After falling early to the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card game last year, the Philadelphia Eagles aimed for a successful run this season. But early in the season, that hasn’t quite happened yet, with the Eagles going 2-2 in the first four weeks. Though much hasn’t changed with their performance this season, owner Jeffrey Lurie has high expectations for head coach Nick Sirianni’s team.

“Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie on CNN right now,” Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports reported on X. “Asked whether this is a rebuilding year for his team: ‘We are gung-ho to win big and win our division first and go from there. We couldn’t be more excited. … Our expectations are very high.'”

The expectations come amidst the criticism directed at the team, especially Nick Sirianni and quarterback Jalen Hurts, as the Eagles continue to disappoint on the offensive side of the ball.

But there are two major shifts that will further hamper the Eagles.

First, two-time Super Bowl champion and two-time first-team All-Pro Lane Johnson announced his retirement to focus on his mental health and spend more time with his children and family. Johnson played his entire 14-year NFL career with the Eagles, while also earning six Pro Bowl selections.

“Lane Johnson is an all-time Eagle and one of the best players ever to play his position in NFL history,” Lurie said in a statement released by the team. The Eagles owner also praised Johnson for his contributions to the community by volunteering in various “charitable endeavors.”

“The courage he has shown using his own personal experiences to advocate for mental health awareness has undoubtedly saved lives,” Lurie added.

Sirianni was also not so keen on losing Johnson, adding, “I love Lane. I’ll miss him dearly, and I wish him the best.”

Additionally, the Eagles also traded two-time Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens in what was the most beneficial deal for an offensive lineman position in “almost 20 years,” as quoted by Adam Schefter of ESPN. The Eagles got a 2027 fifth-round pick and a 2028 second-round selection for Jurgens.

With three-time Pro Bowl left guard Landon Dickerson sitting for at least one more game on injured reserve due to a knee injury, and star wide receiver DeVonta Smith and three-time Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley out for Week 5 due to injuries, things don’t look good in Philadelphia.

Even Barkley’s backup Tank Bigsby and reserve Marquise Brown, along with center Drew Kendall, are out for this week.

That’s a long list of injuries in the offense, and with Jurgens and Johnson out of the equation, the Eagles are really in deep trouble, especially when OC Sean Mannion is also in his first year handling the position.

Well, this might not be the ideal situation for Sirianni and his team, the HC is willing to make a comeback nonetheless, as he did in his last Super Bowl run with the Eagles.

Can Nick Sirianni turn things around

Despite a poor start, Nick Sirianni is still motivating his players to keep going, according to Zach Bergman of The Athletic.

“We have to be able to look and find solutions. When I was a kid, my dad had cancer, and I didn’t even know about it. He held his head high and kept going… It’s a great example of maintaining composure when everything seems to be falling apart and taking control of what you can,” Sirianni said.

Back in 2024, the Eagles won their third game of the season over the Cleveland Browns, with the record being 3-2 at the time, when the fans chanted “Fire Nick! Fire Nick!” But that season changed quickly when the team finished 14-3, and even won the championship.

This time, though, the Eagles already have half of their star line-up on the sideline. But Mannion says that the team still believes in the things “that we’ve installed and that we’ve implemented from a fundamental perspective in terms of the structure of our offense.”

For now, the Eagles sit second in the NFC East and will face the 3-1 Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.