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Brooks Kubena from The Athletic joins The Kevin Sheehan Show to break down the Eagles going into the NFL week one matchup vs the Commanders and how Washington's offensive unit adapts to Philadelphia's defensive front with left tackle Laremy Tunsil sidelined. Kubena analyzes the Eagles shifting their offensive scheme to a wide-zone system under newly appointed offensive coordinator Sean Mannion while examining key match-ups that could decide this divisional opener.
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00:00Joining us right now is Brooks Kubina. Brooks covers the Eagles for the Athletic.
00:05He is the Nikki Javala of the Eagles, and you can follow Brooks on X.
00:12At B, Kubina is spelled K-U-B-E-N-A, Washington at Philly, Sunday at 425 to open up
00:21the 2026 NFL season.
00:24So Brooks, we all know as NFC East people that 21 years went by without a repeat division winner until
00:31last year when Philly went back to back.
00:35Nobody's won it three times in a row since the Andy Reid, Donovan McNabb Eagles of back in 01 through
00:4404.
00:45They actually won four division titles in a row from 01 to 04.
00:50So I'll just start with not burying the lead.
00:54Do you think Philly wins the NFC East for a third straight year?
00:59I do. I think they're most positioned to do it.
01:02Dallas is, I think, stronger this year and healthier.
01:06And I like what the Giants are doing. They're going to be better.
01:09But I think they're the most complete team and have the most talent.
01:13And I think that'll drive out over a year that I think is going to start pretty slow for them,
01:18at least offensively.
01:19But this is a defense that is going to at least be top five in the NFL.
01:24And last year they were an 11-win team by riding on a defense that wasn't as structurally talented on
01:31the depth chart.
01:32So I think everything's in position for them to three feet there.
01:38By the way, is Grenard going to be ready to play Sunday or not?
01:43I looked at him yesterday. It was the first time that he was in full pads.
01:46And, I mean, it's a sign that they were – that he wasn't on the pup list to enter the
01:50season.
01:51So, I mean, I saw him go through workouts and, you know, we get a chance to talk to folks
01:55in the locker room.
01:56So, it seems that he will at least be, you know, practicing over the next couple of days.
02:02And they will be kind of assessing just his spot.
02:05The thing that I'm wondering is not necessarily his physical capability.
02:08Also, he will be practicing.
02:10It's the parts of the game plan that the Vic Banjo, the edge rushers, drop a little bit more in
02:15coverage.
02:16And there's responsibilities that they have that Jonathan Grenard really wasn't doing in his past.
02:20And Vic talked about that during training camp.
02:24If Jonathan's up to speed – Jonathan Grenard's up to speed, then I think those are things –
02:28or else it might be a little bit more contained on the field in certain packages.
02:33I think if those – the next couple of days look good and his spectral is fine, I think he's
02:40at least active.
02:41How many snaps and how involved he is in the game plan depends on those things that I mentioned.
02:47All right.
02:47I'll come back to the defense in a moment because you said that you think it's possible that, you know,
02:52it'll start off slowly in 2026 on offense.
02:56And I'm assuming that's because there's a new offensive coordinator.
03:00Jalen Hurts has certainly dealt with that over the years.
03:03And there's no A.J. Brown this year.
03:06So, tell me what you're expecting offensively by first answering whether or not it appears to be a good fit
03:14at this point.
03:15I mean, the Mannion sort of, you know, Shanahan-McVay-style offense with what Jalen Hurts does well.
03:23Well, it's all connected to the run game, which is what I'm going to start with.
03:27If you look at it last year, it just – it would fell off completely from what it was in
03:322024.
03:33Part of that was due to their center Cam Juergens and their left guard land and take this end being
03:38banged up a bit.
03:39They lost their right tackle playing Jonathan later in the year.
03:42And they just couldn't run the ball with the vertical power system that they had been using.
03:46And that impacted the past game, too.
03:48And there were structural issues in that.
03:50They went through, you know, in the bottom half of the league in terms of running the ball.
03:54And that's always what the Eagles have been able to put their hat on in a Sirianni era.
03:58And that was the overhaul of the offseason.
04:01Yes, they changed offensive coordinators, but what was, to me, a bigger change was that their longtime offensive line coach
04:08and run game coordinator, Jeff Stoutland, they moved on from him and committed to this wide zone scheme
04:16that is a big departure from what they had been doing.
04:18And that was always going to impact the passing game because to marry the pass and the run,
04:24these undecended concepts, Jalen Hurts is going to have to embrace more of that.
04:27And he has.
04:28And in training camp, I saw the growing pain there.
04:34We saw enough pick and interceptions, and that's partly because of Jalen Hurts connecting with his wide receivers
04:39on where they're supposed to be.
04:40This is a room that was only Devontae Smith and Darius Cooper,
04:45someone who really didn't have much involvement in the passing game last year,
04:48are the only returning members after A.J. Brown's departure.
04:51So a lot of people were learning the new system and how it works within the run game and all
04:57of those things.
04:58But to more your point, whether this is going to be a fit, I haven't seen that yet.
05:03That's one of the things most curious that's going to be in his first week and those to come.
05:08I have seen Jalen Hurts with his technique under center in training camp.
05:14I mean, he had not been – one of the things that I think is interesting is the way that
05:22they had been playing
05:23was more so built on predetermining before the snap what matchups they could get.
05:29It was a great gamble to be looking at A.J. Brown and Devontae Smith both on the field and
05:34saying,
05:34okay, I'm going to go to this guy or this guy because it's a high-leverage situation.
05:38Now they're going to more pure progression reads under this under center look,
05:42and it's something that Jalen has some experience but not much.
05:46And these quick timing decisions that are working with receivers like Elijah Moore
05:52and, you know, Don Taven Wicks and Hollywood Brown, guys he hasn't been around with.
05:56And then Mekhi Lemon, their first-round pick, he was out for most of training camp with a hamstring injury.
06:01So all of these things, these timings, these connections within this system, it's going to take some time.
06:06So I don't know yet if it's going to be a fit.
06:09The things that I've noticed from Jalen Hurts, at least, that he's committed to doing this.
06:16And I could speak more on that, but that there is confidence in Sean Mannion
06:21that he has a deep conviction in his scheme,
06:25and that was one of the number one things that Nick Sirianni was looking at an offensive coordinator.
06:29He was talking to Jalen Hurts yesterday about that,
06:31and he said that's a great word, conviction, in terms of what it goes to Mannion.
06:34And he's bought into the system, and as we see them work through it,
06:39I think the effort will absolutely be there.
06:43Yeah, really interesting stuff.
06:45Because, you know, Jalen Hurts and Jaden Daniels are kind of going through the same thing.
06:51They're both going to play under center more.
06:53They're both going to play in a zone-run-centric offense with a lot more play action
06:59and a lot more bootleg off of it.
07:01And for me, it's funny because I've been a big Jalen Hurts fan.
07:05I think he's played his best football in the biggest games for Philadelphia over the last few years,
07:11and I don't think that that's built up as much among NFL fans.
07:16Perhaps it is with Eagles fans.
07:18But I kind of view Jalen differently than I do Jaden.
07:22I think Jaden's going to be a perfect fit in this David Blau, Ben Johnson, Kevin O'Connell,
07:28the same kind of thing, a lot of the same concepts.
07:30And for me, in watching Jalen during his career, I think he's much better when he's a big part of
07:38the run game.
07:39And, look, you sound like you don't have an answer, and no one will have an answer until we actually
07:45see it.
07:46But what do you say to that?
07:48Like, I've always felt like he's at his best when he is a true dual-threat quarterback.
07:54I agree.
07:56And the thing over the last several years, and it's been a point here in several stories across the past
08:05several years,
08:06the times that he has designed quarterback runs has steadily gone down over the last four years.
08:12It was around 110 in 2022, and it was down to, I think, in the high 60s last year.
08:20So the thing that is tied to that is that in 21, 22, 23, and even in 24, Jalen Hurts
08:27had been dealing with some form of injury going into the playoffs.
08:32Last year was the first time they didn't have it.
08:34He was fully healthy.
08:34And you could sense how that was something that he really liked.
08:38So it's a tradeoff there to understand, okay, how much are we going to risk?
08:42I mean, people, the fans of the commanders, recognize going into the 24, that's when he got his concussion
08:49and things that he was dealing with going into the 24 playoffs.
08:52So that remains to be seen how much he'll be involved.
08:56I don't doubt that it will be.
08:58Sean Mannion, Nick Sirianni, Jalen Hurts even yesterday went talking about using himself as a runner in this offense.
09:05They know that it's a skill, and they're going to have it be part of this offense.
09:10At what volume is the question?
09:12At what time is this question?
09:14And I don't think from the trends that we've seen over the last several seasons,
09:18that'll go up any more significantly than we're used to from last year.
09:23Brooks Cubino from The Athletic joining us.
09:26He covers the Eagles for The Athletic.
09:29So is there like a big exhale with no A.J. Brown and no drama around A.J. Brown, Jalen
09:37Hurts, et cetera?
09:38Or is there a feeling like there's a big hole missing at that position?
09:45I wrote about this a couple of days ago.
09:48So Nick Sirianni opened the first team meeting of the season by talking about togetherness.
09:54It was something he was saying over the offseason.
09:56And Jalen Hurts was taking notes during that meeting,
10:00and he told his reporters that he wrote down in his notebook 100% alignment, zero entitlement.
10:07And he didn't name A.J.
10:09and maybe didn't even directly mean to include him.
10:13But some of the last couple of weeks, just seeing how they've talked about the togetherness factor of this team,
10:20it seems to be that they're moving forward.
10:22Jalen Hurts in his opening remarks at the start of the training camp said he couldn't emphasize how important it
10:28was to protect
10:30just the camaraderie of the team because they know the challenges are going to come.
10:35All these players know last year they had excess frustration, and I don't know if y'all remember,
10:43but there was a point where it was so absurd toward the last end of the year.
10:46There was like this blow-up Easter bunny in the locker room that they called the positivity rabbit,
10:50and it was quickly deflated.
10:53But, like, it just was showing, like, how weird it was getting in terms of how people were able to
10:58express themselves.
10:58It just wasn't getting fixed.
11:00So, A.J. Brown was the most outspoken about his on-field misery, and there's no dispute to that.
11:08Even he would attest to that.
11:09And he thought it was actually part of the accountability that would point towards some of the corrections that needed
11:15to be made.
11:15But in some ways, it just traced outlines for them to be more miserable.
11:19So, like, the point for things this year seems to be directed towards constructive togetherness.
11:27So, I've seen some of that play out in training camp.
11:30Obviously, they haven't played a game yet.
11:31Obviously, they haven't run into any problems.
11:33So, that's going to be the test of whether that's actually true.
11:36Whenever they get an unscouted look that messes them up in a game, and now they've got to figure it
11:42out,
11:42and then maybe it persists for four or five weeks, and Sean Mannion is having trouble deducing how to stop
11:48that, too.
11:49Where does that lead?
11:50These are questions that are going to come up probably midway through the season.
11:53But they're at least talking, and I'm seeing some of those things play out in the locker room and in
11:57training camp,
11:57about how they're supporting each other.
12:00I thought going into last season, we did kind of the top five players in the NFC East heading into
12:08last season.
12:09And I think I had Jalen Carter as, like, either the number one or number two player in the division
12:14heading into the season.
12:15I just thought he was an absolute game wrecker the year before.
12:19And I'm curious as to how Philadelphia fans and you guys see the season in the rear view that he
12:28had last year,
12:29and then what the expectations are for this year.
12:32I mean, last year got off to a pretty weird start with him spitting on Dak Prescott.
12:37And, you know, that was kind of one of the questions about, like,
12:40if the Eagles are going to commit a historic record-breaking contract to somebody,
12:46their availability and their maturity is obviously one of the number one things you're wondering about.
12:51Him owning up to that, finding his spaces where, you know, he can be, you know,
12:56the defensive-minded player that he wants to be are things that he talks about over training camps.
13:01And he played, I remember the Chicago Bears game last year was one of the biggest signs of where he
13:07was at physically.
13:08He ended up having two operations on his shoulders, one on each shoulder,
13:13and then missed time toward the end of the year.
13:15So he was dealing with those shoulder issues, and now he's healthy.
13:19You know, I see it in training camp.
13:21He's poised for what I think and what I know that Eagles believe that he can have a monster season.
13:27I think this is something where he can – they're expecting him to take that all-pro step
13:31to be in the conversation for defensive player of the year.
13:34And he has the tools.
13:35We've seen it.
13:36You know, some of his pressure from the inside, that's what Vic Fangio likes to see from this defense
13:42and some of the ways that he schemes it up.
13:44But all of those tools are there for Jalen Carter to be there.
13:49Just his availability and his maturity, those things that he's kind of addressed over the last couple of months,
13:55we'll see if those come out because we know that he can be a dominant player.
14:00And they commit – they don't commit that kind of money to people that they don't view as cornerstones of
14:07their team.
14:08And now it's time to see that in action.
14:12Is there a better cornerback room than the one that Philadelphia has in the league anywhere?
14:18It's a good question.
14:19You know, I was – I haven't analyzed the depth charts post-53-man roster cutdowns.
14:25I know that, you know, the Rams have picked up their defense a lot.
14:27But what makes it so unique to the Eagles and why they're so good there is Cooper DeJean's versatility.
14:34I mean, they're carrying three safeties on the 53-man roster, which is not normal for them
14:39because he's going to play there in base packages.
14:42Last year he played outside cornerback in base packages.
14:45And he's an all-pro nickel.
14:46The guy can play – he'd probably be an all-pro at any of those positions.
14:50And that allows Quinion Mitchell to just basically be attentive on one side of the field
14:56or they can – you know, he can just be the outside cornerback that he needs to be.
15:02But, like, y'all saw this twice last year watching them play the commanders.
15:05But this was a weak cornerback two spot last year that Vic Fangio did a very good job of masking,
15:12partly by using Cooper DeJean in base packages.
15:15But now bringing Rick Woolen into the equation, I mean, it's looked – it's looked night and day in training
15:22camp
15:22because what he had is – I mean, things that he had in Seattle in terms of his physicality,
15:28somebody who can play press coverage, someone who can play in those ways.
15:31The thing that he's – and now they don't have to move Cooper DeJean around in order to mask that
15:38issue.
15:38They don't have to worry about one side of the field as much.
15:41That's what brings strength to that secondary.
15:43The question for him is he was not much of a, you know, off-coverage, zone-coverage type of cornerback.
15:51And Vic Fangio likes to use those mix – those match zones a lot.
15:56And that's the thing that he's even spoken to, Woolen has, about his development.
16:01But most of all, like, you see him in practice and the way that he's matching up against guys like
16:06Devontae Smith
16:07and even in joint practices against A.J. Brown and others.
16:11Like, he's holding his own.
16:12So, like, the question is how much more did he elevate, which I think is why this defense is going
16:19to be more of a get-off-the-field team.
16:21In 24, their three-and-a-half percentage was amongst the tops in the league and it went down significantly
16:26last year.
16:26They can do that this year.
16:28That's really what's going to help to tie it back to the offense, something that needs as much help as
16:32it can get as it's maturing.
16:34They're going to get that.
16:35And part of that is how good the secondary is.
16:38By the way, I mean, I don't talk kickers a lot, but Jake Elliott had a rough year.
16:43I remember as he was going through it, it's like this guy's been money for his entire career.
16:48And he had a difficult season.
16:51He's back as the kicker, correct?
16:53He is.
16:54I mean, they've given him a lot of money, and that's kind of part of the thing.
16:58You've got to commit to the guy that you've given a lot of guaranteed money to.
17:02And this is that last year where before it becomes feasible for them to part with that.
17:08But, I mean, he also is capable.
17:11And we've seen in training camp and in practices and some of the preseason games that he does have that
17:17accuracy still.
17:19The question is, whenever there's going to be those – really, his struggles were, apart from some point afters that
17:27were a problem,
17:27but from plus 50 where he had been very accurate over, of course, his career went down significantly even in
17:35the late 40s.
17:36But this is a team that's going to play in some conditions and it's going to be some tight games.
17:42That's the question for me.
17:43So if there seems to be a trend again towards a bad year for Jake, like I wonder if they're
17:50going to start bringing in some competition,
17:52whether they start making some moves or if they're going to commit to him.
17:56That's the question.
17:57They've always verbally stuck by him and to this point haven't addressed that.
18:02But this is the kind of year where, financially speaking, there is a decision to be made.
18:09And as soon as you see something on the waiver wire or something where they add a kicker in camp,
18:14that's going to be a big story.
18:16All right.
18:17We'll finish up with this.
18:19Keys to a Philadelphia win.
18:21We do it from the other side here leading into the weekend.
18:25But keys to a Philadelphia win Sunday against Washington.
18:29You mentioned Jonathan Gennard earlier.
18:31I'm going to stick with that for the keys for this because, you know, Laramie Tunsil being out really brings
18:36pass protection into question.
18:37And we don't really know the full depth of this Eagles edge rusher room without Gennard.
18:43I mean, that's the whole reason why Howard Roseman spent a couple of third-round picks to bring him in,
18:48giving him $96 million.
18:50You know, Jalex Hunt, a guy that's been around for a couple of years now, former third-round pick.
18:56Like, he's looked at some really good spots in certain games.
19:00So, we haven't seen him have a complete breakout year.
19:03And Nolan Smith on the other end, this is a big year for him, contractually speaking, as well, former first
19:08-round pick.
19:08He's just not been available.
19:10He's been hurt a lot.
19:11So, how much pass rush can they generate from the edge?
19:15And how quickly can they get off the field, therefore?
19:17Because, you know, if they can get into some longer second and third down, that's the things where the strength
19:22of the secondaries really can help them there.
19:23So, I think that's the key.
19:24We know the defense has the design and the history to be good.
19:29If that is in place and they play like that, then it's going to be very hard to say the
19:34Eagles don't win.
19:36Brooks, thanks.
19:38Really good stuff.
19:38Appreciate it.
19:40Yeah, anytime.
19:41Brooks Cubina from The Athletic covers the Eagles.
19:46Really good information on that team.
19:49Grenard is a key, man.
19:50I wanted Washington to go after Grenard when he was available, reuniting potentially with Durante Jones.
19:56He ended up in Philadelphia after a trade.
19:59He was outstanding last year for the Vikings as an edge pass rusher.
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