Eagles' one minicamp takeaway embraces change from Super Bowl-winning squad

Change can be a good or a bad thing. The Philadelphia Eagles believe that change will be good for their 2025 team.

After going 14-3 and winning the Super Bowl last season, the Philadelphia roster underwent many changes. Key contributors, including Darius Slay, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, Milton Williams, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Mekhi Becton, are no longer on the team.

That caught the attention of CBS Sports writer Cody Benjamin, who noticed that the defense will look much different from last year's unit.

"Vic Fangio's defense is going to look different. This may have been obvious the minute free agency began, when Super Bowl champions like Josh Sweat, Milton Williams and C.J. Gardner-Johnson headed elsewhere. But both youngsters (i.e. Jalyx Hunt, Andrew Mukuba) and newcomers (i.e. Azeez Ojulari) are set for major roles at each level of the unit."

Change was done in a positive way for Eagles in 2025

It can be tough to lose defenders like Sweat and Williams as they helped in the pass rush and played significant roles in the Eagles' sacking Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes six times in the Super Bowl. The decision not to bring them back was easier when Williams signed a large contract, such as his $104 million deal with the New England Patriots.

This is all part of Eagles general manager Howie Roseman's offseason plan to save money and elevate younger players to starting roles. Eagles fans will see young players like Hunt, Sydney Brown, Moro Ojomo, and others step up as potential starters.

The scary thought is that if fans went by the projected starting lineup, only Zack Baun and Reed Blankenship would be the only players who are over the age of 25 starting on the team. This defensive unit would become the youngest starting lineup in the NFL by a mile.

What helps is that the young talent is already excellent. Four of them, including Baun, Jalen Carter, Quinyon Mitchell, and Cooper DeJean, were named to CBS Sports senior writer Pete Prisco's top 100 players ranking.

Everyone in the media might be nervous about a younger player starting for the Eagles, but so many of them have already acknowledged the incredible talent the defense has. So what's the problem?

In this instance, change is beneficial because the Eagles are capable of starting young talent and maintaining the momentum of their number one defense from last year. If anything, this should serve as a scary reminder to the NFL that Philadelphia is only getting better and will remain at the top for a long time.