The defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles may be sitting pretty with +650 odds on DraftKings to repeat as champions, but that hasn't stopped ESPN from applying a harsh label to the Birds' 2025 prospects.
In ESPN's Ben Solak's widely discussed "100 Things to Know for the 2025 NFL Season," the Eagles were named one of the three "least improved teams" in the NFL—a weird label for a franchise coming off a dominant 40-22 Super Bowl victory over the Kansas City Chiefs and kept most of its core.
Solak didn’t sugarcoat his analysis: "It's not particularly revolutionary to claim that the Super Bowl champion is going to have a hangover, but boy howdy did the Eagles lose a lot of talent."
The numbers support his claim. A staggering 4,114 defensive snaps from 2024 are out the door. Defensive linemen Milton Williams, Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham are gone. So are defensive backs C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Darius Slay Jr. and Isaiah Rodgers—each departing via free agency in the offseason.
And they didn’t leave quietly. Sweat, who led the team in sacks, turned his one-year, $10 million prove-it deal into a four-year, $76.4 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals. Williams went even bigger, securing a four-year, $104 million deal from the New England Patriots.
What worries analysts isn’t just the raw talent loss—it’s the timing. The Eagles begin the 2025 season with matchups against the Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos. All five are potential playoff teams, and Solak warned that "things could get squirrelly" early if the defense isn’t up to speed.
This gauntlet of an opening stretch could quickly expose any growing pains on defense as Philadelphia tries to integrate new faces into key roles.
But the Eagles are not without answers. The franchise used its 2025 draft class to target immediate defensive needs. Rookie corners Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean headline the additions, and 2023 fourth-round pick Kelee Ringo is gaining momentum as a potential breakout player. Also the development of defensive linemen Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Nolan Smith prove that the Eagles are going to be just fine
General manager Howie Roseman is no stranger to these challenges. Philadelphia’s front office anticipated post-title attrition and planned accordingly, adding high-upside young talent while maintaining flexibility. Solak’s critique may be valid in a pure transaction-count sense, but the Eagles are betting that development and continuity can bridge the gap.