The sky is falling in Philadelphia. At least that’s how it looks after the sudden retirement of Lane Johnson and the trade of Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens to Baltimore.
Two years removed from a second Super Bowl win, Eagles fans are surely hoping for a sequel reminiscent of Rocky IV. Instead, it appears that Philadelphia fans will be forced to spend the rest of the Eagles’ 2026 season watching the equivalent of Rocky V.
Yes, it could be bad for Eagles fans in the final 13 games of the season.
Given recent events, there is no other conclusion than Eagles GM Howie Roseman is beginning the process of starting over. Championship-seeking teams don’t trade Pro Bowl-level players in October in exchange for future draft picks. It’s as simple as that.
If you need further evidence, check out how the Eagles have positioned themselves for the future. In 2028, the Eagles are now slated to have two first- and two second-round picks, along with the second-rounder acquired in the Jurgens trade.
The Eagles are setting themselves up for future success, but what does that mean for the present? If you haven’t figured it out, it’s not good.
On the outside, it looks like the franchise needs a reboot inside and out. On the field, the Eagles are a shell of the team that dominated the defending two-time defending champion Chiefs in the Super Bowl two years ago, especially on offense. Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley are both back, the offensive line is now in shambles, and the revamped receiving corps hasn’t covered up the departure of AJ Brown.
Aside from football, there are other things that don’t seem right about this team. They no longer have the advantage that helped them become champions in 2024. Back to Philadelphia’s Week 3 game against Chicago, a game they were favored to win while the Bears were running out 38-year-old Case Keenum, who was making his first start in three years.
Midway through the second quarter, Hurts was laid down by linebacker D’Marco Jackson on a hit that was rightfully penalized for unnecessary roughness. Jackson was flagged, but the collateral damage was done.
The hit — and the Eagles’ response to it — revealed what’s inside this Philadelphia team. Normally, when a franchise quarterback gets hit like that, all hell breaks loose. However, in this situation, DeVonta Smith was the only teammate who seemed overly bothered by what he saw.
Even worse was the Eagles’ response on the field. Instead of increasing their intensity, the Eagles continued to push on both sides of the ball. Philadelphia didn’t throw a punch and instead took body blow after body blow. Somewhere, Clubber Lang and Ivan Drago are probably smiling.
The Eagles’ lack of response that night probably speaks to the team’s current culture, or lack thereof. It is fair to question the internal leadership of the team, starting with coach Nick Sirianni.
Like his predecessor, Doug Pederson, Sirianni led the Eagles to the promised land. Pederson’s message eventually fell on deaf ears in Philadelphia, and it’s more than fair to wonder if the same is happening now with Sirianni. Leading an NFL franchise is hard enough, and it’s even harder when the fans are calling for your job.
The Eagles relieved Pederson of his duties three years after winning the Super Bowl. His firing came at the end of a terrible 4-11-1 season that ended — ironically enough — with Pederson and the Eagles accused of tanking. At that point, the prospect of another Eagles championship parade anytime soon made Rocky’s return to the ring at age 60 seem likely.
As it turns out, Rocky fought back at age 60, and the Eagles won it all just four years after that disastrous 2020 season. Roseman’s successful rebuild, then, should provide some comfort to Philly fans today as they brace themselves for what could be the start of another rebuild. Until then, Eagles fans may want to spend their Sundays watching either the Rocky movies or replays of past championship seasons.