It’s finally football season. After months of waiting, the Eagles will be back on the practice field Wednesday morning to kick off their 2026 training camp. This is my favorite time of the year to cover the NFL. There’s a ton of intrigue about the Eagles going into this season, so there wi ll be plenty of things to watch over the next month. Here are the top 10 things I’m going to be watching: 1. Sean Mannion’s offense This is the most obvious one on the list. After a disappointing offensive season in 2025, the Eagles moved on from Kevin Patullo after just one year and took a big swing to find his replacement. After an exhaustive search — they interviewed 17 candidates — the Eagles hired up-and-coming coach Sean Mannion to be their next offensive coordinator. Mannion was just 33 years old when the Eagles hired him and has coached for just two seasons. But Mannion spent nine years in the NFL as a backup quarterback and the Eagles are excited about the offense he’s going to bring to Philly. Head coach Nick Sirianni really seemed to enjoy the coaching search this offseason. He admitted when he started, he wanted someone with previous OC and play-calling experience but eventually decided that wasn’t as important as finding the right candidate. And during the process, Sirianni really narrowed in on finding a coach to bring a version of the Shanahan offense to Philadelphia; that’s what Mannion is expected to do. While the Eagles have had a bunch of different coordinators and play-callers in the first five years under Sirianni, this year is going to bring the biggest schematic changes to the offense. It’ll be fascinating to see how the staples of a Shanahan system fit with the Eagles’ roster, starting with Jalen Hurts. We can expect to see more under-center, motions, play-action and a real emphasis on tying the run to the pass. These are things Hurts has been good at doing in a limited sample size but now the Eagles are going to major in those elements. 2. Makai Lemon’s progress The Eagles traded up a few spots in April to draft Makai Lemon with the No. 20 overall pick. There are high expectations for the Biletnikoff Award winner. Lemon missed a good chunk of the spring with a hamstring injury but should be full-go at the start of training camp. When the Eagles drafted Lemon, he was considered to be a pro-ready prospect. He isn’t the biggest or strongest or fastest receiver; the Eagles didn’t draft him based on developable traits. Where Lemon really shines is the savvy areas of playing receiver. He finds soft spots in zones, he catches the ball very well, he is great after the catch. So the hope should be that Lemon is able to hit the ground running in his NFL career. While the Eagles have some other options at receiver beyond their true WR1 DeVonta Smith, it would be ideal for Lemon to end up second on the team in targets and catches in 2026. But it can sometimes be tough to project exactly how a receiver is going to fare in his rookie season. Back in 2021, Smith set the Eagles’ rookie receiving record with 916 yards. It seems relatively unlikely that Lemon will top that but it would be nice to see him find his way onto this list: 1. DeVonta Smith (2021): 916 yards2. DeSean Jackson (2008): 912 yards3. Jordan Matthews (2014): 872 yards4. Keith Jackson (1988): 869 yards5. Charle Young (1973): 854 yards6. Jeremy Maclin (2009): 773 yards7. Fred Barnett (1990): 721 yards8. Don Looney (1940): 707 yards9. Calvin Williams (1990): 602 yards10. Reggie Brown (2005): 571 yards 3. The safety battle The Eagles have a talented roster and there aren’t many starting spots up for grabs in training camp. But there appears to be one job open at safety. The Eagles let Reed Blankenship walk in free agency and now have to replace him. Drew Mukuba enters Year 2 as a full-time starter and Cooper DeJean is going to play safety in the Eagles’ base package. But that leaves about 75% of the Eagles’ defensive snaps for another safety. That job will be decided over the next few weeks. The frontrunner for that job is veteran Marcus Epps, who performed well last season after Mukuba went down with a fractured ankle. Epps is 30 now and is entering his 8th NFL season. He might not have a super high ceiling but he has been a full-time starter before and is dependable. The other top internal competitors for this job are Michael Carter II, Andre’ Sam, Cole Wisniewski and a couple of undrafted rookies. But it’s possible if GM Howie Roseman doesn’t like what he sees at camp, he could try to pull off a trade to at least bring in some more competition. He did that at the cornerback position last year, trading for Jakorian Bennett in August. 4. Year 3 of the defense There are some exciting additions to the defensive side of the ball this year, headlined by Jonathan Greenard and Riq Woolen. We’ll obviously be watching how those two are integrated into a defense that has the chance to be elite in 2026. But the real reason this defense has such a high ceiling is because of continuity. The Eagles have a bunch of talented players entering Year 3 in Vic Fangio’s scheme. Guys like Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Moro Ojomo, Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, Zack Baun, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are all entering their third seasons together under Fangio. And there are other guys like Jihaad Campbell, Drew Mukuba and Marcus Epps entering Year 2 in this defense. All that familiarity is exciting because it means that Fangio can dig a little deeper into his defense. It also means that the communication on-field is going to come a lot easier. During the offseason, Fangio reportedly contemplated retirement before deciding to return. That was one of the biggest wins of the offseason for the Eagles. This defense has been the strength of the team over the last couple of years and should be again in 2026. 5. The edge rusher rotation The Eagles’ biggest offseason acquisition came during the draft when they traded for Jonathan Greenard and then signed him to a four-year, $98 million deal. Greenard is expected to come in and be the top edge rusher in the Eagles’ rotation, replacing Jaelan Phillips, who left for Carolina in free agency. Greenard is coming off a down season and a shoulder injury, so we’ll first need to see that he’s healthy. But after that, there’s a battle brewing for the other starting spot between Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith. Hunt lead the team last season in sacks and interceptions and seemingly has unlimited potential. Smith had a down season in 2025, dealing with an injury, but showed his ability in 2024. That season, he had 10 1/2 sacks over the final 16 games, including 4 in the postseason. Not only are Hunt and Smith fighting for a role in 2026, but they might be competing for an extension. The back end of the rotation is fascinating too. The Eagles added veterans Arnold Ebiketie and A.J. Epensa and drafted Keyshawn James-Newby in the seventh round. Ebiketie is likely going to be the fourth guy but Epenesa has had a productive career too. Epenesa nearly signed with the Browns months before joining the Eagles but Cleveland backed out of that deal because of injury concerns. The other question is about whether or not Brandon Graham will return for a 17th season. He has expressed interest in a return but isn’t on the roster yet. 6. Jihaad Campbell’s next step The Eagles used their first-round pick in 2025 on Jihaad Campbell, who will now take over as a full-time starter in Year 2 of his career. Campbell began his rookie season as a starter but lost that job when Nakobe Dean returned from a torn patellar tendon. But Dean this offseason left in free agency to join the Raiders, clearing the path for Campbell to take his spot next to Zack Baun in the middle of the Eagles’ defense. The first thing we need to see from Campbell is that he’s healthy. Campbell missed the spring with a shoulder injury but is expected back for the beginning of camp. When they drafted him, the Eagles talked up Campbell’s pass-rushing ability, but it’s clear that Fangio views Campbell as an inside linebacker. Fangio only played Campbell off the edge last year out of necessity and because they wanted Campbell to see the field. While Campbell isn’t as polished as Dean, he has next-level athleticism. He likely won’t be as good against the run, but does have coverage ability. Between Campbell and Baun, the Eagles’ linebackers are going to try to cover every blade of grass. 7. The wide receiver battle When the calendar turned to June, the Eagles finally traded A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots. They’re obviously going to miss his production but it wasn’t like that trade came as a surprise. The Eagles spent all offseason bolstering the receiver position behind new WR1 DeVonta Smith. They drafted Makai Lemon, traded for Dontayvion Wicks and then signed Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore. On top of that, they still have Darius Cooper, Johnny Wilson, Quez Watkins, Britain Covey and more. So there are really two receiver battles entering this camp. The first is for the No. 2 position and that’s between Lemon, Wicks and Brown. Those three will be fighting for playing time and targets behind Smith. But after that, there’s another battle for the last one or two roster spots. If the top four of Smith, Lemon, Wicks and Brown are on the 53-man roster, that leaves just one or two remaining spots with a bunch of competitors. Nick Sirianni loves to create competition at every position and this one should be fun. 8. Health of the offensive line During the offseason, when I listed the top five concerns with the 2026 Eagles, there was one that rose to the top of the rankings: The health of the offensive line. There were a lot of things that went wrong with the Eagles’ offense last season but having a banged up line was extremely detrimental. Both Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens tried to play through injuries but clearly weren’t themselves and then Lane Johnson missed the second half of the season with a Lisfranc sprain. The Eagles have the potential to be the best offensive line in football in 2026 but they have to stay healthy first. Both Dickerson and Jurgens went to Colombia this offseason for stem cell therapy after dealing with lingering issues all of last season. The hope is that they’re both healthy and refreshed going into 2026. And Johnson is back for Year 14 because he didn’t want to go out on a sour note with an injury. He’s 36 now but was playing at a really high level last season before landing on the shelf. 9. Saquon in a new run scheme It obviously wasn’t all on Saquon Barkley last season, but the Eagles’ rushing attack took a major step backward. Barkley still rushed for over 1,100 yards but didn’t come close to the magical 2,000-yard, Offensive Player of the Year season in 2024. The holes weren’t there for Barkley last season but even he admitted he wasn’t good enough. At age 29 and entering Year 9 of his career, can Barkley prove he’s still one of the best backs in the NFL? The Eagles have a new offensive line coach (Chris Kuper) for the first time in over a decade after Jeff Stoutland stepped down. Kuper is going to help implement a wide-zone rushing attack, which Barkley seemed excited about this spring. In fact, Barkley even reached out to former Rams superstar Todd Gurley about playing in this style of rushing attack. The biggest key to success for the 2026 Eagles is to have a healthy offensive line and rediscover their dominance in the run game. 10. Following Uar Bernard’s progress Way back in 2018, it was a blast watching Jordan Mailata learn how to play American football. Because he was so raw, it was easy to see Mailata’s development day over day. The Eagles are hoping they can duplicate that success this summer with Uar Bernard. While expectations need to be tempered, the raw Nigerian prospect is a special athlete with unlimited potential. Defensive line coach Clint Hurtt was giddy during the draft when the Eagles selected Bernard. Hurtt trusts that Bernard is going to put the work in to give him a chance to succeed. To be clear, we’re not talking about Bernard making an impact this year. This is a long-term project just like Mailata was eight seasons ago. We might not know if Bernard is going to work out this summer, but we might know if he’s definitely not going to work out. It’s going to be fun to monitor. ...read more read less