A pessimist's guide to the 2025 Philadelphia Eagles

Coming off a 14-3 season that ended with the team’s second Super Bowl championship, there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic about Philadelphia these days. 

But no team is perfect, not even the Eagles. Here’s why they could struggle in 2025.

1. Defense

The Eagles are losing 131 sacks, 854 tackles and 26 years of NFL experience with the departures of defensive linemen Josh Sweat (Cardinals), Milton Williams (Patriots) and Brandon Graham, who retired with a franchise-record 206 games played.

The team also lost Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay (Steelers) and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who led Philadelphia with six interceptions before being traded to the Texans in the offseason. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio worked magic with the NFL’s top-ranked defense last season, but he better have something up his sleeve for 2025.

2. Saquon Barkley

Barkley led the NFL with 2,005 rushing yards last season, 1,043 more yards than he had with the Giants in 2023. Of course, it took a career-high 345 carries to get him there, more than he had in his previous six seasons and the most since Derrick Henry had 349 with the Titans in 2022.

But with two inches and 14 pounds on his fellow running back, Henry is better suited to absorb and recover from the blows of a 300-carry season. A 26-year-old Barkley had six touchdowns and 962 yards following a 295-carry season in 2022. How he recovers from last season remains to be seen.

3. Madden 26

For those unfamiliar with the “Madden Curse,” it basically says that any player appearing on the cover will suffer a serious injury or have a down year. Past victims include running backs Eddie George, Adrian Peterson and current 49er Christian McCaffrey.