Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

More Game Talk – WAS at PHI

Posted September 12th, 2026 | No Comments »

We are now just a day away from the Eagles kicking off the 2026 season. Are you starting to get excited? I know I’m looking forward to finally getting a chance to see the starters in action. Reading about practice and watching the backups in preseason action whets your appetite for the real thing. Thankfully the waiting is almost over.

TheĀ  Eagles are healthy overall, but will be without one starter. We found out Friday afternoon thatĀ Jonathan Greenard will miss the game. The Eagles are taking a conservative approach to his situation. That means Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith will start, with AJ Epenesa and Arnold Ebiketie coming off the bench. Greenard being out is a good opportunity for Smith, Epenesa and Ebiketie. Smith is coming off a down season and wants to show that he’s worthy of being a starter. Epenesa And Ebiketie will battle to show who should be ED4. There could be a time in the future when ED5 is inactive so the pecking order could be important.

Hunt and Smith both played well this summer so I’m not overly concerned about Greenard missing a game. It also helps that the Washington OTs are mediocre players. I thought Epenesa was better than Ebiketie this summer. I’m curious to see how they play in a real game.

*****

Let’s talk about potential inactives.

Jonathan Greenard
QB3
Cole Payton
Micah Morris
Ty Robinson

I listed QB3 since we don’t yet know who will be the backup, Tanner McKee or Andy Dalton. How is Dan Quinn sleeping at night without knowing this info?

I’m curious to see what the Eagles do at punt returner. Elijah Moore did some of that this summer and could do it for the game. Makai Lemon and Cooper DeJean have practiced at PR. There is also the possibility of promoting Britain Covey.

It is possible the Eagles will sit a DB and keep an extra DL active. I’m sure they would love to get Robinson some reps if possible. Washington has good WRs so going heavy at DB might be the smarter move.

There is also the possibility that Eli Stowers could be inactive. He did practice this week, but isn’t 100 percent healthy. The Eagles want to get him experience, but also might see the value in using that spot on another player (like Robinson).

*****

The Eagles are lucky that they have such a deep, talented group of DTs. Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Moro Ojomo are a dynamic trio. Byron Young is a good backup. Robinson really came on this summer and might deserve some playing time. There is also Gabe Hall on the practice squad. He played well enough to make the team, but got caught in a numbers crunch.

I’m excited to see the DTs in action. Carter is healthy and locked in. Davis has gotten better each year. Ojomo is playing to show he deserves a big contract next offseason.

*****

Makai Lemon will make his NFL debut and should play a lot. It will be interesting to see how aggressive the Eagles are with getting the ball to him. I know they would love to get him some touches to try and get him going. You do have to be careful about forcing the issue too much. You don’t want to put too much pressure on Lemon and also don’t want to frustrate his teammates.

*****

Commanders fans and media members have a surprising amount of confidence in the team. Most outsiders see Washington as one of the worst teams in the league. What gives?

The thinking seems to be that Jayden Daniels is healthy and driven to show that he can be the dynamic QB we saw in 2024. They feel the roster is better than 2024, when the team went 12-5 and reached the NFC title game. No one thinks they will win 12 games, but there is a belief the team could finish with a winning record.

Washington has two new coordinators and both are doing this for the first time at the NFL level. There are new schemes on offense and defense. The team has already dealt with some injuries, most notably LT Laremy Tunsil. The team didn’t have great depth to begin with and that will start to be really tested as the season goes along. The defense was dead last in yards allowed last year and didn’t make significant upgrades. They added some talented pieces, but I don’t know that they did enough to become a Top 20 defense. Does the offense have enough firepower to win a bunch of shootouts?

Basically all this optimism is about Daniels. He sure looked like a special talent as a rookie. He is healthy once again, but that doesn’t guarantee that he’ll have the same level of success. We’ve seen plenty of QBs have a big year and then not match that level in the future. This season will tell us a lot about Daniels.

_