Eagles are the most under-the-radar team in the NFC, exactly where we want to be

The Eagles are heading into the 2026 season with almost no national buzz, and according to a panel of NFL executives, that’s exactly where they sit.

A poll of six anonymous execs conducted by The Athletic’s Mike Sando ranked the Eagles third in the NFC, behind the Rams and the defending champion Seahawks. Four of the six execs classified Philadelphia as Super Bowl contenders. The Eagles carry a 10.5 win total on the Vegas board, tied for second-most in the conference. None of that reads like a team anyone should be sleeping on. But with Seattle wrapping production on “Hard Knocks” and the Rams making splashy additions all offseason, one exec put it plainly: the Eagles are “about as under the radar as can be.”

That’s not new territory for this franchise. The Eagles have won more regular-season games than any team in football over the past four seasons (50) and rank second only to Kansas City in postseason wins over that same stretch. They finished 11-6 last year. None of that has translated into offseason headlines, and the front office doesn’t seem bothered by it.

Eagles concerns center on the skill positions, not the roster’s floor

The execs weren’t uniformly glowing. One flagged the receiver room and running back spot as questions after Saquon Barkley “did not have a great year,” and pointed to offensive line health and age as a real concern heading into the season.

AJ Brown’s trade to the Patriots this offseason adds another layer. One exec framed it as a potential “addition by subtraction” situation, but also noted the pressure now sits on Jalen Hurts, whose relationship with Brown had reportedly grown cold before the deal. Hurts will be running an overhauled offense under new coordinator Sean Mannion, and how quickly that unit finds rhythm is one of the least-answered questions in the NFC.

Why the Eagles’ floor stays high regardless

The counterpoint came from another exec who pushed back on the idea that Philadelphia is trending down. Vic Fangio’s defense is expected to rank top-five in the league again. The offensive line, even with age as a factor, is still considered one of the better units in football. Barkley is still on the roster. As that exec summed it up, this team could “win 16-13 every week” and still be right there in January.

That’s the version of the Eagles nobody outside the building is talking about right now — a team that doesn’t need flash to be dangerous. The Rams get the offseason splash headlines. The Seahawks get the reality show. The Eagles get to show up in September with four Super Bowl contender votes and almost no pressure attached to them nationally.

For a franchise that’s made a habit of outperforming its hype the last four years, that’s not a bad place to start.