Jalen Hurts vs. Dak Prescott, Kevin Patullo's OC debut and more storylines to watch in Eagles-Cowboys Week 1
The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys begin the NFL season tonight in a Week 1 NFC East clash at Lincoln Financial Field in South Philly.
Here are five storylines to watch.
Injured Eagles to keep an eye on vs. Cowboys
Heading into Week 1, several key Eagles players were on the injury report, but starting Pro Bowl left guard Landon Dickerson is set to play.
Dickerson didn't practice on Monday because of a back injury, but he was a full participant in Tuesday's practice and in Wednesday's walkthrough. He underwent surgery on a meniscus injury in August, but he hasn't been limited by that in practice.
Eagles backup quarterback Tanner McKee is out against the Cowboys and didn't practice this week with a right thumb injury, which means third-stringer Sam Howell will back up Jalen Hurts against Dallas.
Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jalen Carter (shoulder), rookie safety Andrew Mukuba (hamstring) and outside linebacker Josh Uche (groin) were all full participants on Tuesday and Wednesday.
New Eagles OC Kevin Patullo makes debut vs. Cowboys
First-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo will make his debut in the role against the Cowboys, and all eyes will be on Philadelphia's offense, which struggled at times through the air in the 2024 season. Luckily for Patullo, he won't have to face All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons after the Cowboys dealt him to the Green Bay Packers.
Patullo, who has been with the organization since Nick Sirianni became the head coach in 2021, has never called plays in the NFL before. Philadelphia's offense is loaded with weapons with Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert.
Hurts is no stranger to having new offensive coordinators in his football career, going back to college. Patullo will be his sixth play caller since he was drafted by Philadelphia in 2020. It will also be the third straight year the Eagles have a new offensive coordinator.
If Patullo succeeds, he could end up like Kellen Moore. If he doesn't, well, he could be the next Brian Johnson.
Eagles' secondary will be tested against Dak Prescott, Cowboys' pass catchers
In the first year under new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, Philadelphia's coverage in the secondary was excellent. However, the unit will be challenged right away vs. Dallas to start the 2025 season with new starters at cornerback and safety.
Darius Slay, Isaiah Rodgers and C.J. Gardner-Johnson — members of the Eagles' No. 1-ranked defense in 2024 — are all on different teams in 2025.
Sirianni declined to say who will start at cornerback and safety, but it will likely be Adoree' Jackson at cornerback and Sydney Brown at safety to start the season.
Jackson and Brown were both in camp battles for the cornerback and safety spots in camp, but neither won the role convincingly. Kelee Ringo and Jakorian Bennett could each be starting at some point in 2025, while Mukuba might take over the starting safety role from Brown.
Regardless, the group will be tested right away by Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and the team's talented group of pass catchers like CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens and Jake Ferguson.
Lamb, a Second-Team All-Pro in 2024, is one of the best receivers in the NFL. The Cowboys line him up all over the field, and he does a ton of damage in the slot.
Pickens was acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the 6-foot-3-inch receiver is the perfect complement to Lamb on the outside.
Rare Jalen Hurts vs. Dak Prescott Eagles-Cowboys game
The Eagles and Cowboys play each other twice a year, but the 2025 season opener will be only the fourth time Hurts and Prescott have faced off against each other since 2020.
Hurts or Prescott have missed 10 of the possible matchups between the Eagles and Cowboys since 2020, whether because of injury or games at the end of the season.
In those three games, Prescott and the Cowboys are 2-1 over Hurts and the Eagles, with the latest game happening in 2023.
What type of impact will Jihaad Campbell make in Week 1?
Jihaad Campbell slipped in the NFL draft because of injury concerns, but the rookie linebacker was healthy for Eagles training camp and didn't suffer any setbacks heading into the season.
Last season, part of the reason why Philadelphia's defense was so good was because of rookies and young players like Cooper DeJean, Quinyon Mitchell, Nolan Smith and Jalen Carter made an impact on cheaper contracts.
Campbell, who got rave reviews in training camp, could be next in line to follow what the aforementioned players did on last season's Super Bowl run.
Campbell will likely be the starter next to All-Pro Zack Baun against Dallas, which will give Fangio another chess piece to move around on defense.