Change is a constant in the NFL and as the transient nature of the locker room from season to season attests. Even in this league, it is customary for a flow of players in the course of a year as the active roster and the practice squad evolve.

But what the Eagles have experienced in the span of just a matter of seven weeks has been truly remarkable. The context is the Week 1 regular-season opener against Washington, played at Lincoln Financial Field in 82-degree temperatures at kickoff, with the highest hopes for both teams in the NFC East.

And while Washington has had its fair share of personnel movement – quarterback Jayden Daniels missed two games and most recently star wide receiver Terry McLaurin was placed on the Injured Reserve list with a season-ending knee injury – Philadelphia's laundry list of change from then until now is beyond extensive.

On that day of the opener, Jalen Hurts played quarterback and accepted the snaps from center Cam Jurgens. Hurts is now on Injured Reserve and Jurgens has been traded to Baltimore. Right tackle Lane Johnson was starting his 14th season with the Eagles. He retired weeks after that game. DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks were the wide receivers – Smith is sidelined with a hamstring injury and Wicks is battling to return from an ankle injury that kept him out of last week's game against Dallas.

The running back that day was Saquon Barkley, hoping to record a third-straight 1,000-yard-plus rushing season as an Eagle. He is uncertain to play on Sunday night, battling hamstring/back injuries that have curtailed his productivity in 2026. His backup Dameon Pierce, on the practice squad to open the season, has been placed on Injured Reserve.

It is possible that the quarterback on Sunday night, Tanner McKee – the No. 3 quarterback on opening day – will be handing the football off to Elijah Mitchell and Jaydon Blue, who would be the sixth (Mitchell, who played Monday night against Dallas) and seventh (Blue) running backs to carry the football this season.

Amazing.

"Never an excuse because every team goes through that," Barkley said. "Every player here knows he is next man up and is able to go out there and make plays."

The Eagles have been blessed with relatively outstanding health through the course of the last five seasons, all of which saw them reach the playoffs and twice reach the Super Bowl, with a win in Super Bowl LIX. This year, the injury bug has bitten extensively, Johnson's retirement wasn't expected to happen after the season, and Jurgens was inked in as a key starter along the offensive line, but the Eagles received an offer from Baltimore that was just too good to pass on.

That's the nature of this league, yes, but the ramifications of all of these injuries and changes have negatively impacted the Eagles, who are 2-5 and in need of a victory.

"Anytime we put a guy in there, we feel like he's ready to go and ready to contribute for our football team," Head Coach Nick Sirianni said. "When the young guys are getting the reps that they're getting, you're seeing guys continue to get better."

The young guys are certainly getting their reps. No. 1 draft pick Makai Lemon was the main target in the passing game on Monday night and he responded with seven receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown. Third-round draft pick Markel Bell has played in every game and is in line to start the fifth game of his rookie season on Sunday night. Second-round selection Eli Stowers saw his first action on Monday night and is healthy after recovering from a preseason injury.

The 53-man roster has been stretched to the limit. The practice squad is utilized on a weekly basis. Players (tight end Zach Ertz, for example) literally have been added on a week-to-week basis, having not been on any NFL roster during the season.

"Nobody is going to hand us anything. We just have to continue to be better and continue to come closer," cornerback Riq Woolen said. "With everything that is going on, there are different reasons and ways to try to pull this team apart, but that's not how it should be and that's not how we work at all. I feel like we became closer and we're all becoming even closer and we're going to keep working."

No matter who is on the field, no matter where the player started the season, when he's on the field, he is expected to produce.

That said, the team that takes the field on Sunday night in a key NFC East game isn't the one that opened the 2026 campaign. Things change in a hurry in the NFL, as the Eagles are finding out front and center in the first two months of this season.