As we near free agency, I wanted to take a look at what positions I would prioritize and potential fits for the Eagles. While their roster is young with a majority of key players locked up, there are some needs and always areas to improve.
How to think about free agency this year
First, let’s lay out how Howie and the Eagles approach free agency and what the realities of this off-season are.
Howie fills holes in free agency and almost never leaves himself NEEDING to draft a position
The needs we all see, with EDGE being at the top and DT, CB2, and RG, TE following, are all popular mock draft picks. And I fully believe Howie will come away from the draft with one or more picks on the DL.
But Howie will stick to his view of filling needs in free agency and investing ahead of needs at a position he values with top picks which I wrote about here:
“A look at how Howie drafts ahead of needs and what it means for the 2025 draft”
Howie rarely plays in the top end of free agency
Last off-season was an outlier for Howie with two top-20 free agent signings in Saquon Barkley (20th) and Bryce Huff (9th). Prior to that, Howie only signed 3 top-20 free agents, all on the defensive line: Malik Jackson in 2019 (19th top free agent), Javon Hargrave in 2020 (11th), and Haason Reddick in 2022 (10th).
The looming extensions will limit the Eagles moves
Everybody will go to OverTheCap.com and see the Eagles have $18M of cap space and then trust in Howie that they can go sign anybody they want.
The issue is the Eagles will extend Jordan Davis and Cam Jurgens in the next year and then Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith the following year. Carter will set the DT market and all will be significant deals. I wrote here on what Howie’s extensions generally look like and how these deals could hit:
“A look ahead at the Eagles cap, looming decisions, and what it could mean for the draft”
Plan for the majority of Eagles free agency moves this year to be limited to 1-2 year deals (Zack Baun being the likely exception).
| Extension | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Davis | $5M | $8M | $11M | |
| Cam Jurgens | $4M | $7M | $9M | |
| Jalen Carter | $11M | $17M | ||
| Nolan Smith | $8M | $12M | ||
| Totals: | $9M | $34M | $49M |
While Howie will always be opportunistic and take good players if available, if you anchor on Howie filling key needs in free agency, you can expect him to prioritize the following positions:
EDGE: A mid-market pass rusher
The Eagles will feel good with Nolan and Jalyx, but need a guy that can play 300 snaps+ and hedge against Bryce Huff not developing
| # rostered | 6 |
| Signed | Nolan Smith Jalyx Hunt Bryce Huff |
| Projected Losses | Brandon Graham Josh Sweat |
| Practice Squad | KJ Henry Charles Harris Ochaun Mathis |
The moves I would make:
Joseph Ossai, CIN
Offer: 2 years, $11M, $6M gtd (FA comp DJ Wonnum)
Still remembered in Cincy as the guy that cost them a trip to the Super Bowl when he got flagged for pushing Mahomes as he was going out of bounds, he’s young and athletic and is a low-cost bet on a guy maybe reaching his potential. A bit bigger at 260 pounds, he’s not typically what Fangio looks for in EDGEs but gives some flexibility, lining up from the B-gap out. He’s under-performed but hope he benefits in Philly where the DL isn’t just one guy like it was in Cincy.
Other options:
EDGE is never a good free agency market as it’s either old, expensive, or both. You either pay near $20M a year or you get somebody that hasn’t started, was injured, or has under-performed their potential.
Baron Browning, ARI
Offer: 1 year, $6M (FA comp Joshua Uche)
Browning is an interesting guy – originally drafted by the Broncos when Vic Fangio was there, he’s the best stylistic fit for the Eagles. And he has performed as a pass rusher with a 17% win rate. The issue is he just has not stayed healthy missing time in 2024 with a neck and foot, 2023 with a concussion and knee, 2022 with a back and hip, and 2021 with a back.
Victor Dimukeje, ARI
Offer: 1 year, $2.5M (FA comp K’Lavon Chaisson)
Only 25 years old and buried on Arizona’s depth chart, he only played 65 snaps last year but was productive. He’s a bit bigger but not a plus-athlete.
Azeez Ojulari, NYG
Offer: 2 years, $16M, $8M gtd (FA comp Yetur Gross-Matos)
He’s got the pedigree and high draft capital but he couldn’t pull a R4-5 pick this trade deadline and anything over $8-9M AAV is an overpay. He’s been disappointing but is athletic, still not 25 and a high character guy. With a 14.5% pass rush win rate, think Derek Barnett without the penalties.
OL: Adding depth and flexibility
The Eagles are in great shape on the OL but need to address backup center and tackle and could be looking for somebody to compete at RG
| # rostered | 9 |
| Signed | Jordan Mailata Landon Dickerson Cam Jurgens Lane Johnson Tyler Steen Trevor Keegan Darian Kinnard Brett Toth |
| Projected Losses | Mekhi Becton Fred Johnson Le’Raven Clark Jack Driscoll Nick Gates |
| Practice Squad | Laekin Vakalahi |
While most fans retain hope for Mekhi Becton to return, I see almost no chance of it. The Eagles already have 3 of the top OL contracts (Mailata, Lane, and Landon) and will add a 4th when Jurgens is extended – they just can’t invest that much on the OL as Becton’s market is likely 3 years at $15-17M AAV.
The Eagles could use depth – tackles Fred Johnson and Le’Raven Clark, swing OG/OT Jack Driscoll, and backup center Nick Gates all hit free agency with all except Driscoll and Johnson over 30 years old.
The moves I would make:
Re-sign Fred Johnson
Offer: 1 year, $1.5M AAV
I think fears that he has a bigger market are overblown and he returns to what he sees is a great situation.
OC/OG/OT Brady Christensen, CAR
Offer: 1 year, $3M (FA comp Coleman Shelton or Connor Williams)
Brady brings great athleticism and flexibility the Eagles may need this off-season, filling in at all 5 spots including 250 snaps at center and 500 at RT/LT. He wants to test the market but won’t sign for much, he’s another guy that could see Philly as a place to raise his value for 2026.
Other options:
There are a lot of options and every year, it’s a position where you can find affordable guys. There are several that would be cheaper and as good or better options than Becton.
OG/OC Ben Bartch, SF
Offer: 1 year, $2.5M (FA comp Dalton Risner)
A 26-year old Division III 4th round pick that finally put it together in SF before having a pile roll up on his ankle, he can play each guard spot and fill in at center.
OG/RT Larry Borom, CHI
Offer: 1 year, $2M (FA comp Mekhi Becton)
Last year Mekhi was the diamond Howie and Stoutland found, pulling an underachieving, injury-plagued, athletic tackle over from a horribly run organization and switching his position in a cheap upside free agent signing. Larry Borom fits all of that this year.
OG Kevin Zeitler, DET
Offer: 1 year, $6M (FA comp himself last year)
He’s 34 years old and the Eagles really never go after guys this old, but this wouldn’t be crazy. He’s a RG with over 13,000 snaps there if you don’t want to hand this over to Steen or Keegan. He’s big at 6’4″ 340 pounds. He’s played 1,000 snaps every year for a decade. And he has shown no signs of slowing down with one of his best professional careers in 2024, being the 3rd best IOL in blown block percentage.
LB: Keeping what’s finally good
The Eagles have a lot of work to do here as they really only have one rostered LB with Jeremiah Trotter and unfortunately need to plan like Nakobe is not in their future plans given the poor return history from patella tears
| # rostered | 5 |
| Signed | Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Nakobe Dean (injured) |
| Projected Losses | Zack Baun Oren Burks Nicholas Morrow Ben VanSumeran |
| Practice Squad | Laekin Vakalahi |
The moves I would make:
Re-sign Zack Baun
Offer: 3 year, $13M AAV, $26M gtd
He was a top priority before Nakobe went down but now he is almost a must-have. Baun supposedly wants $13M and I previously thought $11-12M, so I’ll just make sure we get him.
Re-sign Oren Burks
Offer: 1 year, $2.5M AAV
Maybe there’s a market for him and we can’t bring him back cheaply, but he played well and is an underrated coverage LB especially considering the alternatives.
Other options:
It’s a good year if you need a LB in free agency with Dre Greenlaw, Nick Bolton, Jamien Sherwood, in addition to Baun at the top. And there are some good value guys, including a repeat from my free agency wish list last year.
Tyrel Dodson, MIA
Offer: 1 year, $2.5M AAV
He was on my list of “upside” free agency targets last year and had a weird 2024 season – signed by Seattle and played decent, but was a surprise release after week 9, then picked up by Miami and he took over the defensive play-calling. He’s a solid coverage LB but up-and-down run defender that is a comparable target if you can’t return Oren.
CB: Decisions to make at CB2…
Doubling up in last year’s draft re-made the cornerback room but with Slay nearing the end and Isaiah Rodgers hitting free agency, so much comes down to what the Eagles think about Kelee Ringo
| # rostered | 6-7 |
| Signed | Quinyon Mitchell Cooper DeJean Kelee Ringo Eli Ricks |
| Projected Losses | Avonte Maddox Darius Slay Isaiah Rodgers James Bradberry |
| Practice Squad | AJ Woods Tariq Castro-Fields Parry Nickerson |
The moves I would make:
Isaiah Rodgers
Offer: 3 year $24M with $15M gtd
He’s a solid CB2, is a dependable tackler run well, plays special teams, and wants to stay in Philly. At 27 years old, you can structure an effective 2-year deal to limit age risk and go in with Kelee and Isaiah as your options at the other outside corner.
Other options:
Free agency is really bad for CBs this year with either expensive options (DJ Reed, Charvarius Ward, Byron Murphy), older guys (Rasul Douglas, Mike Hilton, Stephon Gilmore), guys that don’t tackle well (Asante Samuel Jr, Carlton Davis), or guys that can’t stop getting called for DPI (Paulson Adebo, Kristian Fulton).
Darius Slay
Offer: 1 year $11M gtd
Yep, it wouldn’t be crazy to bring Slay back – he’s played really well this year and while you are continuously in risk of him just dropping off a cliff, the risk is limited as long as it’s a 1-year. You can’t bring Slay and Isaiah back, but if Rodgers has a bigger market somewhere else, Slay would be a great option alongside Kelee.
Nate Hobbs, LVR
Offer: 1 year $4M gtd
This one makes some sense as he has played a lot both outside (1600 snaps) and in the slot (700). Not yet 26 years old, he’s not a big risk age-wise and is a good run defender.
Popular options I’m not doing:
Trading for Greg Newsome II
The Browns need cap space like they need air and can save $13M by trading Newsome, I would be surprised if he wasn’t moved this off-season. He would be cheap (day 3 pick) but he just hasn’t been great and not a guy I would spend $13M on.
Asante Samuel Jr
A hugely popular name for Philly, he’s flexible but won’t be cheap, projected at 4-years, $45M. Good in coverage, but a below-average run defender and his issues tackling have been consistent. He’s just not worth the price he will command.
RB: My favorite “guilty pleasure” add
Dameon Pierce
Trade: 2025 6th round for Dameon Pierce and a 2025 7th
I’m greedy and want a silly RB room in 2025. Pierce is a guy I loved in the 2022 draft but he’s buried at RB3 in Houston. Still not yet 25 years old and still a very good back – a career 3.25 yards after contact and 4.0 yards per carry on a team that has had a bottom five run-blocking OL each of his years in the league.
Gainwell is fine but is a year older than Dameon and is showing signs of decline if you look – his YPA is down, yards after contact is down, explosives are down, and the percent of unsuccessful rushes is at a career high.
Pierce is a much better back – he’s bigger at 218 pounds, breaks almost twice as many tackles, is an equivalent pass-catcher and blocker, more elusive runner, and is still cheap on the final year of his rookie deal. A day 3 pick swap is a cheap price for the Eagles to bring in a guy that can take load off of Saquon.
SAF/Nickel: It won’t happen but makes some sense
Elijah Molden
Offer: 1-year $4.5M
This won’t happen as the Eagles safety room is crowded right now, and. not sure Elijah would want to come if he wasn’t starting. But after a torn meniscus and broken fibula at the end of 2024, he should be cheap. He’s been very good and plays safety and nickel, a position the Eagles may be thin at in 2025.
Adding it all up…
Using how Howie typically structures contracts and the target guys above, the Eagles remain in a decent cap situation while still allowing space for the big extensions they have coming.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current effective cap (after projected departures) | $22M | $70M | $126M |
| Projected extensions (Davis, Nolan, Jurgens, Carter) | $9M | $34M | |
| EDGE Joseph Ossai | $2M | $4M | |
| OL Brady Christensen | $3M | ||
| LB Zack Baun | $4M | $7M | $10M |
| LB Oren Burks | $3M | ||
| CB Isaiah Rodgers | $3M | $4M | $6M |
| RB Dameon Pierce | $1M | ||
| SAF/CB Elijah Molden | $4M | ||
| Updated effective cap space (adjusting for top 51 contracts) | $9M | $51M | $82M |
NOTE: Effective cap space assumes league minimum salaries for all players needed to get to the top 51 contracts as well as the space needed to sign projected draft picks. Due to this, any player signed will only deduct from effective cap space the difference between their cap hit and this minimum (for example, Dameon Pierce will not impact current effective cap at all, Isaiah Rodgers would count at just under $2M) – this is why the above table doesn’t total by subtracting new contracts from the current effective cap.
Now, on to the draft…