With Jalen Hurts out indefinitely, the Eagles have a golden opportunity to Trust the Process appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Tell me if you’ve heard this one before: after a series of injuries and bad luck, a Philadelphia sports team finds itself at a crossroads. Do they make win-now moves, try to keep a passionate fanbase engaged, and hope that things break their way? Or is it better to simply accept that one era is over and for the next one to begin, there will have to be casualties along the way, even when it comes to fan favorites, legends, and quality players still in their primes?
In 2026, this absolutely describes the Philadelphia Eagles, but it also could apply to the 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers as they looked to identify their best path forward under new general manager Sam Hinkie.
In 2013, the 76ers knew they were going to look a little different than in seasons past. Coming off a 34-48 campaign in Year 3 under Doug Collins, the 76ers had already said goodbye to two of their best players of the post-Allen Iverson-era, Andre Igudala and Jrue Holiday, had accepted that the Andrew Bynum trade was a catastrophic failure, and opted to add a pair of quality young performers, Michael-Carter Williams and Nerlens Noel, to a re-tooled roster still featuring Evan Turner, Thaddeus Young, and Spencer Hawes.
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Right out of the gate, it looked like that decision was right on the money, as even with Noel unable to play as a rookie, MCW went toe-to-toe with LeBron James on opening night and rode that momentum to a Rookie of the Year win. But as the losses started to stack up, Hinkie made the call to blow it all up and focus on the future, prioritizing premium draft picks and cap flexibility over a dogfight for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Now granted, did “The Process” work perfectly? No, the 76ers got unlucky with injuries to players like Joel Embiid, who didn’t debut until Year 3 of his rookie contract, got unlucky with draft positioning, having to settle for players like Jahili Okafor, and got unlucky with, well, everything that happened to players like Ben Simmons, Zhaire Smith, and Markell Fultz. But in the end, the 76ers built a team that competed in the East for years, even if, unfortunately, it never all came together for that magic NBA Championship win.
With two Super Bowls during the Howie Roseman era, the Eagles don’t have the same historic weight on their shoulders as Mike Gansey. They don’t have to worry about wasting LeBron James’ final years as a pro or about an aging star looking to go out on top like the man who nicknamed himself “The Process,” but what they do have is a golden opportunity to use the final 12 weeks of the 2026 NFL season as a testing ground, with a premium draft pick, instead of another playoff berth, as their prize at the end of the road.
While it may not be fun to accept that a loss is more or less set in stone every time the Birds Fly Eagles Fly their way onto the field, in the end, they have a star quarterback waiting in the wings, some quality young talent on the rise, and an opportunity to see if any more emerge over the next few weeks. Why not use that golden opportunity to see what’s next?
The Eagles need to Trust The Process and turn their attention to 2027
Who are the Philadelphia Eagles’ untouchable players in 2026?
Hurts has to fall into that category unless he demands out – which no one would blame him for, all things considered – as do DeVonta Smith, Jordan Mailata, Jalen Carter, Quinyon Mitchell, and maybe Cooper DeJean too, even if his 2026 hasn’t been as good as his 2025. All of the Eagles’ rookies and their second-year players fall into this category too, with someone having to overpay to a Cam Jurgens level to add a player like Makai Lemon, Jihaad Campbell, Andrew Mukuba, or Markel Bell, as their ceilings remain undefined.
There’s also a second category of players on the Eagles who aren’t quite untouchable but aren’t really in-demand either, with Day 3 compensation simply not worth moving on from the likes of Jordan Davis, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Dontayvion Wicks, Tyler Steen, Jonathan Greenard, or a number of other solid starters, even if Roseman would accept the call.
What that leaves is a collection of players who are largely signed to shorter-term contracts and can immediately contribute at an above-replacement level that teams around the NFL will covet just like Philadelphia did when they were gunning for a Super Bowl. Players like Saquon Barkley, Zack Bauns, Nolan Smith, Moro Ojomo, and especially Riq Wollen, who still have gas in the tank and could be a medium-term piece for a team gunning for a Super Bowl now, instead of one hoping they can establish the next core that can stand up to the Lane Johnsons, Brandon Grahams, Fletcher Coxes, and Jason Kelces of the world.
Think of these players like Young, Holiday, Turner, or even Iguodala. None are at the end of the line, in fact, some are just entering their primes, but they aren’t going to make a six-win Eagles team into a Super Bowl contender, though they could make an 11-win team into a 13-win squad with an elite game or two. These are the kind of players opposing teams would sign to multi-year contracts based on their play in Midnight Green and may be willing to pay a premium now to make sure they can.
Would it be hard to say goodbye to Barkley after turning in one of the best seasons of his career in Philadelphia? Sure, but no harder than when MCW won Rookie of the Year and was shipped to the Milwaukee Bucks the next year, and especially since at 31, his game will only become less explosive with each passing year.
For a team like the Denver Broncos, the Seattle Seahawks, or even the Los Angeles Rams – if things get really dire – this might not particularly matter. There are win-now seasons and then campaigns that have a bit less urgency, and right now, those three teams are looking for a way to put themselves over the top, something a running back with a 2,000-yard campaign on his resume can absolutely do. Baun is a one-man wrecking crew at inside linebacker, Woolen can hold down a side of the field for a Super Bowl-caliber defense, and the duo of Ojomo and Smith could present similar upside to Milton Williams with the New England Patriots, or that is at least what Roseman would be saying to anyone interested if he goes full-on “fire sale” mode.
Could the Eagles ultimately get everything back on track, with Sean Mannion and Tanner McKee putting their heads together to form an unstoppable attack the likes of which hasn’t been seen since Tom Brady took over for Drew Bledsoe all those years ago? Sure, anything is possible, but with the season likely over even in a division as open as the NFC East, it makes more sense to see what players like Darius Cooper, Eli Stowers, Trotter Jr., and Ty Robinson can do versus continuing to rely on veterans, especially when some are free agents at the end of the season. With the Eagles’ cap already in a tough spot heading into the future, finding a way to ship off more veterans on long-term contracts is an ideal way to use 2026, especially if teams believe they are shopping at a premium purveyor, instead of the outlets.
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