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.
The Eagles need to hope for a breakout season on the edge
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 the 2025 NFL playoffs and has already drawn comparisons to Micah Parsons from Jordan Mailata during training camp.
Behind Smith and Hunt, however? Well, that is a much larger question mark.
With Sweat and Graham gone, the Eagles added a pair of buy-low rushers on one-year, prove-it contracts in the hopes of filling out their depth chart.
First came Josh Uche, the former New England Patriots outside linebacker out of Michigan, who finished out the 2024 season on the Kansas City Chiefs bench. Once considered one of the brightest rising stars at his position under Bill Belichick, Uche went from a double-digit sacker during his breakout season to a part-time player on a prove-it contract under Jerod Mayo, who ultimately moved on from him in favor of playing younger guys. While Uche hasn’t put up elite numbers since 2022, he’s playing on a tiny contract and has the respect of Lane Johnson, who has faced plenty of the top rushers in the business.
The Eagles then signed Azeez Ojulari, who is both a veteran of the NFC East from his time with the New York Giants and of the Georgia Bulldogs, where he played alongside Smith, Carter, Davis, and several of his current teammates. While Ojulari has never hit Uche’s ceiling, he has a much higher floor, which is why he’s making more money than his new teammate but ultimately failed to land a long-term contract on the free agent market.
Factor in rookie sixth-round pick Antwaun Powell-Ryland, who led the NCAA in sacks over the past two seasons but had some talent evaluators question his NFL athleticism, and the Eages might have five good edge rushers with a few more interesting options at the bottom of the roster, or they might only have three, two, or even one, as Hunt could always take a step back in his second season against the highest level of competition.
Now granted, if it looks like the Eagles aren’t fully equipped for a successful Super Bowl defense, there are a few interesting options available on the way-too-early trade market. The Cincinnati Bengals have not one but two defensive ends who are currently holding out due to contract negotiations, with Trey Hendrickson seeking a new contract worthy of his impressive numbers, while Shemar Stewart is holding out for a standard first-round pick contract as the Bengals look to include some out-of-the-ordinary stipulations. While the team probably wouldn’t trade the latter, at least not for less than the same caliber of pick they used to draft him, Hendrickson is likely more attainable, even if he will demand a new contract in the range of $100 million over the next three seasons to go with it.
For now, it would appear the Eagles are standing pat with the roster they have, with the front office keeping an eye on the waiver wire for any marginal upgrade both now and as the final trimdown to 53 players approaches. But if they see a chance to add an impact player or feel that their depth isn’t good enough to compete at the highest level, don’t be surprised if Howie Roseman starts working the phones like he did last summer when he acquired Jahan Dotson on the way to a Super Bowl run.
