Eagles 2026 Offseason Series: Roster outlook

I’ve done a full off-season mock the past few years and this year, I’m going to split it up in sections, starting here with a look at the roster and 2026 off-season strategy.

Summary:
Howie has built the league’s best roster by being smart on the cap, focusing on premium positions, and drafting ahead of needs. A look into the 2026 roster strategy and priorities shows there are more risks than previous years and the 2025 draft may be the cause of it.

The past two years, as Eagles fans we’ve been comfortable (and correct) saying the Eagles have the best roster in the NFL, thanks to Howie’s roster-building approach that he’s hit on year after year:

1. Value premium positions and the trenches

“There are certain positions that affect the game more than others.”

Howie understands surplus value and why you focus on the most expensive, and hardest to replace, positions. He also famously maniaclly focuses on the trenches, knowing they make both units better.

2. Draft ahead of – not for – needs

“If you wait until you need something, it’s probably too late.”

I’ve written multiple times that if you want to predict Howie’s top picks, look at what the needs are 1-2 years out, not immediate needs. Immediate needs will be filled in free agency and trades, usually with veterans.

3. Stay out of the top-end of free agency

“In free agency, you’re generally paying for what a player has already done, not what he’s going to do.”

Howie never signs the marquee, older and top-of-market free agents. He rarely even signs guys in the top 10 of free agents.

4. Contract structures as a competitive advantage

“Dollars today are more expensive than dollars tomorrow.”

The cap is real but not every dollar is the same. Using void years to push player costs into the future increases flexibility and as long as Howie doesn’t sign multiple “mistake” contracts, he limits risk. This is why he generally avoids older players.

5. Take advantage of league inefficiencies

“If you’re just following what everyone else is doing, you’re probably not going to gain an edge.”

Howie will upgrade any position, including all the way down to the practice squad. He’ll look to gain value in trades and doesn’t de-value future picks like a lot of the league. He’ll take advantage of value in the draft. And his signing of Saquon – right when the league was shifting back towards the run – was getting ahead of league trends.

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Howie has been on a heater the past several years. Over the past 5 drafts, he not only accumulated much more draft capital than league average, but he’s barely missed, especially on premium picks.

But more importantly, what I’d say characterized the last several years of drafts goes back to the above principles:

Howie masterfully drafted ahead of needs at premium positions, bringing key replacements in 1-2 years ahead of the actual need

• 2022 – Jurgens brought in well ahead of Kelce’s retirement, Jordan Davis with Hargrave leaving the following year
• 2023 – doubling up on the DL with Carter and Nolan knowing Fletch, Barnett, and BG were all leaving over the next 2 years
• 2024 – doubling up on Quinyon and Coop ahead of Maddox, Rodgers, and JBJ being gone the following year

And, Howie took advantage of value in the draft, drafting strong positions and players that somehow fell to them – this is the annual “make Micah Parsons shake his head in disgust” as Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Quinyon Mitchell, and Cooper Dejean all fell to Howie.

When you draft ahead of needs at premium positions and do it well, you set your roster up for the future. Period. The Eagles have had holes in the off-season the past few years, every team does, but they have been pretty minor holes and positions Howie could generally fill easily in free agency without forcing a move.

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This is not meant to sound like a hot take as Philly still has a roster that most teams would gladly trade places with, but the 2025 draft may have been rare roster-building malpractice by Howie.

I’ve written on this before, there’s a pretty high correlation between winning and the prior 2-3 years of draft value. It’s how the Rams re-built so quickly as nobody has drafted better than them and, on the other end, it’s part of the reason the Vikings and Lions have underperformed.

There are more roster risks in 2026-27 than recent years which is going to make this off-season more critical, and difficult, to execute on.

Failing to invest 1-2 years ahead of needs

Last year, the top long-term needs were EDGE, DT, CB, and TE and these are what Howie would have typically gone after in the draft. He only addressed one of those in the draft, taking DT Ty Robinson in the 4th which was a reach for an older, late breakout player.

• CB2 – Went from a long-term need to an immediate need when Howie let Isaiah go. In 2026, they likely will have 3 open CB spots with Adoree aging, Kelee out of chances, and Michael Carter being a guaranteed cap casualty.
• EDGE – Only two signed players in 2026, Nolan and Jalyx. They traded a 3rd to bring in Jaelen Phillips but are going to have a really difficult time re-signing him.
• TE – No signed players in 2026.

Not taking advantage of value that fell

What’s most frustrating is when you look at the long-term positions of need above, every single one of them had value fall to an Eagles pick, requiring no reaching. This is where Howie usually “sinks the putt” but he didn’t.

• CB was a top heavy class but had multiple guys fall to, or near, Eagles picks in R1 and R2 (Will Johnson, Benjamin Morrison, Trey Amos)
• TE was such a historically strong class that it is almost criminal to not walk away with one asguys were available in R2-5 (Fannin, Gunnar Helm, Oronde Gadsden)
• EDGE was very deep on day 2 and again, there were guys available (Josaiah Stewart, Bradyn Swinson)

Just think how different this team would be, not only in 2025 but more importantly over the next few years, if the 2025 draft was:

R1: CB Will Johnson
He fell probably due to some injury and long speed concerns but was a screaming R1 value and consensus graded him above Jihaad. He’s playing very well for Arizona who took him at pick 47.

R2: TE Harold Fannin
Already up to 731 yards and 6 TDs on the season, he’s having every bit as good of a season as Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland who went over 50 picks ahead of Fannin.

R3: EDGE Josaiah Stewart (required 6 spot trade-up)
With a 13.2% pass rush win rate, he’s 2nd in this class behind only Abdul Carter. He’s got a run defense grade equal to Nolan Smith’s and better than Hunt or Phillips. And – important for Philly EDGEs -he has a better coverage grade in over 70 drops into coverage than any Eagles EDGE.

The crazy thing is the above draft would have been such a Howie draft… investing ahead of needs with each pick, taking advantage of outsized value with Will Johnson falling, and drafting the positional strength of the draft.

Go back to the roster gaps entering 2026 above – Philly would have Quinyon, Will Johnson, and Cooper DeJean at CB… Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, and Josaiah Stewart at EDGE… and we would actually have a long-term TE.

My worry now is if Howie will feel forced into some uncharacteristic moves. Jaelen Phillips’ market is between $26-35M based on recent comps which the Eagles should not pay, but will Howie feel pressured to overpay because of the need? Will he trade more future draft capital to fill a hole at CB or EDGE? Or will we make due with 1-year rentals at such key positions?

* I’m not trying to cherrypick after the fact – Will was my CB1 and had him going pick 12 and, if you follow me, you know Fannin and Josaiah were both draft crushes of mine that I mocked often to the Eagles.

Extend our core stars

Jalen Carter, Nolen Smith, and Jordan Davis are all priorities this off-season and next year, it’s Quinyon, Cooper DeJean, and probably Jalyx Hunt.

Howie has planned for this and there’s room to extend every one of them, but this means there are going to be some tough decisions on well-liked players.

Get back to focusing on premium positions in the draft

The Eagles holes at CB and EDGE are ones that you either can’t fill in free agency or you can and it’s really, really expensive. Given so much of the future cap will be consumed with the current core, Howie needs to return to focusing on the most expensive positions in this draft (which conveniently align well with our needs).

My priority positions

In order, my positional priorities to get this off-season in free agency and the draft are:

• CB2 – It’s the one true hole on the team. CB2 isn’t on the team today and good CBs are incredibly hard to get outside the draft
• TE – Again, a position of immediate need with no TEs rostered in 2026
• EDGE – This remains a priority just because the Eagles only have two signed EDGEs
• OL – Despite being a “trenches” team, it’s been 4 years since we invested any serious draft capital on the OL (Jurgens in 2022). Of course an eventual Lane replacement is on the table, but investing on the interior is needed
• WR – Jahan will be gone and AJ is here probably another 1-2 years, it’s time invest here

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Next, I’ll spend time on the salary cap, who I’m extending and releasing, and off-season targets in free agency and the draft.