It was a long preseason and, quite frankly, a pretty dull one, too. In other words, for a team like the Philadelphia Eagles, which kept its core intact and is looking to accomplish the exact same thing this year as last year, it was perfect. But don’t let the lack of drama or juicy position battles fool you. The reigning Super Bowl champions still have some big questions to answer once they start playing for keeps Thursday at Lincoln Financial Field against the Dallas Cowboys. Will Saquon Barkley, recently voted the no. 1 player in the NFL, be able to dodge the presumptive defensive target on his back? Is the secondary deep enough to withstand the offseason departures of key veterans? The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane tackles these issues and more as he sets the table for the 2025 regular season.

00:00 Time to get down to regular season business

02:45 Forget the yards - what type of season do the Eagles need Saquon Barkley to have?

08:59 Tyler Steen won a starting job. Is he ready?

17:40 True of false: we should be worried about the secondary

24:00 On edge about...EDGE

unCovering the Birds is a production of The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW Newsradio Original Podcasts. Look for new episodes throughout the season.