roseman talked about office decor that spoke to his obsessive tendencies. Roseman had arranged the personnel of the NFL’s top four teams along his wall in a collage intended for comparison. Whenever the longtime executive looked up, he’d be reminded of the roster-oriented questions that always consumed him: How do we compare here? How do we compare there?
The Eagles entered the 2025 season with a Super Bowl-caliber roster. Their collective underperformance on offense led coach Nick Sirianni to move on from first-time play caller Kevin Patullo. The Eagles announced their two-week-long search for a new offensive coordinator ended on Thursday after hiring former Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion. At the start of the search, Sirianni said the Eagles were looking to “win now” with their coordinator hire. The description underlined the stakes for Sirianni and Mannion to maximize the offense’s potential in a high-pressure 2026 season.
Will the Eagles enter the 2026 season with a Super Bowl-caliber team? In the spirit of Roseman’s wall decor, we’re comparing the Eagles’ roster to those of the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots in a two-part series. The following is an evaluation of the offense. Part II will involve defense and special teams.
Quarterbacks
Evaluation: Ahead
Reasoning: The Eagles have a Super Bowl MVP under a long-term contract. The Patriots and Seahawks are a step or two away. Criticisms of Jalen Hurts lurked beneath Philadelphia’s search for an offensive coordinator. Similar discourse emanated from within the NovaCare Complex when Patullo’s system started deteriorating with greater intensity. There are rational discussions to be had about Hurts’ limitations. But the play callers who became head coaches built systems that featured Hurts twice, and he flourished on the NFL’s brightest stage. Odds are, Drake Maye will be the runner-up for NFL MVP. (So was Hurts in 2022.) Sam Darnold’s continued success in Seattle makes the Minnesota Vikings look like fools. At a cap hit higher than Hurts, Darnold still has until 2028 to further prove the Seahawks right.
The Eagles’ QB depth also offers them more value. There is still a belief that backup Tanner McKee can someday be a starter for someone. The season of ringing phones will soon begin. It is not hard to imagine a team like the Houston Texans — who’d stand to bring in competition for C.J. Stroud instead of extending or expelling Stroud after his postseason meltdown — making an inquiry, especially given the extensive trade history between Roseman and Texans GM Nick Caserio.
TeamNameEst. cap % ’26Free agent
Jalen Hurts
10.4
2029
Tanner McKee
0.4
2027
Sam Howell
?
2026
Drake Maye
2.9
2028
Joshua Dobbs
1.4
2027
Tommy DeVito
?
2026
Sam Darnold
11.9
2028
Drew Lock
0.9
2027
Jalen Milroe
0.5
2029
Running backs
Evaluation: Ahead
Reasoning: The Eagles have an NFL Offensive Player of the Year under a long-term contract. The Patriots and Seahawks have young, solid depth at a lower ceiling. The Eagles are not required to address the position at all this offseason — not with Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley supporting Saquon Barkley at a bargain. The Seahawks do not have that luxury. Their leading rusher, Kenneth Walker III, is scheduled to hit free agency, and their RB2, Zach Charbonnet, could miss the beginning of the 2026 season after tearing his ACL in the NFC divisional round. The Patriots are in better shape. TreVeyon Henderson, 23, and Rhamondre Stevenson, 27, are efficient rushers and pass-catchers, and both are under contract through the 2028 season. Still, who would prefer the Patriots’ backfield to the Eagles’?
TeamNameFree agentEst. cap % ’26
Saquon Barkley
2029
3.2
Tank Bigsby
2027
0.5
Will Shipley
2028
0.4
Carson Steele
2028
0.3
A.J. Dillon
2026
?
Rhamondre Stevenson
2029
2.2
Antonio Gibson
2027
1.2
TreVeyon Henderson
2029
0.7
Terrell Jennings
2027
0.3
Lan Larison
2028
0.3
D’Ernest Johnson
2026
?
Craig Reynolds
2026
?
Kenneth Walker III
2026
?
Zach Charbonnet
2027
0.7
Kenny McIntosh
2027
0.4
George Holani
2026
?
Cam Akers
2026
?
Velus Jones Jr.
2026
?
Jacardia Wright
2026
?
Wide receivers
Evaluation: On par
Reasoning: Contractually, the Eagles are ahead. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith occupy the NFL’s elite echelon of pass-catching tandems. But if Brown’s on-field misery leads to a schism, the Eagles have a lot of work to do to make sure they don’t fall behind in this category. The chasm of production is wide. Since Brown’s 2022 arrival, Brown and Smith own an 84.4 percent share of the receiving yards Eagles wide receivers have totaled in that span. Quez Watkins (496 yards in two seasons) is the leader of that outside group. A savvy move by Roseman could keep the Eagles’ WR depth on pace with the Seahawks and ahead of the Patriots. Jaxon Smith-Njigba lays claim to the crown for the NFL’s best receiver. Seattle’s light supporting cast features an aging (and expensive) Cooper Kupp. Speaking of expensive, New England’s leading receiver, Stefon Diggs, is scheduled to be a bigger cap hit for the Patriots in 2026 than Brown will be for the Eagles. Diggs, 32, is facing assault charges with an arraignment date shortly after the Super Bowl and could be suspended by the NFL when the legal case concludes. In a purely football-oriented discussion, it behooves the Patriots to have a contingency plan in place. Given that Brown first played for Patriots coach Mike Vrabel in Tennessee, New England will be a destination to watch if Brown’s time in Philadelphia reaches a breaking point.
TeamNameFree agentEst. cap % ’26
A.J. Brown
2030
7.6
DeVonta Smith
2029
3.5
Britain Covey
2027
0.4
Darius Cooper
2028
0.3
Danny Gray
2028
0.3
Johnny Wilson
2028
0.3
Jahan Dotson
2026
?
Quez Watkins
2026
?
Stefon Diggs
2028
7.7
Kayshon Boutte
2027
1.1
Mack Hollins
2027
1.5
DeMario Douglas
2027
1.1
Kyle Williams
2029
0.4
Efton Chism III
2028
0.3
John Jiles
2026
?
Trent Sherfield Sr.
2026
?
Jeremiah Webb
2026
?
Jaxon Smith-Njigba
2027
1.5
Cooper Kupp
2028
5.6
Rashid Shaheed
2026
?
Tory Horton
2029
0.4
Cody White
2026
?
Dareke Young
2026
?
Jake Bobo
2026
?
Montorie Foster Jr
2026
?
Courtney Jackson
2026
?
Ricky White III
2026
?
Tyrone Broden
2026
?
Tight ends/Fullbacks
Evaluation: Behind
Reasoning: There is neither a short-term nor a long-term plan yet for the Eagles at tight end. They don’t have a tight end under contract for 2026 who caught a pass last season. Restructuring Dallas Goedert’s contract in 2025 only bought the organization another year to come up with a solution. Would Goedert, 31, agree to a team-friendly extension after setting the single-season franchise record for touchdown receptions by a tight end? The Eagles were not proactive at this position in last year’s draft. The subsequent lack of production beyond Goedert signaled a regression the team must rectify. The Patriots are barely in a better position with Hunter Henry, 31, under contract for the 2026 season. The Seahawks used the last two drafts to stock up on young and productive talent in AJ Barner (4th round, 2024) and Elijah Arroyo (2nd, 2025). As for fullback, Ben VanSumeren tore his ACL on the opening kickoff of the 2025 season. Will Mannion carry a fullback?
TeamNameFree agentEst. cap % ’26
Dallas Goedert
2026
?
Grant Calcaterra
2026
?
Kylen Granson
2026
?
Ben VanSumeren
2026
?
Cameron Latu
2027
0.3
E.J. Jenkins
2028
0.3
Jaheim Bell
2028
0.3
Hunter Henry
2027
3.4
Austin Hooper
2026
?
Jack Westover
2026
?
CJ Dippre
2027
0.3
Brock Lampe
2028
0.3
Marshall Lang
2026
?
Thomas Odukoya
2026
?
AJ Barner
2028
0.4
Elijah Arroyo
2029
0.6
Eric Saubert
2027
0.7
Nick Kallerup
2028
0.3
Robbie Ouzts
2029
0.3
Brady Russell
2026
?
Offensive tackles
Evaluation: On par
Reasoning: So long as Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata bookend the Eagles’ offensive line, the organization envies no team. But Johnson, 35, missed the final eight games of the 2025 season with a Lisfranc injury. The Eagles must prepare for the ever-nearing day that their five-time All-Pro calls it a career. The Patriots are in a similar position, albeit with a lower-caliber player. Right tackle Morgan Moses, 34, battled injuries in consecutive seasons before fielding a full season with the Patriots. He’s under contract through 2027. The Patriots may also explore tackles in the upcoming draft. They likely secured their left tackle of the next decade by spending their 2025 No. 4 pick on Will Campbell. Eagles left tackle Mailata, 28, is consistently snubbed from Pro Bowl selections and is under contract through 2028. Father Time favors Seattle. The Seahawks have Charles Cross, 25, and Abraham Lucas, 27, locked up under long-term contracts.
TeamPositionNameFree agentEst. cap % ’26
RT
Lane Johnson
2028
6.6
LT
Jordan Mailata
2029
5.2
OT
Fred Johnson
2026
?
OT
Matt Pryor
2026
?
OT
Cameron Williams
2029
0.3
OT
Myles Hinton
2029
0.3
OT
Hollin Pierce
2028
0.3
LT
Will Campbell
2029
2.9
RT
Morgan Moses
2028
3.0
OT
Marcus Bryant
2029
0.3
OT
Vederian Lowe
2026
?
OT
Thayer Munford Jr.
2026
?
LT
Charles Cross
2031
3.5
RT
Abraham Lucas
2029
3.4
OT
Josh Jones
2026
?
OT
Mason Richman
2029
0.3
OT
Amari Kight
2027
0.3
Offensive guards
Evaluation: On par
Reasoning: The 2026 season will reveal how much of the Eagles’ interior offensive line struggles last season were related to scheme and injuries. Three-time Pro Bowl left guard Landon Dickerson, who is under contract through 2028, has endured numerous surgeries and operations over the years and continued to play through pain in 2025. Tyler Steen’s inauguration as a full-time right guard was shrouded by the system’s overall inefficiency. A long-term plan is less clear in New England. The Patriots are getting right guard production from Mike Onwenu — but at an offensive tackle price tag. Left guard Jared Wilson helps offset that cost as a third-round rookie. The Seahawks are in a similar situation as the Eagles, only more pronounced: Flourishing rookie left guard Grey Zabel’s career is only just beginning (and pain-free); right guard Anthony Bradford’s shortcomings are evident and signal an offseason change is in order.
TeamPositionNameFree agentEst. cap % ’26
LG
Landon Dickerson
2029
3.4
RG
Tyler Steen
2027
1.3
G
Brett Toth
2026
?
G
Willie Lampkin
2028
0.3
G
Matt Pryor
2026
?
LG
Jared Wilson
2029
0.4
RG
Mike Onwenu
2027
7.3
G
Ben Brown
2028
0.6
G
Caedan Wallace
2028
0.5
LG
Grey Zabel
2029
1.4
RG
Anthony Bradford
2027
1.2
G
Christian Haynes
2028
0.5
G
Bryce Cabeldue
2029
0.3
Centers
Evaluation: Ahead
Reasoning: Cam Jurgens has secured consecutive Pro Bowl selections since replacing Jason Kelce. Jurgens mishandled his fair share of blocking assignments within a faulty 2025 system, but the 26-year-old still has a long career ahead of him. Philadelphia’s succession plan remains a successful case study for the rest of the league. Neither New England and Seattle can yet say they are more secure at center for the long haul. Wilson, a top center prospect in the 2025 draft, embodies potential for the Patriots while playing next to Garrett Bradbury at left guard. Jalen Sundell, a former undrafted free agent, will be completing his first season as a full-time starter for the Seahawks after beating out Olu Oluwatimi. Both players have one season left on their contracts.
TeamNameFree agentEst. Cap % ’26
Cam Jurgens
2030
1.8
Drew Kendall
2029
0.4
Jake Majors
2028
0.3
Garrett Bradbury
2027
2.0
Ben Brown
2028
0.6
Jalen Sundell
2027
0.3
Olu Oluwatimi
2027
0.4