It was another Sunday and another Eagles’ loss.

The more impactful damaging news was the loss of quarterback Jalen Hurts for the season with blood clots in his lungs. (According to recent reports, Hurts was dealing with the situation in a hospital the night before their game in London).

It also is becoming more apparent that the Birds could be sailing toward their worst campaign in the past 15 years when they were 4-12 in 2012, and 4-11-1 in 2020. There also were their consecutive 7-9 seasons in 2015 and 16.

With Hurts lost, who knows how this plot plays out? It’s up to backup Tanner McKee, offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, and Birds’ defense, the latter which seemingly incurs injury after injury.

Some of those issues will be addressed in this week’s version of our Eagles’ roundtable column.

Lehigh Valley Press sports editor Scott Pagel will be joined by Northampton assistant head coach Kevin Ronalds, Catasauqua quarterbacks coach and former Northampton quarterback Cooper King, Catasauqua defensive line coach Brian Reilly, and Whitehall assistant cross country coach and Eagles’ fan Brandon Hampton.

(These questions were answered before Hurts was lost for the season.)

Can McKee continue to develop or should the Eagles look elsewhere?

Pagel: “At this point, outside of a major trade, I don’t see anyone else coming in as a fix to the QB position. Maybe Joe Milton’s mobility would help but I think he’s lacking in other places, so I think riding it out with McKee will have to be the short term answer. There were some flashes, but he didn’t seem to get much help from the O-line. I know the run game is terrible, but they still need to try and run to help whoever is under center.”

Reilly: “Tanner McKee is a backup QB, I do not believe he is a starter in the NFL. At this point I would not give up any draft capital for another QB, unless they have players they can trade that make sense. I do not believe there is a QB out there they can get, that can get the job done at this point.”

Ronalds: “Give McKee a meaningful run of games to demonstrate what he can do, while continuing to evaluate the quarterback market, and the team’s long-term options. He has many issues affecting his play right now (injuries across the offense, a new play caller, etc.). McKee deserves a solid shot, but the team needs to make a long-term QB decision for the immediate future at the end of the season.”

King: “Continue developing him while evaluating alternatives, rather than make a panic replacement. The next few starts should establish whether his pocket management, decisions, accuracy, and confidence improve. One difficult afternoon is not enough to close the book.”

Hampton: “He’s shown some flashes in the past, but against backup or bad defenses in Week 18 games. I definitely think he can get better, but not sure it’s worth paying (picks or players via trade) when the injuries keep piling up, even though the division looks bad so far.”

Despite the injuries, can Sean Mannion’s offense get on track, or is he overmatched?

Pagel: “I don’t think we have enough to evaluate Mannion at this point. I’m starting to believe reports that Jalen Hurts just doesn’t want to do certain things. The offense with him this season looked eerily the same as last season. The injuries, a revamped offensive line and now a backup QB, I just don’t think we can tell what we have with Mannion.”

Reilly: “Mannion’s offense does not fit the QB situation in Philly. They do not have a QB who can go under center and drop back to pass. Teams are saying ‘beat up with the pass while they stack the box for the run.’ “

Ronalds: “Again, it is tough to evaluate coordinating abilities on an offense that has so many injuries, but the results are not nearly good enough. At times, the offense and play calling look discombobulated and clunky. The injuries require adjustments and, at times, simplicity.”

King: “I think Mannion’s offense can improve but Mannion has not yet shown enough adaptability to deserve the benefit of the doubt indefinitely. Yes, he’s in a tough situation with Hurts and Barkley out and some OL struggles, but that’s exactly why you need to adapt and switch some things up. Hopefully we will see some changes or tweaks in the next upcoming week.”

Hampton: “I think you have to give him some time being a first time play caller. If what is being said on TV, radio, and online is true though, not sure you can really blame him if Nick (Sirianni) is really calling the shots/overruling him.”

The Eagles’ special teams have had issues for the 2nd week in a row. Is it a concern?

Pagel: “Special teams is a concern, but I think it goes under the radar with the many other issues. It’s usually the special team coach that gets fired first, so maybe this is something that happens over the next week or two as some kind of an attempt at a spark?”

Reilly: “Special teams have been a concern for the Eagles for some time now. This is a big area they need improvement on.”

Ronalds: “YES. Special teams are as much a concern as the offense. With all of the reasons listed above, with a struggling offense, a defense with mounting injuries, etc., the special teams need to at least be satisfactory. You have to be able to get a punt off or a kickoff and play defense. That hasn’t happened in the last two weeks and has immediately impacted the outcome of the game.”

King: “Special teams’ issues are definitely a concern. If their offense is struggling they need to be able to win the field position battle. Special teams are just an extension of offense and defense, so being able to get a decent return or pin a team back deep would build momentum and give them a better chance of success.”

Hampton: “It’s definitely concerning but you may as well add it to the list of problems with the team.”

Are the Eagles’ secondary and pass rush a concern?

Pagel: “As I’ve said other weeks, I think a good pass rush can be a fix to a secondary. The pass rush has been way too inconsistent. Our safeties are not good enough, but they would look a little better if the Eagles could get some pressure on the quarterback. There is no instant fix for the safeties, either, but we know the pass rush needs to be better, they are capable of being better, but it’s more like they NEED to be better if things are going to improve.”

Reilly: “Pass rush has been a major concern all year. This does not help the secondary out either. Secondary can be good. They are struggling at safety right now as Mukuba has not played well. In order to help out the secondary, there needs to be a better pass rush and Fangio should think about blitzing more.”

Ronalds: “In the NFL, pass-rush concerns trump all other defensive concerns. This is also the case for the Eagles. A pass rush can help solve secondary concerns. The Eagles’ secondary is very good when healthy. But the fourth-quarter Panthers touchdown by a receiver left alone in the end zone is unacceptable.”

King: “Philadelphia’s four-man rush did not generate enough pressure against Carolina. Hunt and Epenesa were unavailable, Greenard played sparingly, and Nolan Smith left with a concussion. Fangio consequently blitzed more than usual, sometimes successfully, but that also produced difficult coverage matchups. The secondary gave up some easy completions by just playing soft coverage and a few missed tackles and penalties hurt the defense, too.”

Hampton: “I think the secondary will be fine, but pass rush has been nonexistent. Then again, they’re on the field for more than 60-70% of the game with all the 3-and-outs.”

My take: “With Hurts down, McKee now has the keys. Andy Dalton was picked up by the Falcons, and there is little to offer on the free-agent market. Sunday’s game looked like a preseason game with 24 total penalties and 12 combined punts. Mannion’s hire looks like a mistake, but his cupboard is pretty bare. The offense has too many three-and-outs, and it’s taking a toll on the defense.”

Thanks to Brian Reilly, Kevin Ronalds, Cooper King, and Brandon Hampton for sharing their thoughts this week.

However, you, too, can join us. Simply send an email to spagel@tnonline.com with the title “Eagles Roundtable,” and if your email is chosen, we’ll include you in our weekly discussion! It’s that easy!

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