3 things to watch for in the Eagles’ season opener
May 28, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo speaks with the media at NovaCare Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
The defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles’ season finally gets underway this upcoming Thursday against the Cowboys.
However, being the best always comes at a price. The Eagles roster experienced some turnover, losing Josh Sweat, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Milton Williams, Mekhi Becton, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, and many others throughout the summer.
Nick Sirianni and the Eagles are counting on a few unproven pieces to take them back to the promised land this February, and these are the ones you should keep an eye on the most.
1. Kevin Patullo
Another year, another new coordinator for Jalen Hurts. Seriously, it’s getting ridiculous at this point. In Hurt’s now 6-year career, it will be the 5th different coordinator he’s had to work with and the 6th different play caller. Going all the way back to 2018 at Alabama, the order goes Michael Locksley, Bill Bedenbaugh, Doug Pederson, Shane Steichen twice, Brian Johnson, Kellen Moore, and now Kevin Patullo.
Patullo is very familiar with Sirianni. In 2021, when Sirianni was hired as the head coach, Patullo left Indy with him to be a wide receivers coach and pass game specialist. Throughout the season, Patullo reportedly worked side by side with Moore to gain an understanding of his system. Kenny Pickett praised Patullo as the “unsung hero” of the Super Bowl-winning offense, mentioning that Patullo formulated much of the 2-minute offense the Eagles implemented.
I shouldn’t have to remind any Eagles fans what can happen with an overmatched offensive coordinator. Many fear Patullo being Brian Johnson 2.0, pointing to the fact that they were both internal hires. Under Johnson, the Eagles’ offense went from an unstoppable machine capable of winning a Super Bowl to one of the most predictable and bland offenses in football. If anything, Patullo is off to a good start. His play-calling in the preseason games didn’t seem to raise any red flags, even if it is just the preseason.
Patullo will have no shortage of weapons to work with, and hopefully, against a depleted Cowboys defense, he can get in a groove early.
2. Jihaad Campbell
With Nakobe Dean still recovering from his injury in the Wild Card round against the Packers, rookie 1st round pick Jihaad Campbell will be thrust into starting duties.
The Eagles hope that with Campbell’s blend of size and athleticism, he can become a star alongside Zack Baun at linebacker. Reports coming out of Eagles training camp were mostly positive about Campbell. He seemingly had numerous noticeable improvements in play recognition and blitzing.
However, he reportedly struggled when given edge rusher duties. As a rookie, Campbell will most likely have a learning curve to get over, but he is surrounded by veterans to mentor him. The linebacker room is relatively experienced, with Baun entering his 6th season and Nakobe Dean entering his 4th. Not to mention, Vic Fangio has been coaching football since 1979. To put that into perspective, Howie Roseman was 4 years old when Fangio started coaching, and they now both work for the same organization.
Similar to what I said about Patullo, 2023 is a good reminder of what a defense looks like without a competent linebacker room. Dean played just 5 games before suffering a season-ending injury, and the position became a rotating door of underperforming players. When Nick Morrow, Zach Cunningham, and Darious Leonard are the best you have in 2023, you’ve got a big positional hole.
The Eagles and Fangio have very high hopes for what they think Campbell can become; that’s why they traded up to get him. Campbell will more likely than not have some struggles in his first regular-season action, but it will be interesting to see his skills truly put to the test for the first time.
3. Tyler Steen
After losing Mekhi Becton to free agency, Tyler Steen is set to take his spot at right guard.
The Vanderbilt product has had plenty of time to develop and learn from Jeff Stoutland. It’s his 3rd year with the team and the first time he’ll be expected to start week 1. Steen had a chance to win the starting job for 2024 but lost the job to the aforementioned Becton.
In his first two seasons, we haven’t seen too much of Steen. He’s appeared in 28 games and only started 3 of those. In the little we have seen, he has shown some promise while also at times looking not ready. Seemingly, this summer, Steen was supposed to be in another competition for the starting spot with the new addition, Kenyon Green. However, Green had a rough camp and preseason with the Eagles and would ultimately be cut.
Similar to Becton last year, right guard is a new position for Steen. In college, he played tackle but has been forced to learn interior offensive lineman positions since being drafted. He’s gotten to learn from the best of the best over the years, being an apprentice to the likes of Jason Kelce, Cam Jurgens, and Landon Dickerson.
The hope is that the Eagles can avoid the sometimes-long learning curve young offensive linemen typically go through in the NFL since he’s sat and waited for 2 entire years.
Ethan Whitney
Ethan is a writer for Philly Sports Reports and a Color Commentator for Rally Sports Network. He has been a massive fan of all Philly Sports for as long as he can remember and wants to share that passion with the world. He is looking for a long career in the sports media sphere.
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