Eagles power rankings roundup: Here’s where the defending champions stand heading into the 2025 season

The Eagles’ 2025 campaign officially kicks off Thursday against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field. The Birds will raise their Super Bowl LIX banner — albeit with the players still in the locker room.

Who needs power rankings when you’ve got the Lombardi Trophy, the ultimate sign that you’re No. 1? Well, it’s a new year, and that means the Birds will have to prove themselves all over again. Here’s where they rank heading into the 2025 season as defending champions …

NFL.com started the Eagles off where they finished last season — at the top of the league.

“The Eagles were playing at an exceptional level by season’s end, truly great by even championship-winning standards. Whether they can reach that level again is fair to question,” writes Eric Edholm. “They’re arguably worse on both lines of scrimmage than a year ago, with the defense especially needing to reload, and Saquon Barkley’s workload will have to be managed a bit more after he handled nearly 500 touches in 20 games, counting the playoffs. But there’s a lot to like about the squad and no obvious reason to drop it from the top spot prior to the season kickoff against the Cowboys.”

» READ MORE: Eagles vs. Cowboys predictions: Our writers pick a winner for Week 1

The Eagles might be missing some firepower on defense from their title team in 2024, but Pro Football Talk dares to call the 2025 campaign a potential reiteration of their Super Bowl squad.

“They don’t want to call it a repeat,” says Mike Florio. “It could be a reiteration.”

The Birds’ relatively low-drama training camp featured minimal competition for starting spots. The Eagles still have a few question marks on defense, but not enough to move them out of the top spot for The Athletic.

“The only real issue in Philadelphia is the secondary, where a second cornerback has yet to emerge and second-round rookie safety Andrew Mukuba is nursing a hamstring injury, which hurts the unit’s flexibility on the back end,“ argues Josh Kendall. “Philly made a training camp trade for cornerback Jakorian Bennett, but veteran Adoree’ Jackson may win that job.”

In a poll of eight NFL executives, six picked the Eagles as the top team in the NFC, and the other two picked them second. One executive projects the Eagles defense will be better than last year’s top-ranked unit, despite the departures.

Yahoo! Sports also put the Eagles in the top spot and like other outlets, they chose focused on the team’s defense.

“Linebacker Jihaad Campbell is a player to watch early in the season,” writes Frank Schwab. “The first-round draft pick solidified his role, at least until Nakobe Dean returns. Campbell could have an impact right away, which makes a championship defense even stronger.”

Many headlines focused on the Eagles’ few losses, but there’s a huge core of players who are returning in 2025, especially on offense.

“The roster is loaded,” according to Pete Prisco. “The offense has 10 of 11 starters back and the young defense is filled with players ready to make major leaps forward. But repeating is tough to do.”

ESPN also slots the Eagles in at first in the NFL. Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo has been with the team for five years, working under Kellen Moore, Brian Johnson, and Shane Steichen, but 2025 will be his first time calling plays. Should Philly fans be worried?

“The Eagles are well-established, coming off a Super Bowl. But one significant change came at offensive coordinator, where Patullo replaced Kellen Moore and will serve as a full-time playcaller for the first time in his career. Patullo has been coach Nick Sirianni’s right-hand man since 2021, and the offense isn’t expected to change much, making for a smooth transition. But with so much offensive talent, the bar is high, and Patullo will absorb some of the heat if the unit doesn’t operate as expected,” Tim McManus says.

» READ MORE: Meet the 2025 Eagles: What to know about every player

No surprises here. Once again, the Birds are in first.

“Typically, a Super Bowl-winning squad is plundered for all of its available talent the following offseason,” writes Brent Sobleski. “The Philadelphia Eagles featured such a deep roster last season that even though multiple high-profile free agents left, they remain one of the league’s most talented squads.”