The Philadelphia Eagles looked borderline invincible last season. It was a tag they justified in their one-sided, 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. The Birds, led by Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts, dismantled the dynasty and got revenge for a loss in Super Bowl 57. But within a span of a few months since the win, the 2025 NFL Draft has happened, and so have player trades. The Eagles have also been affected by significant arrivals and departures.
Advertisement
On one hand, Sirianni and his Birds have welcomed plenty of interesting additions. They signed AJ Dillon to a one-year deal to back up Saquon Barkley. And defensively, they picked up linebackers Josh Uche and Ben VanSumeren. It’s nothing team-altering, but they’re interesting, nonetheless.
On the other hand, the Eagles have had to part ways with several key defensive players. They first chose not to re-sign star cornerback Darius Slay, who is now with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Then they traded CJ Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans in exchange for lineman Kenyon Green. More recently, they traded Bryce Huff to the San Francisco 49ers for a draft pick.
That’s why, after observing the Eagles’ recent months of operations, Emmanuel Acho raised three important concerns he believes the team needs to address to win the Super Bowl again.
“Number one is a question that’s universal: Can the Eagles stay healthy? You stay healthy, I think they’re fine,” Acho said on The Facility.
“Number two, who’s going to replace Darius Slay and start opposite of Quinyon Mitchell?… Then my last question, how does that young defense handle success?”
All are good and justified questions for Acho to ask of Sirianni’s squad. He went on to explain that the team was so good last year, largely because much of their defense was young and affordable. Mitchell, Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Nolan Smith, Nakobe Dean, and Cooper DeJean were all on rookie contracts yet performed like stars on multi-million dollar deals.
.@EmmanuelAcho believes the Eagles can repeat as Super Bowl Champions if they answer these 3 questions
1. Can the Eagles stay healthy?
2. Who starts opposite of Quinyon Mitchell?
3. How does young defense handle success? pic.twitter.com/9OeHsarxEB— The Facility (@TheFacilityFS1) June 3, 2025
Additionally, Acho fears that Sirianni’s young defense might become somewhat complacent after winning a Super Bowl. After all, all they know is winning, playoffs, and the Super Bowl. Soon, they’ll learn about the hardships of defending a title, which is arguably tougher than winning one in the first place.
All in all, everything Acho brought up was valid, and Eagles fans have reason to be somewhat concerned about how many key defenders the team has parted ways with this offseason. These are the kind of “under the hood” moves teams make that leave fans wondering what happened to a once-elite unit.
Sirianni’s Eagles were a dominant defensive unit last year because of their mix of veteran talent and young players ready to make an impact. Now, without a stable foundation of veterans to fall back on with Slay and Gardner-Johnson gone, things could get rocky for Philly’s young secondary defense in 2025.
It seems like Sirianni and the Eagles are going to lean into Mitchell and third-year corner out of Georgia, Kelee Ringo. It’s an interesting strategy; let’s see if it pays off for them.
