Top Eagles storylines heading into 2026 NFL Combine originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
INDIANAPOLIS — The Eagles will be in Indianapolis this week for the annual NFL Scouting Combine.
The league takes over downtown Indianapolis this time every year. Not only will the entire league hold the biggest pre-draft event of the calendar year, but every major decision maker in the league will be present.
The Eagles’ 2025 season didn’t go to plan. Sure, they won 11 games and became the first team to win back-to-back NFC East titles in a couple decades. But there were some major cracks in the foundation and they were exposed in their first-round playoff loss at home to the banged up 49ers.
As the Eagles look ahead to 2026, the goal is to get back to the top of the mountain.
Here are some key storylines we’ll be following this week:
Hearing from Howie and Nick
We last heard publicly from Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni on Jan. 15. At that point, they were asked a bunch of questions about what went wrong in 2025, the decision to move on from offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo and what they were looking for from the next OC.
They were also asked questions about Jalen Hurts’ role in the offensive struggles, the future of A.J. Brown and resource allocation going forward.
But there are plenty of questions still remaining for Roseman and Sirianni now that we’re well into the offseason. We’ll start to get some answers on Tuesday. Roseman is scheduled to speak at 2:45 and Sirianni is right after him at 3 p.m.
A new-look offensive staff
The biggest move this offseason was the hiring of Sean Mannion as the team’s new offensive coordinator. Mannion is just 33 years old but the Eagles clearly saw something in the up-and-coming coach enough to make him their OC and play-caller.
The staff under Mannion is a mix of returning coaches and newcomers. Mannion was able to bring in some of his own coaches as he installs a new scheme that’ll be more in line with the Shanahan/McVay offenses that have taken over in the NFL.
The biggest departure from the coaching staff is the legendary Jeff Stoutland. Stout was the O-line coach in Philadelphia for the last 13 years and is one of the best coaches in franchise history. Roseman and Sirianni will be asked plenty of questions about Stout’s departure, what led to it and what it means for the future of the offensive line in Philly.
Any A.J. Brown movement?
We heard from A.J. Brown during Super Bowl week and he didn’t sound like a guy who wanted to be traded. Take that how you will.
But it was clearly a frustrating season for Brown in 2025 and he reportedly asked for a trade multiple times throughout the season. So it’s fair to wonder what Brown’s future holds and whether or not he’ll be on the team in 2026. Trades can’t actually happen until the new league year begins next month but every GM in the NFL will be in Indianapolis so conversations might start to flow.
We might start to hear more whispers about the Brown situation the week.
The rest of the league
In addition to hearing from the Eagles’ brass, we’ll also hear from a bunch of head coaches and general managers from around the NFL on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.
There are so many GMs and head coaches around the league with ties to the Eagles. We’ll get a chance to hear from a bunch of coaches around the league on Tuesday.
Pending free agents
The Eagles will have exclusive negotiating rights with their pending free agents until March 9 at noon. So maybe there’s a chance they’re able to lock someone up before they hit free agency.
As a reminder, here are the Eagles’ free agents in 2026:
Offense: TE Dallas Goedert, WR Jahan Dotson, OT Fred Johnson, OL Brett Toth, TE Grant Calcaterra, TE Kylen Granson, OL Matt Pryor, QB Sam Howell, RB A.J. Dillon, FB Ben VanSumeren (RFA)
Defense: LB Nakobe Dean, OLB Jaelan Phillips, S Reed Blankenship, S Marcus Epps, CB Adoree’ Jackson, DE Brandon Graham, OLB Joshua Uche, OLB Azeez Ojulari, OLB Ogbo Okoronkwo, P Braden Mann
Prepping for the draft
Here’s a reminder of where the Eagles pick this year (including projected compensatory picks):
Round 1-23 (own pick)
Round 2-54 (own pick)
Round 3-68 (from Jets)
Round 3 (projected comp pick)
Round 4 (own pick)
Round 4 (projected comp pick)
Round 5 (from Falcons)
Round 5 (projected comp pick)