Eagles roundtable: Answering some of the biggest Birds questions as the playoffs approach

The Eagles have clinched their second straight NFC East title and a return to the postseason, meaning much of the focus in the coming days will center on how far they can advance. With that in mind, we turned to Inquirer Eagles writers Jeff McLane, Olivia Reiner, and Jeff Neiburg to discuss some of the biggest issues surrounding the team — including the injury situation, biggest 2025 surprises, and how the staff might look different beyond the postseason:

McLane: Honestly, I don’t spend my waking hours caring who the Eagles should least want to face in the playoffs, but I guess for the sake of this exercise I’ll choose the Rams. Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford know what it takes to win a title and have arguably a better offense than when they won the Super Bowl four years ago. The Rams are imperfect, as their overtime loss to the Seahawks last week showed. And the Eagles have had McVay’s number, winning six of seven since he took over in Los Angeles. But the law of averages may finally benefit the coach. I’d also be wary of the peaking 49ers.

» READ MORE: NFL playoff picture: Eagles scenarios, two more teams clinch

Reiner: The Rams. Yes, the Eagles are 4-0 against them under Nick Sirianni, including last year’s divisional-round game and the Week 3 victory this season. But Stafford has been playing at an MVP level this year. He has one of the NFL’s top receiving duos in Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. Kyren Williams is a top-10 running back. The Rams’ defensive front, led by Jared Verse and Byron Young, is among the best in the league. The Eagles have a chance against any team in the NFC, but the Rams would provide the most difficult test.

Neiburg: I wanted to say the Rams, because I do believe they are the best team in the NFC, but the Eagles seem to have their number, and, as of right now, a playoff game vs. the Rams would be at Lincoln Financial Field. Instead, I’ll go with the Seahawks. I don’t trust Sam Darnold to win a big game, but the Eagles’ offense having to go up against that defense in front of that home crowd on the other side of the country in what would likely be the NFC title game is a daunting task.

Reiner: Yes. Is that an acceptable answer? Thankfully for the Eagles, they won’t have to pick, because both are expected to return in time for the playoffs. But for the sake of the exercise, I’ll pick Johnson. Fred Johnson has been solid in his absence, but the All-Pro right tackle is one of the best in the league at his position. Carter hasn’t been healthy for most of the year and the Eagles’ defensive front has fared well enough without him recently.

Neiburg: Nothing against Carter, but the clear answer is Johnson. Right tackle is a singular position, and Johnson is a singular player, a future Hall of Famer who is still among the best players at his position. The Eagles’ defensive front has played well without Carter, and while getting him back and at full strength is a big deal, it’s not quite the same as inserting Lane Johnson in over Fred Johnson.

» READ MORE: Jalen Carter returns to practice and the Eagles are ‘hopeful’ that he’ll play against the Bills

McLane: “Fully healthy” is rare for any player at this stage of the season, but assuming either is cleared to return for the playoffs, close to 90% should be good enough. Johnson has played through worse than his Lisfranc foot injury. He delayed surgery to repair a torn adductor two years ago and didn’t miss a beat. History has shown that when he isn’t in the lineup the Eagles struggle, going 15-27 since 2013. Carter’s absence hurt vs. the Giants in October, but the D-line has done a better job of covering for his loss these last three games. So I guess my answer is Johnson.

Neiburg: That an offense that returned 10 of 11 starters and hired a coordinator who had been on staff for years tailed off the way it has — especially in the running game. I knew Saquon Barkley wasn’t going to run for 2,000 yards again. I knew the Eagles were going to face stacked boxes. I didn’t expect the offensive line to struggle to run block this way and didn’t think moving the ball and getting first downs would be as much of a chore as it has at times this season.

Reiner: The offensive line’s overall regression. Even with Landon Dickerson’s meniscus injury in camp, it seemed unlikely that the group would struggle so much, especially in the run game. The unit has been better over the last few weeks, as evidenced by Barkley’s recent surge. But for most of the season, the offensive line wasn’t the juggernaut that the Eagles have leaned on in the past.

» READ MORE: Saquon Barkley and the Eagles ran angry in the second half. It’s about time.

McLane: I kind of saw the offensive regression coming, and certainly Barkley’s struggles, but not to the extent it’s been. That said, that the Eagles would have another first-time offensive coordinator come under fire for most of the season wasn’t a surprise either. So I’ll look at other phases.

On defense, I thought Carter would be primed to take his game to another level with a contract extension potentially on the table this offseason. I know he was voted to the Pro Bowl and has been dealing with shoulder injuries, but he hasn’t had the desired impact. On special teams, Jake Elliott has hit rough patches before. But he had a great camp and first half of the season. That’s why the kicker’s late-season woes have come out of the blue for me.

McLane: Vic Fangio has the best pedigree and should get another chance to be a head coach. But he’s 67 and has said he has no desire to be in that chair again, which is good news for the Eagles. I think special teams coordinator Michael Clay could be a CEO-type head coach some day. Of the assistants, defensive backs coach Christian Parker is likely to get poached to head a defense sooner rather than later.

Reiner: The 33-year-old Parker has become a rising star in the league, getting the most out of young cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in their first two seasons in the NFL. He has a long career ahead of him, and it might not be possible for Fangio to keep him around for much longer.

Neiburg: If I had to guess one coach from this list who gets a promotion next year, it’s Parker. Defensive line coach Clint Hurtt has already been a coordinator (with the Seahawks in 2022-23) and could do it again. Clay has a bright future in this league. And Kevin Patullo — yes, that one — might be a head coach one day. Just not this next coaching cycle.

Neiburg: This one was tough, and it feels like we’re just giving out a participation trophy. You don’t need me to tell you that the Eagles’ offense hasn’t been very good this season despite the amount of money the team dedicates to offensive players. A few weeks ago, I’d have said DeVonta Smith, but he’s sort of tailed off a little. I’ll go with Dallas Goedert, who has been a major red zone weapon and has more touchdowns (10) than he had in the last three seasons combined.

» READ MORE: Handing out credit for the Eagles’ record playoff run, also what NFL refs got right and DK Metcalf did wrong in Week 16

McLane: Smith has slipped some since we last had this question at the bye. But that’s more circumstantial than anything related to his performance. Smith’s success in the first half of the season led to defenses clouding him more, which has created space for fellow receiver A.J. Brown. Smith has still delivered when called upon and is on track to have the third 1,000-yard season of his career. He’s also a willing blocker as he showed on Saquon Barkley’s 48-yard run vs. the Commanders.

Reiner: Goedert. He’s been the star of the Eagles’ top-ranked red-zone offense, leading the team with nine touchdowns inside the 20 (10 touchdowns on the season overall). For a player who didn’t look like he was returning to the Eagles this offseason, he’s had one of the better seasons of his eight-year career.

Reiner: Quinyon Mitchell. In his second season, he earned more responsibility in Fangio’s defense, whether he’s traveling with opposing teams’ top receivers or lining up on the boundary side. He’s risen to the challenge. Mitchell leads the league with 17 pass breakups. He’s also conceded catches on just 42.3% of his targets, the lowest rate among cornerbacks with at least 400 coverage snaps.

Neiburg: Jordan Davis. Has he been the overall best performer on the defense? Probably not, but we sort of already knew what to expect out of Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, Zack Baun, and Co. But with Davis, the talk in the offseason was about a transformed body and how he was ready to take the next step. He walked the walk.

McLane: This may be controversial, but I’m going with Cooper DeJean. Mitchell is also deserving — quarterbacks have stayed away from testing him and when they have, he’s often answered the bell. But DeJean has a more difficult job in the slot, in my opinion. It’s why Fangio has refused to move him exclusively to the outside. The second-year corner has to match up vs. faster receivers and bigger-bodied tight ends, while also supporting the run defense from an inside position.