The two-time defending NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles (2-3) will be without face-of-the-franchise quarterback Jalen Hurts for Week 6 against the Carolina Panthers and possibly beyond. Philadelphia announced an ultrasound on Hurts' calf following a flight back from their London game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5 revealed a superficial blood clot had moved. The Eagles ruled him out and said in a statement they are determining "the appropriate course of treatment" and that Hurts' "health and safety are our highest priority." There's a chance Philadelphia might be without its Super Bowl MVP-winning quarterback for the foreseeable future.
Some teams might take that as a sign to trade away pieces at the trade deadline to reload for 2027, but the Eagles can't do that and shouldn't do that. Philadelphia needs to stay the course and fight to compete in 2026. Here is a look at why, how that could look for the Eagles, what QB they could seek via trade and more.
The short answer as to why the Eagles need to continue their push to contend in 2026 is that they've invested too much money into their top-end talent. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman made the following significant investments this offseason along the defensive line: After Hurts' five-year, $255 million contract, these three defensive linemen are the Eagles' next three highest-paid players in terms of total contract value. The Eagles still have one of the more talented rosters in football, especially on defense with those three, former first-round pick edge rusher Nolan Smith Jr., All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun, former first-round pick linebacker Jihaad Campbell, All-Pro cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, All-Pro cornerback Cooper DeJean and Super Bowl champion cornerback Riq Woolen.
Even though former NFL Offensive Player of the Year running back Saquon Barkley (hamstring) and wide receiver DeVonta Smith (hamstring/toe) are battling injuries, they're two high-level playmakers when on the field. This defense is talented enough to keep the Eagles in almost every game. Yes, it's felt like the sky is falling after consecutive losses to the Los Angeles Rams and the Jaguars, in which they blew the lead in the final two minutes.
There's a world where they're just a couple plays away from being 4-1 instead of 2-3. This isn't a situation like the Kansas City Chiefs in 2025, who went 6-11 amid an up-and-down year that saw quarterback Patrick Mahomes go down with a torn ACL. The 2026 Eagles are a much more talented roster than those Chiefs, and their division is much, much worse.
Last season, the AFC West division champion Denver Broncos were the AFC's No. 1 seed with a 14-3 record. The Los Angeles Chargers gutted out an 11-6 Wild Card campaign with quarterback Justin Herbert playing the role of miracle worker behind a battered offensive line. This season, no one seems to want to win the NFC East.
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