The Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl repeat bid has already been put out to pasture following a 23-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field in the wild-card round last Sunday.
To say this season was a bust does injustice to the word. The Birds went from owning one of the most dynamic offenses in the league to an unmitigated disaster that got the most out of no one under Kevin Patullo in 2025. While Patullo was fired this past week, there are still locker room issues that won't be resolved without certain players being removed from the equation.
A.J. Brown comes to mind for obvious reasons. His cryptic social media message about his role back in October hovered like a black cloud all season. Trading Brown is the first of several steps the Eagles must take to fix their offense.
Step 1: Trade A.J. Brown
In no universe should Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni accept Brown's attitude in Philadelphia's locker room. Team success appears to be secondary to his personal success, which isn't what a player ever wants fans to think of them. You sacrifice team culture by allowing that.
The Birds got what they needed from Brown. His kind of attitude is not sustainable, and even if it means selling low, there needs to be a Brown fire-sale as soon as humanly possible. There's no other way Hurts could get back to his previous level of play. Hurts' leadership couldn't overcome Brown and DeVonta Smith's malaise.
Brown hinted at being unhappy during the 2024 season, but that was largely ignored due to the team's Super Bowl LIX win. Now, with the team crashing back down from that championship high, this problem can no longer be ignored.
Step 2: Hire Brian Daboll as OC
While Brian Daboll is a name that carries some radioactivity after the poor end to his tenure with the New York Giants, he was Hurts's offensive coordinator with the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2017. Sure, Hurts was benched in the title game, and that's another narrative many are quick to run with, but Hurts hit NFL radars because he executed Daboll's play-calls.
Anthony Miller of Inside the Iggles, relayed it as a possibility, suggesting, "[Brian Daboll] has already been in the local area since he coached out of New Jersey and has a ton of success coaching offenses. With no one else calling, Sirianni might be able to swoop him up and bring him to Philly to work on Jalen Hurts."
Besides the feeling of conquering the Giants and making something of the coach whose reputation tanked with Big Blue, adding Daboll would give Sirianni someone he can trust, mainly because Hurts already trusts him.
Step 3: Sign Mekhi Becton
If there is any way the Eagles can restore the 2024 vibes, they must pursue it.
Philadelphia had a good thing with Mekhi Becton up front, helping Saquon Barkley enjoy a much stronger performance last season. That extends to Hurts, too. Speaking of Hurts, he was hit in the backfield repeatedly during the first half of the season before the Birds tightened up in pass protection.
Becton was an awful fit on the Los Angeles Chargers, who bowed out of the postseason and can justify not bringing back most free agents. Becton is already sending out feelers about returning to the City of Brotherly Love, citing unfamiliarity with why he doesn't enjoy playing for Greg Roman. One would think he'd want to return to what's familiar and successful. Becton is under contract until 2027, but he could be cut this offseason to avoid triggering any future guarantees.
It's hard not to see what's happening here. This step feels the safest of any.