Garry Cobb on the Eagles' Super Bowl Window: 'If It's Not Flowing, Everybody Will See It'

The View From a Legend Who's Seen It All

When someone who has been embedded in Philadelphia football for decades gives you an honest evaluation, you listen. And the evaluation of where the Eagles stand heading into 2026 is both cautiously optimistic and brutally realistic.

The verdict on this upcoming season? It will be obvious. Either the new offensive system flows and Jalen Hurts adapts, or it doesn't — and there won't be any ambiguity either way.

The New OC Gamble

The Eagles made a seismic decision this offseason: tear down the entire offensive coaching staff and install a new system. The hire of a coordinator who has never called plays at the NFL level is a massive gamble — one that could either unlock this offense or expose its biggest weaknesses.

The key question isn't whether the system is good. It's whether Jalen Hurts fits in it. If the quarterback comes out seeing the field well, attacking defenses, getting the ball out quickly in a West Coast-style attack — then this team is right back in the Super Bowl conversation.

But if he's back there holding the ball, uncomfortable in the scheme, reverting to the same tendencies that led to a 28th-ranked passing attack? Then the experiment failed, and everybody in the building will know it.

The AJ Brown Dilemma — Through a Different Lens

The conventional wisdom says move Brown now, get draft capital, and rebuild. But there's a compelling counterargument: see what he looks like in the new offense first.

The problem with AJ Brown in Philadelphia has never been talent. It's been a scheme that ran the same routes over and over, a quarterback who doesn't throw on time, and a predictable offense that defensive coordinators had figured out.

A new offensive coordinator could sell Brown on a different vision. Motion, pre-snap reads, receivers lining up all over the formation — the kind of offense that turns talented receivers into elite producers. If that pitch lands, Brown might want to stay. And if it doesn't work in training camp, teams will still come knocking.

The smart play might be patience. Don't take a third-round pick when you could potentially get more if you wait — or better yet, unlock a player who posts 1,400 yards in a system that actually uses him correctly.

Saquon Barkley in a West Coast Offense

Here's a conversation that isn't getting enough attention: how does Saquon Barkley fit in a spread, West Coast-style offense?

Barkley is a generational talent as a runner. But in the passing game? Every time he got thrown the ball last season, it was "Bobble City." He dropped passes in critical moments, including multiple games where bobbled catches directly impacted outcomes.

A West Coast offense requires backs who can catch, block, and run routes out of the backfield — think Christian McCaffrey. Barkley has the athleticism to do it, but he hasn't been asked to consistently. Expect five targets a game, not ten. The receivers will still eat in this scheme.

The Super Bowl Window

The window is open, but it's not wide open. Philadelphia sports fans don't do "rebuilding years." They don't accept stepping back to step forward. With the money invested in this roster — Hurts, Barkley, Brown, Carter, the defensive line — anything less than a playoff appearance will be considered a failure.

If the Eagles win seven games with the new coaching staff, the head coach goes the way of Doug Pederson and Nick Sirianni before him. That's not speculation. That's Philadelphia.

The saving grace? Hurts has played in multiple offensive systems throughout his career. He's adapted before. The expectation is that the new coordinator and Hurts merge their visions into something that puts pressure on defenses. If that happens, this team makes another run.

If it doesn't, the window slams shut — and everybody will know exactly why.