Eagles need a ‘fresh start’ in free agency to keep Super Bowl aspirations alive

Ralph Vacchiano

NFC East Reporter

It was only 13 months ago that the Philadelphia Eagles were in the Super Bowl. And it was just a little more than three months ago that they were sitting on a 10-1 record, looking like they were headed towards another.

They’ve got a roster filled with young talent, including a franchise quarterback. The future looks as bright as the Eagles’ recent past.

So why is Eagles general manager Howie Roseman looking at this offseason as a chance for a “fresh start”?

That’s of course because of what has happened in the three months since that 10-1 start to last season. No one has forgotten the misery that followed. They lost six of their last seven games, including a blowout loss in Tampa in the first round of the playoffs. Then on Monday, they lost one of their most important players when center Jason Kelce retired. And veteran defensive tackle Fletcher Cox might be next.

They’ve also changed coordinators on offense and defense again. They need to rebuild their secondary. And their best pass rusher, Haason Reddick, wants a new contract and has been given permission to seek a trade.

“We have a lot of work to do,” Roseman said at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis last week. “There’s no question about that.”

That work begins when the free-agent market opens next week. So here’s a look at what the Eagles have to work with and a peek at their plans:

Salary cap situation

The Eagles are currently projected to have about $41.9 million to spend after cutting safety Kevin Byard last week. They have plenty of ways to add more to that if needed, but all of them involve either contract extensions or moving cap hits into future years. Both are things the Eagles do often, but may not have a need to do with so much space available to use this cycle.

The big way they could create more room is by signing Reddick to an extension. He’s got a hefty cap number of $21.8 million for 2024 and a new deal could reduce that significantly. Whether he gets one will depend on what he hears as his agents seek a potential trade destination. Both sides want him to remain in Philadelphia. It’s just unclear if his price will be too high.

How does Jason Kelce’s retirement affect the Eagles?

Taking care of their own (or not)

There aren’t nearly as many defensive starters set to free agency as the Eagles were facing a year ago. However, much like a year ago, they’re not expected to rush to bring any of them back.

Among those defensive players are safety Justin Evans and linebackers Zach Cunningham, Nick Morrow and late-season addition Shaq Leonard. With all the tackling and coverage problems the Eagles had in their linebacking corps and secondary last season, there’s no need to bring any of them back unless it’s for depth and at a bargain price.

Cunningham, who missed four games with injuries last season, is probably the most likely of that group to return. But with new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio rebuilding the defense and using a new scheme, they’re better off with a lot of new players.

Maybe the lone exception will be Brandon Graham, one of the members of the Eagles’ “Core Four,” who has expressed a desire to play again this season. He got a one-year, $5 million to return last season and probably will get the same again.

The real significant player on the Eagles’ free-agent list to watch is on offense — running back D’Andre Swift. He had 1,049 rushing yards for them last season and helped in the passing game a little (39 catches, 214 yards), and was so effective at times it left many believing the Eagles should have used him more. But Roseman generally falls in line with the NFL’s general consensus, that running backs are replaceable and the offensive line is what matters.

Swift’s market value is unclear, though, especially on a market saturated with higher-profile backs like Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, Austin Ekeler, Josh Jacobs and many more. They’ll probably let Swift test the market, but he could eventually come back on a one-year deal in the hopes of landing a bigger deal in a better market next year.

Free agency needs (and names)

The Eagles’ Top 5 needs heading into free agency:

1. Linebacker: The Eagles expect their underperforming linebacking corps will get a big boost from the return of middle linebacker Nakobe Dean, who underwent surgery for a Lisfranc injury. But they know they need upgrades and depth, and it wouldn’t hurt to have someone who knows Vic Fangio’s defense well. He might try to lure Andrew Van Ginkel from Miami if the Dolphins don’t re-sign him first.

2. Safety: They went the inexpensive veteran route last season with Justin Evans and Terrell Edmunds, which worked out so well that they ended up shipping Edmunds to Tennessee at the trading deadline for Kevin Byard. Of course, they’ve since cut Byard, so they’re starting from scratch in a scheme that needs good safeties. They could at least look at the top of the market at Xavier McKinney or Kam Curl to gauge just how high their prices go. The Eagles also had some regrets about letting C.J. Gardner-Johnson go after the 2022 season, so maybe they’ll at least check in on his health after he missed most of last season with a torn pec.

3. Cornerback: They need to rebuild on the fly here. Darius Slay and James Bradberry will be back, but Bradberry is coming off an awful season and Slay is 33 and missed the last month with a knee injury. They may try to re-sign nickelback Avonte Maddox, but this is a priority position. The free agent market was thinned out by franchise tags, though, so this may be more of a target for their first-round draft pick.

4. Running back: They will need to sign one, and probably will wait out the market to see if they can get a bargain. Ideally, they’d like to bring back Swift if the price is right. But several NFL sources believe Roseman might take a swing at Saquon Barkley, who could be a huge boost to the Eagles offense as both a running back and receiver. He won’t go crazy with a contract, but he could swoop in if Barkley’s market isn’t as robust as he hopes. Austin Ekeler could fit into that same category, too.

5. Wide receiver: They learned last season when A.J. Brown went down how much they need a viable third receiver. Olamide Zaccheaus, Julio Jones and Quez Watkins are all free agents and will probably all be gone. There are always bargains at receiver on the market, and they could find good ones with the likes of Gabe Davis, Tyler Boyd or Curtis Samuel. It’ll all depend on the type of receiver new OC Kellen Moore wants.

Ralph Vacchiano is the NFC East reporter for FOX Sports, covering the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.