There have been a lot of storylines surrounding the 2026 Eagles heading into training camp and potentially more were added after the two-day joint practice session against the New England Patriots.
Another first-year offensive coordinator, a different looking wide receiver room, the team’s big free agent signing still sidelined and more can have fans caught up in what’s noise and what is a real concern for the team as we are less than three weeks away from the season opener.
Here are four storylines you should either be concerned or not concerned about heading into the start of the regular season:
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio never holds back from how he feels when talking to the media. That was the case on Wednesday when he told the media he was concerned that Jonathan Greenard could miss the start of the season.
“I don’t know when Greenard will be back,” Fangio said prior to Wednesday’s joint practice. “That injury he got in our weight room is going to take some time to heal.”
Greenard’s strained pec injury was first reported on July 29. The team put him on the PUP list and initially was believed to not be a time consuming injury.
That has clearly not been the case and with less than three weeks until the season opener, one can wonder if the $100 million free agent addition will be taking the field at Lincoln Financial field when the team hosts the Washington Commanders.
The Eagles will have to make a decision here in the next two weeks on whether they will keep him on the 53-man roster or keep him on the PUP list which automatically forces Greenard to miss the first month of the season, but would allow him to ramp up and get up to speed in a new defense while not eating up a roster spot.
The depth behind Greenard is solid. Jalyx Hunt is poised to build off his breakout season a year ago while Nolan Smith looks to prove that he can be worthy of a potential contract extension down the road. A.J. Epenesa has had a solid summer while Arnold Ebiketie also provides decent depth at the position, but you always want your high-ticket free agent, especially at pass rusher, to be ready for the season.
The preseason is time for teams to incorporate new schemes and get adjusted to new coaching philosophies and coordinators if there is turnover. The Eagles of course are on yet another new offensive coordinator in first-year playcaller Sean Mannion
The Eagles took a big swing hiring Mannion who was just 33 when hired and doesn’t have an extensive resume coaching at the NFL level. However, his nine seasons as a backup QB in the league helped him prepare for this moment.
Performances in preseason games should not carry much stock with backups playing most of the games.
The joint practices against the Patriots gave the starters a different, unscouted look and there were some bumps and bruises along the way for Jalen Hurts and the offense on both days.
“It was a chance to go against a great defense and see what this new offense and the potential it can get to,” Jordan Mailata said to the media after Thursday’s practice.
“We have a chance to do something special, but in order to do that we can’t have days like the last two days. It starts up front. We had multiple false starts. That starts with me and Lane [Johnson] and then it trickles down to the receivers and everyone on that field.. We have a lot of potential, but that’s all it is, potential.”
Yes, Hurts threw interceptions. Some his fault while others were tipped off his wide receivers hands. However, if this offense truly expects to grow and take form into the Shanahan-style that Mannion’s influence brings, these growing pains are part of the process. Hurts and the offense are running new plays, new schemes and looking at different parts of the field to exploit.
If the turnovers in practice result in teaching moments for Jalen Hurts and the offense now in meaningless practices, so be it.
“Being on the same page is the most important thing,” the quarterback said.
“I think we’ve got some strides to take in terms of our detail and being aligned and on the same page with how we’re gonna run this new scheme and how we take this new coaching.”
It's hard to properly evalaute the offense when Hurts is missing two of his key weapons in DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon. With that said, we'll hold tight on the level of concern.
The All-Pro notably had a tough time on Thursday containing the former top wideout for the Eagles. A lot of noise was made on social media regarding Mitchell’s performance. That’s all it is, noise.
Last season, Mitchell posted the third-lowest passer rating by cornerbacks (minimum 140 coverage snaps) with a 54.5 mark and the lowest catch rate allowed by a cornerback (minimum 300 coverage snaps) at 43.9%.
The former first-round pick has shown in his two seasons that he is one of the premier lockdown corners in the NFL and should be in that top echelon once again this season.
There is optimism surrounding the offensive line considering that all five starters entered training camp in good health. If the Eagles’ offensive line is healthy, it has a good chance to return to its dominating force in 2026 – that’s a big “if.”
The unit is another year older and it’s difficult to not have some reservations about the group. Lane Johnson missed half of last season with a Lisfranc sprain and enters Year 14 at age 36 and eluded that this season is more than likely his last.
When healthy, one of the greatest right tackles in the sport is just that…great.
But it’s also plausible to believe that it will be harder for Johnson to stay healthy throughout the course of the season.
Left guard Landon Dickerson and center Cam Jurgens have dealt with significant injuries of their own. Opposite of Johnson, the duo are only in their late 20’s (both are 27). The two linemen opted to go to Colombia this offseason for stem cell therapy to help with their injuries. Dickerson has been banged up with injuries since his college days at Alabama. Jurgens played through a bad back injury in Super Bowl LIX needing surgery afterwards.
“I feel good, I’m excited for the season,” Jurgens said earlier this week.
Fans will be excited if the front five, still one of the top O-Lines in the NFL, can stay healthy all season and get the offense back on track after a tough season a year ago.
