The big question facing every Eagles position group going into the season

With preseason officially concluded, all eyes are on the Eagles’ season opener against the Dallas Cowboys in less than two weeks.

But just because the preseason is over doesn’t mean there aren’t lingering questions about the team heading into the start of the regular season. Here’s one question at each position ahead of Week 1:

Can Jalen Hurts do what it takes to win — again?

Hurts prides himself on, as he would say, keeping the main thing the main thing. The main thing, of course, is winning. But how will the Eagles win in 2025? Last year, it was primarily through the run game, with the team leading the league in carries (621) due to the contributions of Saquon Barkley (345, the most by a running back) and Hurts (150, the most by a quarterback).

» READ MORE: Jeff McLane’s 53-man roster prediction: Ainias Smith moves to practice squad; A.J. Dillon could miss roster

No one, not even the Eagles, knows exactly what the offense will look like this season. Defenses around the league will surely scheme to limit the Eagles’ potent rushing attack. Maybe Barkley, Hurts, and the offensive line can continue their dominance on the ground. Maybe Hurts will be called on to drop back more often, just as he did in Week 15 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, for example. No matter what is asked of him in any given game, Hurts has to be ready to do whatever it takes to win, like he often did last season.

Can Saquon Barkley continue his clean bill of health after rushing for a total of 2,504 yards in 2024?

As stated above, Barkley shouldered an intense workload in 2024, finishing the regular season and postseason with 436 carries for 2,504 yards and 18 touchdowns in 20 games. In that span, he notched the most single-season (including the postseason) rushing yards in NFL history and the seventh-most carries.

Barkley didn’t miss a single game in 2024 due to injury. Can he continue that trend in 2025? He hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down so far. Unsurprisingly, Barkley continued to be heavily involved in the Eagles’ offense in training camp, where he didn’t sit out a single day of practice. It will be incumbent upon the coaching staff to keep him fresh throughout the season and to deploy the backups — Will Shipley and A.J. Dillon — in-game as needed depending on the situation.

Is the Eagles offense ready for a potentially bigger emphasis on the passing game?

The Eagles were a run-heavy offense in 2024. For the first time since becoming the full-time starter in 2021, Hurts threw for fewer than 200 passing yards per game (193.5, the fewest among 19 starting quarterbacks with at least 15 games played last season).

» READ MORE: Eagles trade for Sam Howell, shore up QB depth as Tanner McKee battles injury

If the run game isn’t as prolific in 2025, is the Eagles’ receiving corps from top to bottom ready to answer the call? With the likes of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, that answer should be an obvious “yes,” but there are always extraneous factors that could impede their success. Brown is a magnet for double teams. Smith missed three games due to injury in 2024 (as did Brown), though he had a mostly clean bill of health for the first three seasons of his NFL career.

The depth in the room is intriguing, particularly Jahan Dotson, who had the benefit of a full offseason with the team. With Brown and Smith injured in camp, Dotson was one of Hurts’ go-to targets in team drills. Dotson — and possibly new addition John Metchie — could have an opportunity to make an impact in 2025.

Can Dallas Goedert stay healthy in a contract year?

After some uncertainty this offseason, the Eagles restructured the final year of Goedert’s contract, bringing the 30-year-old tight end back for his eighth season. While Goedert has been an important part of the Eagles’ offense, ranking No. 3 on the team in receiving yards since 2021, he hasn’t been healthy and available for a full season in the last three years.

That’s likely part of the reason why he had to take a pay cut to stick around in 2025. But the Eagles need him to make the offense go, which requires him to be healthy. Grant Calcaterra has flashed his talents as a receiver in Goedert’s absence, but the 26-year-old tight end doesn’t have the blocking chops that Goedert possesses. The Eagles have bigger questions to answer at tight end once the season ends and free agency looms, but for now, the biggest uncertainty is Goedert’s availability.

Can Landon Dickerson return to prior form following his meniscus surgery?

The Eagles are hopeful that Dickerson could return to action for Week 1, roughly three weeks removed from meniscus surgery in his right knee. That appears to indicate that Dickerson didn’t undergo a full repair to his meniscus, which would entail a longer recovery period (for example, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy underwent a full repair to his meniscus around a similar time last year and missed the entire 2024 season).

» READ MORE: Trade reaction: How Sam Howell fits with the Eagles and what it means for Kyle McCord

If Dickerson returns in time for the season opener, or even a bit later, can he stay healthy for the rest of the year and still contribute at the three-time Pro Bowl level he has established? The 26-year-old left guard has been the Eagles’ poster child for toughness, overcoming various leg injuries over the years. If anyone can rebound from an injury, it’s Dickerson.

Can Jordan Davis and Moro Ojomo take the next step in their respective games and help fill the pass-rushing void left by Milton Williams?

When Howie Roseman opted to let Milton Williams walk in free agency, he opened up opportunities for others to make greater pass-rushing impacts. Davis and Ojomo stand to benefit the most from a workload standpoint from Williams’ departure for the New England Patriots.

» READ MORE: Eagles acquire familiar face Fred Johnson from Jaguars, send Darian Kinnard to the Packers

Ojomo, the 2023 seventh-rounder out of Texas, has been the biggest standout of training camp on offense or defense. His disruption as a pass rusher has earned praise from players such as Dickerson and Lane Johnson. Davis, the Eagles’ 2022 No. 13 overall pick out of Georgia, said he lost 26 pounds this offseason to reach 330. The team hopes his leaner frame will translate to improved pass-rush prowess.

Behind Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt, who will rise to the occasion in the rotation?

Following the loss of Josh Sweat in free agency and the retirement of Brandon Graham, the Eagles’ edge rusher corps is counting on a pair of promising youngsters in Smith and Hunt to take on more responsibility. Beyond Smith and Hunt, though, who is going to make the biggest impact off the edge?

Joshua Uche, the 26-year-old outside linebacker who signed a one-year prove-it deal in March, has been a consistent presence in the backfield throughout training camp. Azeez Ojulari, who also signed a one-year deal in the offseason, had impressive showings in joint practices against the Browns and in the second preseason game, but he had a quiet training camp otherwise. Regardless of who steps up (or who Roseman possibly acquires between now and the trade deadline), the Eagles need contributions beyond Smith and Hunt.

Is Jihaad Campbell ready to be the Week 1 starter — and beyond — alongside Zack Baun?

In June, Vic Fangio estimated that Campbell wouldn’t see the field until sometime in August following offseason shoulder surgery. Alas, the rookie linebacker out of Alabama participated in the first practice of training camp on July 23 and began practicing in a full capacity just a week and a half later.

» READ MORE: Jihaad Campbell, Moro Ojomo among the biggest winners at Eagles training camp; Kelee Ringo misses his chance

Throughout camp, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. had taken the majority of the first-team reps at inside linebacker. But during the last day of training camp on Wednesday, Campbell exclusively took those first-team snaps alongside Zack Baun, while Trotter was with the second-stringers. Campbell rested in the preseason finale against the New York Jets, a privilege typically reserved for the starters (and injured players), while Trotter played 23% of the defensive snaps.

It appears likely that Campbell will start in the season opener. If that’s the case, when Nakobe Dean returns from his patellar tendon injury, can the rookie get off to a hot start and maintain a stranglehold on the gig?

Is CB2 going to be the Achilles heel of the defense?

The Eagles were fairly spoiled last year at cornerback with a steady veteran in Darius Slay, a pair of stellar rookies in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, and a capable backup in Isaiah Rodgers. In training camp, Fangio has been in the process of identifying the next starting outside cornerback opposite Mitchell following the release of Slay this offseason.

» READ MORE: The NFL players’ union is an embarrassment. For the sake of players like Eagles’ Johnny Wilson, it better buck up

No one has run away with the job. Kelee Ringo, the 2023 fourth-rounder out of Georgia, hasn’t taken a first-team rep in the last week or so and sat out of the final practice with a groin injury. Adoree’ Jackson, who turns 30 next month, has taken the vast majority of those first-team snaps in the last week of training camp and is the most likely starter come Week 1. Jakorian Bennett, whom the Eagles acquired from the Las Vegas Raiders over two weeks ago, could still be in the running, but it seems like a long shot that he would be the Week 1 starter.

Fangio ruled out the possibility that DeJean would be the full-time starter on the outside (i.e. when the defense is in nickel or dime) unless another player developed at nickel cornerback. Are the Eagles satisfied with their options at the moment?

Who will start alongside Reed Blankenship — Sydney Brown or Drew Mukuba — for the entire season?

Mukuba made a statement in his preseason debut against the Browns, posting an interception and a fumble recovery. But his training camp has been marred by injury, first by a shoulder issue and now by a hamstring ailment sustained on Tuesday.

Even if he’s good to go come Week 1 and earns the starting spot, can he stay healthy for the entire season? He is relatively undersized at 5-foot-11, 186 pounds, which raises questions about his durability. If Mukuba isn’t ready, is Fangio confident in Brown’s progress since the start of training camp? The defensive coordinator has often pointed to the third-year safety’s lack of polish this summer.

Are Jake Elliott’s struggles of 2024 in the past?

Elliott, who is going into his ninth season as the Eagles’ kicker, was flawless when it mattered in the Super Bowl. In that final game, he went 4-for-4 on his field goals and 4-for-4 on his extra points.

During the regular season, though, Elliott struggled, especially from longer distances. He made just one field goal of 50-plus yards on seven attempts. His 77.8% field goals made was the second-lowest rate of his career. Can Elliott get back to the performance that made him the second highest-paid kicker on an annual basis two seasons ago? He continued to move in the right direction in the preseason finale, nailing all four field-goal attempts (including two from 50-plus yards) and one extra point.