Analyst says what Eagles fans aren’t ready to admit in Week 7 power rankings

Not even two full months into the 2025 season, the Philadelphia Eagles already find themselves at a turning point.

The good news? There’s still plenty of time for the team to turn consecutive frustrating losses into a mere blip on the radar.

The troubling news is that Philly’s issues go far deeper than anyone could have predicted. 

On the surface, suspect play-calling and injuries have sent the Eagles stumbling from a 4-0 team with a 17-3 lead over Denver entering the fourth quarter, to a 4-2 team that feels on the brink of disaster. But it goes deeper than that, with some franchise-altering decisions made by GM Howie Roseman and ownership slowly creeping back into the spotlight.

The inconsistencies from Philly’s star-studded offense through six games has been enough to dominate the local and national headlines. But the elephant in the room is the Eagles’ young and fading defense that suddenly looks like a far cry from last year’s championship unit.

The Philadelphia Eagles’ lackluster 2025 offseason is already haunting them in October

The Eagles were at or near the top of every expert’s power rankings entering Week 5. In the span of two weeks, Sayre Bedinger of FanSided’s NFL Spin Zone has dropped them outside of his top 10, one spot ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 11.

Bedinger didn’t even mention offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo in his analysis, instead pointing his commentary at a front office that, for lack of a better term, punted on any major signings in free agency outside of extensions for running back Saquon Barkley, linebacker Zack Baun, right tackle Lane Johnson, and center Cam Jurgens.

“There is more than just losing on the field that the Eagles have to worry about right now. You’ve got a disgruntled pair of superstar wide receivers. The losses this team sustained on the defensive front in the 2025 offseason are officially making an impact, and obviously in a negative way. Now, we’re seeing the war on attrition get to the Eagles in other ways, with Quinyon Mitchell’s injury on Thursday night raising new levels of long-term concern for this team.”

Back in the spring, it felt like a stretch that the Eagles could just plow forward without key starters like Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Darius Slay and Brandon Graham. The Eagles essentially cut ties with those high-cost veterans, pocketed cash and future compensatory picks, and relied on their recent draft classes and some cheap, one-year free agent deals to fill the void.

That ship is now taking on water. The No. 2 cornerback situation has been a disaster all season, and Mitchell’s hamstring issue only adds to a problem that could have been avoided by re-signing Isaiah Rodgers this offseason.

The struggling EDGE group is now more desperate than ever after Za’Darius Smith shockingly hung up his cleats on Monday; the Eagles have nine sacks on the season, tied for the seventh-fewest in the NFL, and Smith led all of Philly’s outside pass rushers with 1.5 despite missing the season opener.

Safety is yet again a concern, with rookie Andrew Mukuba trending in the wrong direction in pass coverage in recent weeks.

Much of the Eagles' depth concerns on defense feel like they could have been avoided. Philly would likely pay Rodgers’ two-year, $11 million salary with Minnesota in a heartbeat to fix their ongoing CB woes. Roseman could have extended Williams early, instead of watching him hit free agency as a hot, $100 million commodity. It was Roseman's decision to keep Sweat locked in a contract year in 2024. The Gardner-Johnson move might have made sense for multiple reasons internally, but his presence as a veteran leader and playmaker has been felt; CJGJ had six interceptions, 12 pass breakups, and a touchdown last season.

Roseman has more than earned the trust of the fanbase, and the organization clearly prioritized a longer-term approach over a keep-the-band-together run in 2025. 

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But while the offense will almost certainly get its act together, given the leadership and continuity on that side of the football, Philly’s defense is toeing a slippery line, which connects directly back to the front office’s overly cautious approach coming off Super Bowl LIX.