With the start of the season just around the corner, the Philadelphia Eagles have yet to clear the air on some of their positional battles. The defense is stacked with talent, but there's still no word on who's going to be out there to face the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night.
On Monday, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio refused to shed more light on this situation in his press conference. When asked who was going to get the nod to start at cornerback, linebacker, and safety, he deferred and said that Nick Sirianni would make those announcements.
Update: Nick declined to announce it. https://t.co/ok4aUc1PAo
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) September 2, 2025
Nick Sirianni Won't Tip His Hand on Week 1 Starting Lineup
True to form, the Eagles' head coach provided no clarity, either. As reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane, Sirianni refused to announce his defensive starters for Week 1. He also didn't want to share an update on Landon Dickerson's injury situation.
Sirianni has always been known for his secretive nature. He took a page out of Bill Belichick's book and will be as tight-lipped as possible with every single thing related to his roster.
He's even tried to make it seem as if Jalen Hurts would miss time with an injury when that's clearly not going to be the case.
With that in mind, this approach shouldn't surprise Eagles fans at this point. That's just the way Sirianni handles things, and, given his recent success, it's hard to blame him for not wanting to change his tactics at this point.
Eagles Still Must Solve Several Positional Battles on Defense
Under Fangio, the Eagles deploy a 3-4 defense, and as things stand now, All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun looks like the only lock to return as a starter. Nakobe Dean will miss the first four games with a knee injury, leaving promising rookie Jihaad Campbell and second-year pro Jeremiah Trotter Jr. battling out for the final inside linebacker spot.
The cornerback situation is a bit trickier. Cooper DeJean has excelled in the nickel corner spot, and Quinyon Mitchell should have one of the outside spots locked in. That leaves Adoree' Jackson, Kelee Ringo, and Jakorian Bennett competing for the other starting spot outside.
Last but not least, the Eagles also have to choose between second-round pick Andrew Mukuba and third-year safety Sydney Brown to start alongside Reed Blankenship. Mukuba's strong preseason play and versatility make him an intriguing choice, but Brown is coming off a strong 2024 performance.
That's a good problem to have, though, but it seems like Eagles fans won't get much clarity until Thursday night's kickoff.