NFL free agency is just five days away, so let's do a mailbag to handle all your questions. As always, thank you for doing half the work for me. This is Part II of a two-part mailbag. (Part I here.)

Question from @SteadPA: How does the overall wide receiver market affect potential A.J. Brown deals? More likely to create a bidding war?

The trade market for A.J. Brown really couldn't have lined up any more perfectly for the Eagles than it has this offseason. To begin, as we noted previously there is no shortage of teams who make sense as a potential landing spot, particularly in the AFC. 

You could make an argument for most AFC contenders making a play for Brown. The Patriots, Broncos, Ravens, and Chargers and all make sense. And then you can squint a little and make cases for lesser teams like the Raiders, Steelers, and Dolphins.

So, there should be plenty of demand. It's pretty clear that the Patriots in particular want him. But also, the receiver market is extremely short on supply.

For example, I think the consensus top-five free agent receivers looks something like this:

I actually like all those guys... as WR2s.

So what about the trade market? The most discussed trade option at wide receiver aside from Brown this offseason has been D.J. Moore, who had his worst season as a pro in 2025, with 50 catches for 682 yards and 6 TDs.

The Patriots, for example, had logically been linked to Moore because of their obvious need for help at receiver, especially in the wake of the team's decision to release current WR1 Stefon Diggs at the start of the new league year.

There is no comparison between Brown and Moore, who is now off the table, after he was traded to the Bills for a surprisingly high cost of a second-round pick (with a fifth-round pick going back to the Bills).

And so, Howie Roseman is rightfully asking for a lot for Brown. The asking price has been widely reported as first- and second-round picks. Obviously, he's not going to get that, but he's absolutely justified in setting an expensive starting point for negotiations.

Question from @joshuavkidd (via Bluesky): How much should the Eagles take into consideration the cost of moving on from A.J. when it comes to getting something in this year's draft, vs. getting a player or a pick in next draft and moving on from him post-June 1?

Personally, I think a first-round pick next year is more valuable than a first-round pick this year, especially in the case of the Patriots, who are picking 31st this year.

The bigger concern if you wait until after June to trade Brown is that teams around the league might have already selected a receiver in the first round of the draft and talked themselves into that guy being a stud for them immediately. In other words, the demand for a receiver like Brown won't be as high then as it is now.

Question from @thejoedc (via Bluesky): Is this team taking a step back next year? The strength of team was their secondary and their offensive line, and they lost both of those coaches. They have a first-time play caller and seem likely to lose A.J. Is there a case to be made they will improve?

Well, let's look at each of those things individually:

• The offensive line: There's no question that the loss of Jeff Stoutland will sting. BUT... it's hard to imagine the offensive line being worse than it was last year, what with Lane Johnson missing almost half the season, and two other Pro Bowlers playing way below their standard due to injuries. We'll see, but I think that group should be improved.

• The secondary: I think the loss of Christian Parker will hurt a little, too, but I wouldn't be worried at all about Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. I think we can trust they'll still be elite players, and Andrew Mukuba will be in his second season.

• The play caller: The scheme and the play calling can't be worse than it was a year ago, right? So that has to be trending up.

• A potential A.J. Brown trade: If indeed they trade Brown, I believe DeVonta Smith can step right in and be a legit WR1. I thought Smith was better than Brown last season, frankly. Of course, whoever becomes the new WR2 won't be anywhere near as good as Smith. So the wide receiver position will unquestionably be hurt, and substantially so.

Ultimately, the goal shouldn't be "Let's be better than last season." That's a low bar. The goal should be, "How do position ourselves to win another Super Bowl?"

The Eagles should have top-five talent on defense for the foreseeable future, so they'll always have a chance. This season will be interesting to watch unfold as they try to maximize their chances both in the short-term and long-term.

Question from @BigsWinz: Edge is seemingly deep in this draft. Despite your previous inclinations that the Eagles will draft offense early and often, how early do they draft an edge and bonus points for a name. Thank you.

That all depends on whether or not the Eagles are able to re-sign Jaelan Phillips. If he's back, they're pretty much set there set there this season, with Phillips, Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, and (presumably) Brandon Graham. In that case, I still think they'll look to draft an edge, but probably not until Round 3 or later.

If they can't re-sign Phillips, edge defender is such an important position that it will immediately jump way up the priority list, and I could see them taking one in the first round, at least if they aren't also able to trade for a guy like Maxx Crosby, for example.

It's a very good edge rusher class, so there should be decent players available in every round. Here are 10 who I think are fits.

Day 1: 

1. Cashius Howell, Texas A&M
2. Keldric Faulk, Auburn
3. T.J. Parker, Clemson
4. Akheem Mesidor, Miami

Day 2: 

1. Zion Young, Missouri
2. R Mason Thomas, Oklahoma
3. Joshua Josephs, Tennessee
4. Mikail Kamara, Indiana

Day 3: 

1. Gabe Jacas, Illinois
2. Nadame Tucker, Western Michigan

Question from @Boston__Sucks: Do you think Vic Fangio possibly coaching his last season will impact the Eagles' free agent plans at all? For example, would they be less willing to commit big money long-term for a guy Fangio loves specifically for his system when he may not even be here in a year?

Let's start by looking at the Eagles' key core defenders:

• Guys who fit any scheme: Jalen Carter, Zack Baun, Jihaad Campbell, Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, Andrew Mukuba.

• Guys who fit Fangio's scheme better than they would likely fit other schemes: Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo, Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt.

The Eagles have decisions to make this offseason on two of the guys in that second group — Jordan Davis and Nolan Smith.

In Davis' case, the team views him as a core piece, a locker room leader, and after a breakout 2025 season, a very good player. Also, if they are able to get a contract extension done with him this offseason, his 2026 cap number should go down a bit. I believe that will happen.

The Eagles also have to decide whether or not to exercise Smith's fifth-year option, which I believe is a fairly easy easy decision to do so.

So, I do understand the question, but the circumstances in those two individual cases above supersede any possibility of a scheme change.

Also, it's probably worth noting that the Eagles have desired a Fangio scheme since well before they were able to hire Fangio himself, so my guess is that they would seek to find someone who can still run another version of it.

Question from @cimpermanrobert (via Threads): Any thoughts on relative priority and possible candidates for versatile iOL to serve as a backup G/C, considering Dickerson's and Jurgens' health and performance? 

I think an under-the-radar important player to watch in training camp this year will be Drew Kendall, who the team cross-trained at center and guard throughout his 2025 rookie season. And then another fun player to keep an eye on will be Willie Lampkin, the 5'11 lineman the Eagles claimed off of waivers before the start of the season last year.

Question from @MattGrumbrecht: Who is your top non-A.J. Brown candidate to get traded this offseason? Who might be your “surprise trade candidate” on the Eagles?

We did a non-A.J. Brown trade post last week, and I had Tanner McKee and Sydney Brown in there. They would be the top two guys I think could be dealt, after A.J.

If I were to add one more, I would say Nolan Smith if the team is able to re-sign Jaelan Phillips and they'd prefer to make Jalyx Hunt a long-term priority. But in that case, they'd have to get something pretty good in return.

To be clear, I don't think trades for McKee, Brown, or Smith are likely.

Question from @Philly_Bul215: Any chance the Eagles sign a player to a bigger deal than expected? Like a safety or maybe a tight end?

At tight end, I think that the Eagles might have talked themselves into a guy like Kyle Pitts, on the premise that he could double as a TE with some WR2 qualities in the event they traded Brown. But the Falcons tagged him, so that option is off the table. Otherwise, I don't think any of the tight ends in this free agency class are going to break the bank by any stretch. It's a pretty weak group.

At safety, it's just not a priority position for the Eagles, and they can't compete with other teams that have a lot more cap space. I do like Coby Bryant (Seahawks) and think he'd be a good fit, but they'll be priced out on a guy like him.

Question from @davidrobidoux: Much of the team’s planning has centered around future contract extensions for our young stars. Thoughts on who might receive more between Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean? Both in the conversation as the best in the league but different skill sets may make it more nuanced than outside vs. slot pay?

That's not something I've considered yet, but it's a great question. I thought they did a good job navigating the DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown contract extensions, which both got done in April 2024. They got done in a way that were both fair compensation, and neither player coming away feeling slighted. It'll be a challenge accomplishing that again when Mitchell and DeJean are both up for contract extensions.

DeJean will very likely get done first, next offseason. He was a second-round pick, so there's no fifth-year option safety net with him, whereas there is with Mitchell. Then once DeJean is done, I imagine they'll get to work of Mitchell, who will probably get a little more.

Question from @CaughtAdam: Do you think they will change the fifth-year option costs to be less attached to Pro Bowls? They have become a bit of a joke.

So for those of you who don't understand this question, fifth-year option amounts fall into four different tiers -- basic, playtime (snap count thresholds), 1 Pro Bowl, and multiple Pro Bowls. Because Jalen Carter has made multiple Pro Bowls, he falls into Tier 4, the most expensive tier:

Carter should not have made the Pro Bowl in 2025, but somehow he did. Every year there are players who do not deserve to get in, who do. And of course conversely there are players deserving of Pro Bowl recognition who don't get in. 

It should be noted though that "Pro Bowl" status as it pertains to fifth-year options does not apply to alternates who got in because other players dropped out.

Anyway, yes, the Pro Bowl is sometimes a poor reflection of who the league's elite players were from year-to-year, but ultimately, I think it's fine. "All-Pro" status might be a better measure, but that would whittle down the number of players who achieve Tier 3 or 4 status, and there's no way the NFLPA would agree to that.

In Carter's case, it doesn't really matter, because, spoiler, he's going to make WAY more than $27 million per year whenever his contract extension gets done.

Question from @DrewSportsNews: If Nick Sirianni was available to every NFL team this offseason, do you think he would have been hired as another team's head coach for sure? It's hard to figure out the perception of Sirianni league-wide?

I think that criticism of Sirianni is more than fair, and I think his seat is a little warm heading into 2026, but, I mean, this coaching hiring cycle sucked, and there were 10 teams that hired new coaches:

1. Joe Brady, Bills
2. Jeff Hafley, Dolphins
3. John Harbaugh, Giants
4. Klint Kubiak, Raiders
5. Mike LaFleur, Cardinals
6. Mike McCarthy, Steelers
7. Jesse Minter, Ravens
8. Todd Monken, Browns
9. Robert Saleh, Titans
10. Kevin Stefanski, Falcons

Surely a few of those teams would've hired Sirianni over the guys they ended up with.

Follow Jimmy & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @JimmyKempski | thePhillyVoice

Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports

Add Jimmy's RSS feed to your feed reader