Welcome to the 2026 NFL season and the understanding that the 32-team league is even-steven at 0-0 and the climb for the year ahead is well underway. Just to get your Midnight (or Kelly) Green blood flowing, here are some things to look forward to as the offseason enters racer mode and the action will be fast, furious, and extremely important.

Much of what is happening inside the NovaCare Complex is for internal discussion only, and that's the way it is around the NFL. The Eagles have coaching staff additions and subtractions, roster reviews, contracts to consider, and a whole lot of work ahead with the goal of, well, you know.

So here is what's up with the Eagles as 2026 rapidly moves forward ...

The Coaching Staff

The team has officially announced the addition of Sean Mannion as the offensive coordinator and it's going to be great to see what he brings to the table, what he structures for a talented offense, and how he takes control of that side of the football.

Offensive coordinator is the only new official addition to the coaching staff, as the Eagles have historically waited until the entire coaching staff is in place to announce together. Keep that in mind after Jeff Stoutland announced on Wednesday that he would not be returning to the team in 2026.

Building The Roster

It has already begun and it takes off like a rocket ship now. Let's break this into four parts as the bulk of the 2026 Eagles roster will be in place within a matter of two months ...

1. February 17 is the date when teams can begin to use the Franchise and Transition tag on pending unrestricted free agents, and this is something the Eagles have thought through as they plan out their free agency strategy. Will the team tag a player before the deadline of March 3? Remains to be seen, but the point is that the roster building – which really started in January as the Eagles signed players to future contracts – is on top of us right now.

2. The NFL Scouting Combine begins on February 23 and ends on March 2. Absorb that, because it is truly around the corner. The Eagles, of course, won Super Bowl LIX on February 9 of last year, celebrated at the Super Bowl Parade in Philadelphia on February 14, and moved shop to Indianapolis for the NFL Combine on February 27. As important as it is for the Combine invitees to perform athletically at Lucas Oil Stadium, the interview process with the NFL teams is also so very important.

3. NFL free agency opens officially on March 11 at 4 PM as the 2026 League Year begins and teams can sign unrestricted and restricted free agents. But the fun stuff begins at noon on March 9 when teams are permitted to contact, and enter into contract negotiations, with the certified agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents upon the expiration of their 2025 player contracts at 4 PM on March 11. There is so much to consider here with one important note: The league informed all 32 teams it is projecting a salary cap in the range of $301.2 million to $305.7 million for the 2026 season, a range that signifies an increase of more than $20 million in cap space from 2025 and potentially as much as $25 million per team. So, there is some breathing room for all teams and we will see how the Eagles handle their players projected to be free agents relative to the salary cap room they have.

4. And then ... April brings us the grandest weekend of the offseason, the 2026 NFL Draft. It begins on Thursday, April 23 and runs through Saturday, April 25. The Eagles, at this very moment, have five draft picks – including No. 23 in the first round – but are projected to have additional selections via the NFL's compensatory draft pick program. If all goes according to projections – nothing official here – the Eagles would get an additional third-round selection, an extra No. 4, and an extra No. 5, meaning the team would have two picks in each of the third, fourth, and fifth rounds. That is substantial draft capital for a team that has been excellent building a young and very talented roster mostly through the NFL Draft. Oh, and Executive Vice President of Football Operations/General Manager Howie Roseman has been known to consider trades to build a championship team, so that is in play starting on March 11 at 4 PM.

The Offseason Program

So much improvement is made from one year to the next and that is because the Eagles run an intentional and challenging offseason program. According to league rules, the offseason program can begin on April 20 at the NovaCare Complex. It is a program that lasts into early June, and then the players and coaches take time away from the facility to prepare for Training Camp.

And that's the offseason, one that is here and now and so pivotal as the Eagles look for another climb to the top of the NFL mountain.