The Eagles Don’t Need Another Big Trade. They Need Jalen Hurts to Be Better.

The Philadelphia Eagles have one of the best rosters in football. That’s not really up for debate. They’re stacked on both sides of the ball, and they’ve already been part of one of the wildest offseasons in recent memory. But The Athletic’s Zach Berman tossed out an interesting thought this week: maybe the move that gets them back to the Super Bowl isn’t a move at all.

Berman, speaking before training camp opens July 28, basically said the Eagles are already good enough on paper. The question is whether the offense can actually play like it. And that starts with Jalen Hurts.

“The Eagles’ roster is among the top five in the NFL,” Berman said. “If their offense improves and Jalen Hurts plays at a high level, they should be a Super Bowl-level player. So I’m not sure there’s that one move available that pushes them over the edge.”

He did float a few names. Brian Thomas Jr. came up as a guy who could give Philly a different look in the passing game. Before Kyle Pitts signed his extension, Berman said he would have mentioned him as a mismatch weapon. And sure, Maxx Crosby would help a defense that’s already near the top of the league. But Berman’s point was that the ceiling is on offense right now. Not defense.

Internal growth over another splash

The Eagles already traded A.J. Brown to the Patriots for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder. That was a stunner. But it also reshaped the roster in a way that puts more pressure on Hurts. The offense now has to prove it can work without one of the league’s elite receivers. And after a Super Bowl title defense that ended with a 23-19 wild-card loss to the 49ers, the clock is kind of ticking.

Berman didn’t dance around it. He said it comes down to Hurts and the offense pushing into the NFL’s top 10. If that happens, the Eagles will compete for a ring. If it doesn’t, another big-name trade probably won’t fix it.

That’s a pretty direct way of saying the Eagles’ best path forward isn’t through another blockbuster. It’s through the guy under center playing at a level he’s shown before but not consistently enough lately.

And honestly, that’s a more uncomfortable conversation for the front office than making another trade. Trades are exciting. Waiting on a quarterback to figure it out is nerve-racking.