The Philadelphia Eagles season was the franchise's 77th season in the National Football League (NFL), and the eleventh under head coach Andy Reid. After advancing to their fifth NFC Championship game in eight years, the Eagles improved upon their 9–6–1 record and a second-place finish in the NFC East in their 2008 campaign.
The season also marked the end of the Donovan McNabb era in Philadelphia as he was traded to the rival Washington Redskins in the 2010 off-season.
Players
Movement
Notable roster additions
OT Stacy Andrews – Signed as a free agent from the Bengals. FB Leonard Weaver – Signed as a free agent from the Seahawks (ended up in 2010 Pro Bowl). OT Jason Peters – Traded from the Bills for 2009 1st round draft pick, 2009 4th round draft pick, and a conditional 2010 draft pick. CB Ellis Hobbs- Traded from the Patriots for two 2009 5th round draft picks (ended up in 2010 Pro Bowl). S Sean Jones – Signed as a free agent from the Browns. QB Michael Vick – Signed as a free agent after being released by the Atlanta Falcons.
Notable roster losses
FS Brian Dawkins – Signed with Denver Broncos as a Free Agent. RB Correll Buckhalter – Signed with Denver Broncos as a Free Agent. OT Tra Thomas – Signed with Jacksonville Jaguars as a Free Agent. TE L.J. Smith – Signed with Baltimore Ravens as a Free Agent. SS Sean Considine – Signed with Jacksonville Jaguars as a Free Agent.
Free agents in 2009
RFA: Restricted free-agent, UFA: Unrestricted free-agent, ERFA: Exclusive rights free agent
2009 NFL Draft selections
Carolina to Philadelphia. Carolina traded its first-round selection in 2009, as well as its second-round (No. 43: traded to Minnesota and used to select safety Tyrell Johnson) and fourth-round (No. 109: used to select offensive guard Mike McGlynn) selections in 2008 to Philadelphia for the first-round selection of Philadelphia in 2008 (No. 19: used to select offensive tackle Jeff Otah). Philadelphia to Buffalo. Philadelphia traded the 28th overall selection in 2009 (which originally was Carolina's 2009 first-round selection), its fourth-round selection in 2009, and a conditional sixth-round selection in 2010 in return for offensive tackle Jason Peters. Cleveland to Philadelphia. Cleveland traded its fifth-round selection in 2009 to Philadelphia for Philadelphia's sixth-round selection in 2008 (No. 191: used to select wide receiver Paul Hubbard). New York Jets to Philadelphia The New York Jets traded their fifth-round selection and a conditional selection in 2010 to Philadelphia in return for cornerback Lito Sheppard. Patriots to Philadelphia. Patriots traded its fifth-round selection in 2009 to Philadelphia for wide receiver Greg Lewis. Minnesota to Philadelphia. Minnesota traded its sixth-round selection to Philadelphia for quarterback Kelly Holcomb.
Staff
Final roster
Schedule
Preseason
Regular season
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Postseason
Standings
Regular-season results
Week 1
The Eagles began their season at Bank of America Stadium for a Week 1 duel with the Carolina Panthers. Philadelphia trailed early in the first quarter as Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams ran 11 yards for a Carolina touchdown on their first drive. The Eagles answered with a 49-yard field goal from kicker David Akers. In the second quarter, Philadelphia exploded with points as defensive end Victor Abiamiri returned a fumble 2 yards for a touchdown, wide receiver DeSean Jackson returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown, and quarterback Donovan McNabb completed a 9-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brent Celek and a 4-yard touchdown pass to running back Brian Westbrook. Carolina ended the period with kicker John Kasay booting a 22-yard field goal.
In the third quarter, the Eagles closed out their scoring with McNabb scoring on a 3-yard touchdown run. However, he was hit late by several Carolina tacklers who cracked his ribs on the right side, knocking him out of the game. Kevin Kolb came in for McNabb and closed out the game for the victorious Eagles.
With the win, Philadelphia began their season at 1–0.
Week 2
Coming off their road win over the Panthers, the Eagles played their Week 2 home opener against the New Orleans Saints. Due to the rib injury to quarterback Donovan McNabb, backup quarterback Kevin Kolb was named the starter.