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Tearing it Down Worked Once, Why Can’t it Work Again for the Eagles?
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One of the things that got the Eagles to a pair of Super Bowl appearances in 2022 and 2024 was a front office ruthlessness.
Jeffrey Lurie and Howie Roseman decided to fire Doug Pederson, trade Carson Wentz, hand the keys to Jalen Hurts, and shift their draft strategy to simply selecting the best players from the best SEC teams. That resulted in a quick turnaround that got the Birds to Super Bowl 57, which they should have won, and then Super Bowl 59, which they won in a laugher.
As we slog through a lost 2026 season, are we not asking ourselves if history can repeat itself?
We watched the front office do this just a half-decade ago. It was risky, and they endured a four-win season while being criticized for tanking, but it worked, and nobody cared what Mike Lombardi or Sal Paolantonio or Joe Judge had to say about the integrity of the game when they drafted DeVonta Smith and then traded for A.J. Brown to go along with Landon Dickerson, Jordan Davis, Milton Williams, Nakobe Dean, and Cam Jurgens. Nobody cared that they ate what was once the biggest dead cap hit in NFL history.
In an alternate world, they try to build around Wentz and give it another go, but they made a tough decision to tear it down almost to the studs and build it back up. It was ballsy but decisive at the same time, which would have been commendable even if it failed.
Now the question becomes –
“What does this look like now?”
In order to replicate 2020, what needs to happen now?
Well, they already made one of those moves. That was trading Cam Jurgens to Baltimore for picks. They already got off A.J. for picks, and that looks like it was the right move, considering the season he’s having in New England. Roseman is already building himself an off-ramp to 2027 and 2028 by acquiring assets right now, which is typical Howie maneuvering. He always looks for ways to collect draft capital in the case of a necessary pivot.
Lane Johnson retired. They think they have Markel Bell in that spot. Maybe another of these younger linemen pans out. There are some foundational pieces on the defensive side, like Quinyon Mitchell, but that unit isn’t what it was last year or in 2024.
Let’s look at some specific names:
- Jalen Hurts: They weren’t giving him another big contract anyway, right? The Eagles don’t really do that. They haven’t done it since Donovan McNabb was here. Hurts is out for the season with the blood clot issue, which certainly throws a wrench into the equation, but when he comes back next year is he running the ball effectively? Is he throwing it like Matt Stafford? Does he look like the guy we saw in 2022 and 2024? Gut instinct says no. It says we’ve probably seen Jalen’s best in Philadelphia. It doesn’t mean he can’t be a good NFL quarterback at age 29, 30, 31, but even going into this season it didn’t feel like he was going to be in the long-term plans 2-3 seasons from now.
- Saquon Barkley: The Birds reportedly aren’t going to trade him, but what is Saquon giving you next season if he’s healthy? He’s going to turn 30 soon. The offensive line needs to be rebuilt. Running back shelf lives are what they are. If you can get value now for Saquon, you should do it.
- Tanner McKee: Would be nice if he had a full complement of receivers and a healthy Barkley, but I don’t feel like I need to see more of him. We should get a game or two of Joe Milton down the stretch.
- Moro Ojomo: He’s on an expiring deal and they can’t pay him anyway. They should move him for picks. The only caveat is if they somehow move Jalen Carter instead, one of those uncommon full contract trades, and then Ojomo is extended to play alongside Davis.
- Landon Dickerson: Same as Jurgens. If someone offers you picks, you take them.
Everybody else on an expiring contract should be moved if they have value. And there are some fringe guys selected over the past few years who probably aren’t getting second contracts.
When you look at what the Eagles did after the tank season, the key thing was rebuilding the lines. They added Dickerson, Williams, Davis, and Jurgens in 2021 and 2022, then went and drafted Carter and Tyler Steen in 2023. They added an EDGE and linebacker from UGA in Dean and Nolan Smith. Then they went out and solidified the secondary in 2024 with Mitchell and Cooper DeJean and took another EDGE in the third round (Jalyx Hunt).
Whatever you think of the quarterbacks in this year’s draft class, recent history seems to suggest they’d be on a timeline that makes more sense for targeting guys like Colin Simmons, Dylan Stewart, Jordan Seaton, Lance Heard, or Will Echoles. The main difference this time around is that they don’t have a QB in waiting. Hurts was already in the fold when they decided to tank in 2020. This time, maybe there’s a day 2 quarterback they like and go that route, the same way they did with Hurts originally. Otherwise, they collect assets and package and trade up for a guy they like in 2027, like they did with Wentz back in 2016. But it’s hard to say with the blood clot timeline and the question marks surrounding Jalen’s health anyway. I just feel like they were going to start identifying the next guy even if Hurts was playing this year. And we’ve probably seen enough at this point to know that McKee isn’t exactly the heir to the throne.
And then, of course, you have to turn the coaching staff over. Nick Sirianni probably deserves another year based on his resume. But then what? The offensive coordinator shuffle continues? Is Vic Fangio retiring? What’s to say Sirianni and Sean Mannion figure it out even with a healthy team? Pederson also won a Super Bowl, and they shitcanned him without second thought.
There’s just too much out there that’s uncertain. This is a lost season because of injuries mostly, but even when this team was healthy, for two whole games, they didn’t look great. They weren’t winning the Super Bowl. That’s why everything screams “blow it up right now, get ahead of it, just do it.” Find the next coach, the next franchise QB, the next defensive coordinator, and offensive coordinator. Otherwise you’re just stringing yourself along when you know you’re not going to be a contender.
It’s a lot to do, but they’ve done it before, and they shouldn’t be afraid to do it again. Maybe it’s a two-year process this time around, but the alternative is what? Half-assing it? Trying to patch the holes? Retaining Sirianni as a lame duck? Running Hurts and Barkley back out there with an offensive line that looks nothing like it did in 2024? There just doesn’t seem to be a lot of upside even in a perfect world of no injuries.
If you believe that this era of Eagles football is over, then what is there to do other than start over?
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com