Some of Howie Roseman's best Eagles roster-building moves have come way, way after the typical time period when teams improve their rosters.

Some of his post-NFL Draft signings have fueled Super Bowl runs – LeGarrette Blount in 2017, Mekhi Becton in 2024. Same with some of his late offseason trades – Ronald Darby at the end of training camp in 2017, C.J. Gardner Johnson around the same time in 2022, Jahan Dotson in 2024.

It helps to remember this as 2026 NFL free agency has reached its annual dry spell, where most players left on the market are headed for one-year, low-cost, prove-it type deals. (Spoiler: many of those who are signing "prove it" deals won't actually prove it). 

Is there anyone left who can make the same impact on the Eagles that Blount and Becton made in those Super Bowl seasons? Maybe a few. And you can bet Roseman will again be shopping in that bargain market again after the draft next month, when all free agent signings don't count against the compensatory pick formula.

But it's also fair to look at the Eagles' current roster and wonder if the team needs more than just one crafty signing or shrewd trade to be a legit Super Bowl contender again.

If you're operating under the assumption that Roseman will trade A.J. Brown at some point either during the draft or after June 1 – and we are – then you're looking at an Eagles roster that will have lost some major firepower at two really critical positions, wide receiver and edge rusher, not to mention the glaring hole they have at safety opposite Andrew Mukuba.

A.K. Ekibitie was a good depth signing, but there's a reason he's making less than $10 million in 2026 while Jaelan Phillips commanded $30 million annually from Carolina.

Have the Eagles upgraded anywhere this offseason?

At cornerback, Riq Woolen is better than Adoree' Jackson, for sure. The Eagles certainly paid him more than they paid Jackson. In fact, they paid him twice as much as they paid anyone from last year's low-spend offseason. 

But Woolen is still a one-year signing and has some serious flaws that led Seattle to reducing his role over time.

At linebacker, 2025 first-round pick Jihaad Campell will replace Nakobe Dean, but Campbell is coming off another shoulder procedure, and while he's a far superior athlete to Dean there's no question the Eagles' defense reached a higher level last year when Dean came back from his surgery and pushed Campbell to the bench.

The Eagles are still as strong as any NFL team on the defensive interior and at cornerback but they're unquestionably weaker on the edges and at safety and maybe a draw at off-ball linebacker. On offense, they're upgraded at No. 3 receiver from Dotson to Marquise Brown and pretty much the same everywhere else until Brown is traded.

Before you talk yourself into the upside of some of the Eagles' free agent additions, remember that Johnny Mundt, Elijah Moore, and Dameon Pierce were all either released or waived by their teams already; the didn't become free agents because their contracts expired.

The Eagles right now – emphasis on right now – just aren't better than when they lost in the first round at home to the 49ers in the playoffs, and at least ar one position, and probably two when Brown is traded, they'll need to find a star-caliber replacement just to be around the same level they were last season.

Right now, DraftKings has eight other NFL teams ahead of them as favorites to win the Super Bowl, including four NFC teams and two teams that didn't even make the postseason (Ravens, Chiefs).

The question isn't if the Eagles really believe this roster is good enough to win a championship; they know they need more. The question is if there are enough gettable studs left via trade, draft and free agency for Roseman to make the roster look like a Super Bowl team again.

Cam Jurgens 'getting so much better'

When we last heard from Eagles center Cam Jurgens, we were given a virtual journey of his trip to Medellin, Columbia, for a health reset that included stem cell treatments and other therapies.

Jurgens underwent back surgery shortly after helping the Eagles win the Super Bowl in 2025, then struggled through this past season as he never felt, or played, like a healthy center who was among the NFL's highest paid at his position.

Jurgens appeared on a recent "Bussin' With The Boys" podcast hosted by former NFL players Will Compton and Taylor Lewan and spoke about his tortuous 2025 season. He went into detail about the back injury he suffered at the end of the 2024 Super Bowl that bothered him in the Super Bowl and the struggles to get back to form after surgery. He also said his back "is getting so much better."

Here's his full quote, starting around the 1:50:30 mark:

"It's getting better every day. It's tough. That Super Bowl we won, I mean I had a herniated disc and then right before the playoffs my disc broke off and got wrapped around my sciatic nerve, so it was just like suffocating my leg. It was hard to walk. I don't know how I was playing. Like, it was easily the worst month of my life, but then also kinda the best month of my life because we won the Super Bowl. But it was just miserable dude, just the pain and then getting surgery and like trying to get back the next year. You know, it's awlays tough having surgery in the offseason but when you have back surgery it is tough. It takes a good year to come back from that, and like I'm starting to feel really good. But dude, just all year, just trying to get through that. Just a tough year with the back, but it's getting so much better."

The entire Jurgens interview starts around the hour mark and covers a ton of different topics, including his Beef Jerky brand "Jurgy," his college career at Nebraska, NIL, playing alongside Lane Johnson, the craziness of the Philly fan base and other stuff.

Jurgens also went into the 2024 NFC Championship that he didn't start – Landon Dickerson replaced him at center, while Tyler Steen started left guard – but came off the sideline in the second half after Dickerson got banged up. 

"I remember the like the NFC Championship game, like trying to get ready for that game," he said. "Every day, it was brutal. Going out for warmups before the game I was just trying to run around, block, and I was like, 'Yo, I can't even feel my leg right now. I kept falling. I was like, 'Alright, I'll be suited up and ready, but I don't know guys. I'lll be ready on the sideline if you need me.' It was just like a tag-team effort [with Dickerson]."

Jeff Stoutland: 'No idea' why Lane Johnson said I'd be around

Former Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, who quit the job after 13 remarkable seasons with the Eagles, appeared with former Eagles QB Nick Foles on "The SZN with Nick Foles & Evan Moore" podcast. He gave a little more insight into his sudden decision to not coach the Eagles' o-line in 2026.

Stout was asked about Lane Johnson's recent comment on a podcast hosted by former NFL players Ryan Fitzpatrick and Andrew Whitworth that Stoutland would still be around the team this year "in some capacity." 

"I have no idea," Stoutland answered. "I haven't had a conversation with anybody about anything like that so I don't know."

Stoutland went onto say he often told players looking for retirement advice that they'd know when it was time to step away, and that the advice he had been giving for years suddenly applied to himself when he decided to stop coaching for the Eagles.

"I think I reached that point," he said. "I was in a position where a lot of things changed. Things were happening, things had taken place. And I’m like, ‘Wait a second, this is, like, what I talk to the other players about all the time.’ I just felt like it was that time. I haven’t looked back since. So, I know there’s things that I’ll miss but I know there’s going to be some exciting things going ahead, going forward and opportunities and challenges and that’s kind of what I’m all about.” 

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