Are Eagles tanking? Why Philadelphia's teardown looks like a full-scale rebuild

The Eagles are stockpiling premium draft picks while dismantling a once-dominant offensive line

Oct 7, 2026 at 2:40 pm ET • 3 min read

The sky is falling in Philadelphia. That's at least how it looks after Lane Johnson's abrupt retirement and the trade of Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens to Baltimore. 

Two years removed from a second Super Bowl win, Eagles fans surely hoped for a sequel reminiscent of Rocky IV. Instead, it appears that Philadelphia fans will be forced to spend the rest of the Eagles' 2026 season watching the equivalent of Rocky V. 

Yes, it could get that bad for Eagles fans during the season's final 13 games. 

Given recent events, there can be no other conclusion than that Eagles GM Howie Roseman is beginning the process of starting over. Championship-aspiring teams don't trade Pro Bowl-level players in October in exchange for future draft picks. It's as simple as that. 

If you need further evidence, look at how the Eagles have positioned themselves for the future. In 2028, the Eagles are now slated to have two first- and two second-round picks, with the second second-rounder being acquired in the Jurgens trade. 

The Eagles are setting themselves up for future success, but what does that mean for the present? If you haven't figured it out yet, it's not good. 

From the outside, it looks like the franchise needs a reboot inside and out. On the field, the Eagles are a shell of the team that dominated the defending two-time defending champion Chiefs in the Super Bowl two years ago, especially on offense. Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley both regressed, the offensive line is now in shambles, and the revamped receiving corps hasn't masked AJ Brown's departure. 

Football aside, something else appears to be off with this team. They no longer have the edge that helped them become champions in 2024. Go back to Philadelphia's Week 3 game against Chicago, a game they were favored to win as the Bears were trotting out 38-year-old Case Keenum, who was making his first start in three years. 

Midway through the third quarter, Hurts was laid out by linebacker D'Marco Jackson on a hit that was rightfully penalized for unnecessary roughness. Jackson was flagged, but the collateral damage was worth it. 

The hit -- and the Eagles' response to it -- revealed what's inside this Philadelphia team. Typically, when a franchise quarterback gets hit like that, all hell breaks loose. Yet, in this situation, DeVonta Smith was the only teammate who appeared to be terribly bothered by what he saw. 

Even worse was the Eagles' on-field response. Instead of elevating their intensity, the Eagles continued to get pushed around on both sides of the ball. Philadelphia didn't punch back and instead were the recipients of body blow after body blow. Somewhere, Clubber Lang and Ivan Drago were probably smiling. 

The Eagles' lack of response that night likely speaks to the team's current culture, or lack thereof. It's fair to question the team's internal leadership, starting with coach Nick Sirianni. 

Like his predecessor, Doug Pederson, Sirianni has led the Eagles to the promised land. Peterson's message apparently fell on deaf ears in Philadelphia, and it's more than fair to wonder if the same is happening now with Sirianni. Leading an NFL franchise is hard enough, and it's even harder when fans are calling for your job. 

The Eagles relieved Pederson of his duties three years after winning the Super Bowl. His firing came at the end of a dreadful 4-11-1 season that ended -- ironically enough -- with Pederson and the Eagles being accused of tanking. At that point, the prospect of another Eagles championship parade anytime soon seemed as likely as Rocky getting back into the ring at age 60. 

As it turns out, Rocky did fight again at 60, and the Eagles did win it all just four years after that disastrous 2020 season. Roseman's successful rebuild, then, should give Philly fans solace now as they brace themselves for what could be the start of yet another rebuild. Until then, Eagles fans may want to spend their Sundays watching either Rocky films or replays of championship seasons past.