Trust the process… again? The Eagles leave more questions than clarity

The end of the season press conference was prematurely (in their eyes) given by general manager Howie Roseman and coach Nick Sirianni Thursday afternoon at the NovaCare Complex. 

The subjects varied from the obvious - the search for a new offensive coordinator; to the curious - if Lane Johnson plays another season; to the humbling - needing to do a better job; to the chest out bravado - winning a Super Bowl is the only expected way to end a season.

But the statement that was emphatically given by Sirianni was one, at least in my opinion, that raised the biggest question. 

When talking about quarterback Jalen Hurts, the coach said that Hurts "proved to everybody that he'll do whatever it takes to win football games." That is great and something that I believe the quarterback tries to do. The question is, can he?

It appears that opposing teams have caught up with the Eagles scheme of having Hurts not throw over the middle much and keying in on his ability to run the football. If that is so known and apparently pretty easy to stop, where can you go from here with the QB? 

"I love Jalen Hurts," Sirianni said. "I love everything that he brings to the table. Everytime you step on the field you feel very confident that you can win any game that you're going to play when you have him as your quarterback. He has shown this to the organization."

The offense was as stagnant as it's ever been under Hurts this past season, and that ultimately cost offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo his job. Whether someone else can come in and open up an offense that will showcase Hurts' ability in some not-yet-seen fashion remains to be seen. Will he become a quarterback that will make anticipatory throws? Will he become a better pocket quarterback, not so antsy to get out of it? 

Maybe.

Nick Sirianni and Howie Roseman speak with the media. #FlyEaglesFly https://t.co/FejqvXM0tm

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 15, 2026

As for the search for the new OC, Sirianni repeatedly stated that it will be a group effort.

"I think when we were going through an offensive coordinator search, I would compart it very similarly to when I'm thinking about what the right path is to how practice goes that week or what the schedule is," he said. "Of course, you have so many resources to be able to use to help you make the best decision that you possibly can, and you'd be foolish not to use all your resources. 

"I'm going to get Howie's opinion and Mr. Lurie's opinion and Jalen and Saquon (Barkley) and A.J. (Brown) and Lane (Johnson), whoever it may be and let themn talk to him, too. At the end of the day, I have to make the best decision that's necessary for the football team, but you use all your resources."

Funny that Sirianni mentioned Brown, who had seemed disgruntled most of the season to the point many questioned his effort in the season-ending loss to the 49ers this past Sunday.

Roseman was asked about his thoughts on trading the talented wide receiver. "It is hard to find great players in the NFL and A.J.'s a great player. I think from my perspective, that's what we're going out and looking for when we go out here in free agency and in the draft is trying to find great players who love football, and he's that guy. I think that would be my answer."

But is it really one?

Roseman had all the right answers when it came to getting the team better (through the draft and retaining the right people), to his confidence in the staff and the players and did "promise we will do what it takes to try to get better." He also stated, "If (the season) doesn't end with confetti falling on our head, I don't feel it's good enough."

With right tackle Lane Johnson's season ending with him a non-participant in the loss against San Francisco, the obvious question was if the general manager may think the oft-injured legend may be calling it a career.

"Those conversations are between us," Roseman said. "That's their business to discuss. He's a Hall of Fame player who is a huge, huge part of any of the success we've had. When you watch him play he's still playing at an elite level."

So where does it go from here with free agents, draft, possible trades of disgruntled players and an ever-present salary cap looming over the general manager's head?

"You're going to have to make sacrifices," Roseman said. "That' on me to make sure that the sacrifices we make are filled in with really good players again. I'm proud, since coach has been here, of our first and second-day draft success., I think we've drafted 15 guys since Nick has been here in the first and second day, and 14 of them have been long-term starters. 

We've got to to keep hitting like that. We know that's hard, but we've got to keep doing it. That means we have to have a good process. We've got to to understand the people that we're bringing into the building. We've got to understand the roles and the vision that we have for them when they're playing. If we do that, good things will happen. We'll be able to keep the player that we need to keep under long-term contracts and have an influx of young players that are really good that can play at a high level."

It should be a very interesting off-season.