ClutchPoints
What is the Philadelphia Eagles’ biggest hole heading into the 2025 NFL season? Frankly, that’s a hard question to answer.
On offense, the team is pretty much set. They have a Super Bowl MVP-winning quarterback plus a pair of quality backups with experience and upside. Saquon Barkley is an MVP-caliber running back as well, with improved depth behind him to avoid an excessive regular season workload, and one of the best offensive lines in the business blocking in the trenches.
Could the Eagles use a little work in the pass catcher department? Sure, they don’t have great depth at wide receiver behind AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, and stalwart tight end Dallas Goedert may be in his final season with the team in 2025. But overall, both units are solid.
On defense, the Eagles lost plenty of players in free agency and via trade but have the depth needed to replace them, with homegrown options expected to replace players like Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, Darius Slay, Isaiah Rodgers, Oren Burks, and CJ Gardner-Johnson.
In the defensive backfield, the Eagles lost three notable contributors but replaced them well, with Andrew Mukuba and Mac McWilliams joining Kelee Ringo and Sydney Brown in competition for spots alongside Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, and Reed Blankenship. The Eagles added a do-it-all linebacker in Jihad Campbell in the first round, who could rush the passer or contribute in coverage next to Zack Baun, and added extra depth at the position in the form of Georgia’s Smael Mondon, Jr., who has earned positive marks during his time at camp.
And that just leaves the defensive line, where half of the team’s Super Bowl rotation has moved on to greener pastures with Super Bowl rings for their troubles.
At defensive tackle, the Eagles will miss Williams but should be able to replace him without too much pain. They are bringing back their 2024 starters, Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter, and found a really good depth rusher in Moro Ojomo, who really came into his own as a rusher in the 2025 NFL playoffs. Factor in 2025 fourth-round pick Ty Robinson, who is a big-bodied prospect from Nebraska with inside-out versatility, and the Eagles should be able to roll four deep with additional bodies at the bottom of the roster to eat up snaps.
But at defensive end? Now that may be a bit of an issue, as the Eagles added a number of players at the position but didn’t exactly solidify their rotation with a can’t-miss prospect or veteran performer, unless someone really steps up and plays above their price range.
In Week 1, it’s safe to assume the Eagles will start Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt at defensive end/outside linebacker. While Smith is far more experienced than Hunt, with the Houston Christian University product only really coming onto his own at the end of 2024, the 2024 third-round pick played exceptionally well in...
