PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
(Sunday, Nov. 22, 4:25 p.m. at Lincoln Financial Field)
Series (including playoffs): Eagles 50-29-3
Last meeting: Eagles 27, Steelers 13 (2024 at Philadelphia)
Coaching: HC: Nick Sirianni; OC: Sean Mannion; DC: Vic Fangio; STC: Michael Clay
2025: 11-6, first in NFC East Division (24th total offense; 13th total defense)
The Eagles beat the Chiefs 40-22 to win Super Bowl LIX the previous season and began 2025 with a 4-0 record. They went on to win the NFC East but were vanquished in the first round of the playoffs by the visiting 49ers, 23-19. The season stats of two of their key players during the 2024 title run fell off: Hurts' passer rating dipped from 103.7 to 98.5 while Saquon Barkley's rushing stats dipped significantly from a league-leading 2,005 yards (5.8 ypc.) to 1,140 yards (4.1 ypc.). Media analysts blamed injuries to the offensive line, as well as play-calling. The latter point was addressed by the team, which changed offensive coordinators.
Key returnees
* QB Hurts was the Super Bowl LIX MVP and last season was named to a third Pro Bowl in six NFL seasons.
* C Cam Jurgens, the replacement for Jason Kelce in mid-2024, was named to a second consecutive Pro Bowl in four NFL seasons.
* LB Zack Baun played outside linebacker at Wisconsin and with the Saints in the NFL, but in 2024 signed with the Eagles and was moved to inside linebacker. The move paid off with Baun leading the team in tackles and making the Pro Bowl both seasons.
* CB Cooper DeJean and Baun intercepted Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LIX. DeJean made the Pro Bowl and was first-team All-Pro to cap his second season in the league.
* CB Quinyon Mitchell didn't intercept a pass but was so sticky in coverage that the second-year pro was named to his first Pro Bowl and was voted first-team All-Pro.
* DT Jalen Carter is coming off his second consecutive Pro Bowl season after being drafted ninth overall in 2023. The Eagles exercised their fifth-year option on Carter in the spring.
Key losses
* Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland stepped down after 13 seasons with a reputation as having been one of the best in the game at his job. He's replaced by former Broncos guard and Vikings offensive line coach Chris Kuper.
* WR A.J. Brown was traded to the Patriots for first and fifth-round draft picks. Brown led the Eagles in receptions (78) last season and was second with 1,003 receiving yards and 7 receiving touchdowns.
* WR Jahan Dotson signed a two-year contract with the Falcons in free agency. Penn State's Dotson was the Eagles' No. 3 receiver, primarily as an outside receiver.
* DE/OLB Jaelan Phillips signed a blockbuster four-year deal with the Panthers on the first day of free agency. The Eagles had traded a third-round pick to acquire Phillips last November and he started eight games and recorded a pair of sacks. He'll be replaced by either Jonathan Greenard, who was acquired in a trade with the Vikings, or former first-round pick Nolan Smith.
* ILB Nakobe Dean signed a three-year contract with the Raiders on the first day of free agency. Dean is coming off an injury-plagued season in which he made 55 tackles and had 4 sacks. He'll be replaced by 2025 first-round pick Jihaad Campbell.
* S Reed Blankenship signed a three-year contract with the Texans. Undrafted out of Middle Tennessee, Blankenship went on to start 56 games (including playoffs) for the Eagles over the last four seasons and developed a reputation as an intuitive pass defender. He's expected to be replaced by eighth-year veteran Marcus Epps.
Offseason additions
* WR Dontayvion Wicks was acquired from the Packers for fifth and sixth-round draft picks. Wicks caught 108 passes for 1,328 yards and 11 touchdowns as a part-time starter the last three seasons. Wicks will compete for the open starting position opposite DeVonta Smith.
* CB Riq Woolen was signed to a one-year contract on the first day of free agency. The 6-4 starter for the Seahawks the last four seasons replaces free agent Adoree Jackson as one of three Eagles cornerbacks.
Days 1 & 2 draft picks
Round 1: WR Makai Lemon, Southern California, was chosen one pick ahead of the Steelers' first-round pick and will compete with recently acquired Marquise "Hollywood" Brown for the open slot position.
Round 2: TE Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt, gives the Eagles a potential complement to No. 1 TE Dallas Goedert. Stowers is a converted QB with 4.51 40 speed. He won the John Mackey Award last season as the nation's top TE and was also named first-team All-America after catching 62 passes for 769 yards.
Round 3: OT Markel Bell, Miami, is massive. The 6-9, 346-pounder will be groomed behind six-time Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson.
Familiar face
Fred Johnson, a 6-7, 326-pound offensive tackle, was signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent out of Florida in 2019. He made the team but was waived on Oct. 11. Johnson has been with the Eagles the last three seasons. He's made 14 starts the last two seasons and is listed as the backup to Jordan Mailata at left tackle.
Matching up with the Steelers
The championship core of the Eagles – both lines, Hurts and Barkley included – remains intact, with a makeover of the receiving unit greeting a new offensive coordinator in Mannion. He's the fifth new OC in the last five years for the Eagles. Mannion, a former NFL quarterback, coached QBs for the Packers and played a significant role in the development of both Jordan Love and Malik Willis. Mannion helped guide the signing of Wicks, an underrated Packers reserve. While the Eagles lost Brown, they believe their updated WR corps is more explosive.
The defense dipped from first overall in 2024 to 13th last season, and lost three starters in free agency since then. But Fangio is considered one of the best defensive coordinators in the league and he's added Woolen to an outstanding coverage group that includes Mitchell and DeJean. The line remains one of the best in the NFL.
The Steelers haven't won in Philadelphia since 1965 (0-11).
