Sportsnaut
Over 200 days after winning their second Super Bowl in franchise history, the Philadelphia Eagles will kick off their regular season Thursday night against the Dallas Cowboys. It will be an emotional and frenzied night at Lincoln Financial Field as the franchise celebrates the 2024 team and unfurls their Super Bowl banner. However, Nick Sirianni and company have said that’s already in their rearview mirror and that they’re not defending anything. After a dominant 2024, here are the six biggest questions facing the Eagles as they begin their 2025 campaign.
Saquon Barkley had an exceptional first season with the Eagles. He became the ninth running back in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards and was named Offensive Player of the Year as he helped lead the Birds to their second championship. He also handled a heavy workload, carrying the ball 345 times with 378 total touches while averaging 125 yards per game on the ground. Sirianni will want to lighten Barkley’s load in 2025 and not run him into the ground, so don’t expect another 2,000-yard rushing season. On top of that, defenses will be stacking the box to keep Barkley in check. Since teams will be targeting Barkley more, that leads us to…
Even though Jalen Hurts is a Super Bowl champion, Super Bowl MVP, NFL MVP runner-up and two-time Pro Bowler, he still has many doubters across the league, claiming he’s only producing because of the talent around him. As teams look to contain Barkley, Hurts will be relied upon more to get the ball to elite receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. The Kansas City Chiefs were able to hold Barkley to 57 yards on 25 carries in the Super Bowl, but Hurts dismantled their secondary, going 17-of-22 for 221 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 72 yards and another score. Fair or not, it will all fall on Hurts if the Eagles are to repeat as champions.
After Kellen Moore left his offensive coordinator position with the Eagles to become the new head coach of the New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia didn’t look far to find a replacement. Kevin Patullo, who served as the Eagles’ passing game coordinator from 2021-2024, was promoted to OC. He’s the fifth different offensive coordinator Hurts has had entering his sixth NFL season. Hurts and company already know Patullo well since he’s been with the team for several years, but this will be his first time calling plays. Not much should change between 2024 and 2025 offensively, but Patullo will look to add his own wrinkles. Being Philadelphia’s OC has been boom or bust since 2021. Patullo is hoping to make his mark and not regress a Super Bowl-winning offense.
Pro Bowlers A.J. Brown and Landon Dickerson missed a...
