The Eagles' Offense Is Descending — And Three Straight Years of Drafting Defense Is Why

The Eagles' Offense Is Descending — And Three Straight Years of Drafting Defense Is Why

Here's a stat that should make every Eagles fan uncomfortable: the last time Philadelphia used a premium draft pick on an offensive player was Tyler Steen in 2023. That's three consecutive drafts — three years of first and second-round picks — spent exclusively on the defensive side of the ball. And the offense is showing the neglect.

Look at the roster. The offensive line is aging and transitioning to a new scheme. The tight end room has literally zero players under contract. The wide receiver depth behind DeVonta Smith is nonexistent. AJ Brown might not even be here by April. And yet, for three straight years, the Eagles have used their premium draft capital on defensive players. At some point, the bill comes due. That point is now.

To be fair, the defensive investments have paid off. The Eagles' defense is stacked. But football is a two-sided game, and you can't win championships with an elite defense and a deteriorating offense. The 2025 season exposed cracks that the Eagles can no longer paper over with Jalen Hurts' improvisational ability and Saquon Barkley's generational talent. The supporting cast needs an infusion of young offensive talent, and it needed it yesterday.

Howie Roseman knows it. He's reportedly said he's in 'offense mode' for this draft. That's encouraging, but talk is cheap. The Eagles' general manager has a tendency to fall in love with defensive playmakers on draft night, and this year's class has plenty of temptation — Akheem Mesidor, the safeties going in round one, Avieon Terrell at corner. The discipline to stay offense-focused will be tested.

The good news? The 2026 draft class is absolutely stacked on offense. The wide receiver group is deep and talented. The tight end class might be the best in a decade. There are offensive linemen worth targeting on Day 2. The Eagles have picks at 23, 54, and 68 — roughly eight total selections — and there's no excuse not to use at least two of their first three picks on offensive players.

Here's what makes this even more pressing: the quarterback class is awful. Truly, genuinely awful. The only signal-caller worth a premium pick is Nussmeier, and even he has questions. John Beck might as well be playing in the UFL based on his evaluation. For the Eagles, this is actually good news — it means top quarterbacks won't push other offensive talent down the board. Receivers and tight ends who might go in the teens in another year could be available at 23.

The nightmare scenario is the Eagles going defense AGAIN at 23. If Avieon Terrell is sitting there, Howie needs to walk right past him. If a safety is staring them in the face, they need to trade back. The defense is FINE. It's better than fine — it's elite. What the Eagles don't need is another first-round defensive back. What they need is a tight end who can replace Dallas Goedert, a receiver who can step in if AJ Brown leaves, or an offensive lineman who can protect this scheme transition.

Three safeties are projected to go in the first round this year. That tells you how deep the defensive talent is — and it also tells you that the Eagles don't need to spend premium picks there. Let other teams fight over safeties and corners. Philadelphia should be laser-focused on stocking the offense with young, cheap, controllable talent.

The math is simple. Since 2023, the Eagles have invested zero premium picks in offense. The offense has gotten older, thinner, and more dependent on a shrinking group of aging veterans. The defense, meanwhile, is loaded with young talent acquired through those premium picks. The imbalance is unsustainable.

Howie Roseman reportedly has a contract expiring March 15. If his final act before that deadline is mapping out an offense-heavy draft strategy, it might be the most important thing he does all offseason. The Eagles need to go offense early and often in April. Not one pick. Not a token gesture. A full-scale offensive investment that shows this organization understands where the roster is headed.

The offense is descending. Three years of draft neglect will do that. The 2026 draft is the correction — if the Eagles have the courage to make it.