NFL News

Home

Teams

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Power Rankings

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) warms up during training camp at NovaCare Complex. Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Why Buccaneers must watch these 3 Eagles offensive players

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By Collin Haalboom | Last updated Sep 26, 2025 3:00 PM ET

The Philadelphia Eagles are the defending Super Bowl champions. After dismantling the Chiefs in last year's big game, the Eagles have aspirations to go back-to-back this season. If they are to achieve that goal, it will be because of the incredibly deep and talented roster that GM Howie Roseman has assembled over the past several years.

Offense, defense, it doesn't matter — The Philadelphia Eagles are absolutely loaded with star power at nearly every position. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are also very deep at a variety of key positions, at least when they're at full strength.

Let's take a closer look at some of the Eagles most important players on the offensive side of the ball who Todd Bowles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defense will need to pay special attention to on Sunday if they hope to steal a victory against the defending Super Bowl champions.

Saquon Barkley

Last year’s offensive player of the year, Saquon Barkley, has been one of the league’s most talented players since he was first drafted by the New York Giants 2nd overall back in 2018. That said, Barkley was never able to truly realize his full potential based on the lackluster cast around him in New York.

In his first year in Philadelphia, though, the extent of Barkley’s powers were fully unleashed. Running behind one of the NFL’s best offensive lines, Barkley immediately became the focal point of an offense that dismantled their NFC competition before putting up 40 points in the Super Bowl to defeat the Kansas CIty Chiefs in last year’s Super Bowl.

Barkley became just the 9th player in NFL history to surpass the 2K yard rushing mark in his first season in Philadelphia.

Lane Johnson

The unsung hero for the Philadelphia Eagles is Lane Johnson. A savvy, strong and durable tackle, Johnson has consistently dominated even the league’s most talented edge rushers over the course of his 12-plus year NFL career. The 6’6”, 325-pounder has been so consistent and effective in both the run and pass game that he has a legitimate claim to being considered the best tackle in football.

The Buccaneers reinforced their pass rush during the offseason with the addition of former Eagle Haason Reddick, who looks to be back to his old self. Reddick will need to utilize his speed if he has any chance of catching Johnson off balance at any point of this game. It's worth noting that Johnson left the team's Week 3 game vs. the Rams with a stinger in his neck and will likely be less than 100% for this contest.

A.J. Brown

A.J. Brown has been relatively quiet so far in 2025, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t one of the league’s most versatile receiving threats. Similar to Mike Evans, even when Brown is putting up modest numbers in the boxscore, his presence in the lineup commands serious attention from opposing defenses, resulting in plenty of opportunities for his teammates to find success.

Brown is a big, physical receiver with the mentality needed to attack the middle of the field in addition to possessing the speed and ball skills to stretch a defense vertically.

Final thoughts

In order for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to upset the defending Super Bowl champs this Sunday, Todd Bowles will need to put together a masterful game plan to disrupt the effectiveness of each of the players mentioned above.

If he's not able to do that, or the players aren't able to execute his game plan, it could be a long day at the office for Bowles and his defense.