January 18, 2026
After losing a bunch of starters last offseason in free agency, the Philadelphia Eagles have 20 free agents this offseason, though not as many big names as a year ago. We'll get into deeper analysis of each player during our "stay or go" series, but here's the initial list of pending free agents.
• TE Dallas Goedert: Goedert put up good numbers as a receiver in 2025, catching 60 passes for 591 yards, and breaking the Eagles' single-season record for TDs by a tight end in a season, with 11. He was not as good as a blocker as he has been throughout his career. It appeared for a bit last offseason that Goedert would not be an Eagle in 2025, but he took a pay cut and remained with the team. Goedert is 31 years old, but unlike when predecessors Zach Ertz and Brent Celek got into their 30's, the Eagles don't a player already on the team waiting in the wings to replace him.
• OT Fred Johnson: Johnson left in free agency last year, hoping to become a starter with the Jaguars. That did not materialize, and he was traded back to the Eagles before the start of the season. Johnson played reasonably well subbing in for an injured Lane Johnson, but probably not so much that another team will view him as an answer as a starter. Johnson could carve out a nice, long career as a swing tackle.
• iOL Brett Toth: Toth has been in the league since 2019, and he played more snaps in 2025 than he did in every other season of his career combined. He played 199 snaps at LG in place of Landon Dickerson, and 164 snaps at C in place of Cam Jurgens. There's an argument to be made that Toth actually outplayed Jurgens during his time at center. There probably isn't a person in the NFL who values Toth more than Jeff Stoutland, so he could be back on a cheap deal.
• WR Jahan Dotson: In two full seasons with the Eagles serving as the WR3, Dotson had 37 catches on 69 targets for 478 yards and 1 TD. He basically got a lot of cardio work during games, averaging just 1.1 receptions per game. He did make one big play in the Super Bowl, but was otherwise about as unimpactful as a starter as one can possibly be.
• TE Grant Calcaterra: There have been times that Calcaterra has filled in for an injured Goedert, and played fine enough for a backup as a receiver. However, when Goedert was healthy, the Eagles tried to use Calcaterra as a blocking TE2, which simply did not suit his skill set. All his presence on the field did this season was draw more defenders into the box and add more obstacles for the Eagles' run game.
• OL Matt Pryor: Pryor was at one time this season the first offensive line reserve off the bench, but he played poorly in relief of Lane Johnson against the Rams Week 3, and was benched in favor of Fred Johnson. Pryor played five different positions for the Eagles in 2025: LT, LG, RG, RT, and TE.
• TE Kylen Granson: Granson played in every game for the Eagles in 2025. He played 244 snaps in the regular offense, and 290 snaps on special teams. Four of his seven catches came in the Eagles' "resting starters" game against the Commanders Week 18.
• QB Sam Howell: With Tanner McKee recovering from a finger injury heading into the start of the season, the Eagles traded for Howell, who was the QB2 for a short period, before serving as the emergency QB once McKee was healthy. He did not appear in any games.
• FB Ben VanSumeren (RFA): VanSumeren was poised to take on a bigger role in the Eagles' offense in 2025 as a full-time fullback, but he tore his patellar tendon on the opening kickoff of the season. He is the lone restricted free agent on this list. The projected "right of first refusal" restricted free agent tender amount this season is $3,453,000, per OverTheCap. Spoiler: The Eagles will not offer an RFA tender to VanSumeren, but I would guess they'll want him back for one last go at a fullback / special teams role.
• RB A.J. Dillon: Dillon got some playing time early in the season, but in Week 6 against the Giants he muffed a kickoff that rolled out of bounds inside the Eagles' five yard line, and lost a fumble later in the drive. He didn't see the field again until the Week 18 Commanders game, and even then he only played two snaps. His only real memorable moment from the 2025 season was introducing the "positivity bunny" to the Eagles locker room, and even that quickly met its demise when the Eagles extended their losing streak to three games after a loss to the Chargers. I'll never understand how Dillon stuck on the 53-man roster for the entire season.
• EDGE Jaelan Phillips: The acquisition of Phillips was the Eagles' big trade deadline move this season, and for a change it worked out, as Phillips played well, as a pass rusher and against the run. Phillips seemed to be Vic Fangio's top edge defender, as he consistently out-snapped Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt. That could be an indication that the Eagles make re-signing Phillips a priority.
• LB Nakobe Dean: Dean made his debut in the regular defense in Week 7 against the Vikings, and picked up right where he left off when he had a breakout season in 2024. He finished with 55 tackles and four sacks, and two forced fumbles. Dean's free agency will be interesting to watch. On the one hand, he is a good player and a universally respected leader in the locker room. On the other hand, the Eagles selected Jihaad Campbell in the first round of the 2025 draft and the front office is going to want to get him on the field.
• S Reed Blankenship: Blankenship has now been with the Eagles for four full seasons after signing with the team as an undrafted rookie in 2022. He was a home run acquisition who has started 50 games for the Eagles (56 including the playoffs) while making under $6 million in career earnings. Blankenship had a down year in 2025, but he is still poised to see a substantial increase in pay, whether that's with the Eagles or elsewhere.
• CB Adoree' Jackson: Jackson — or perhaps more broadly, the CB2 spot — was arguably the Eagles' biggest concern heading into the season, but was pretty far down the list by the time it was over. Jackson was fine-ish in his role, and I could see the Eagles bringing him back, but likely only on a super cheap one-year deal.
• DL Brandon Graham: Graham came out of retirement in-season, and was a good role player. He played just over 100 defensive snaps, collecting three sacks and filling in on the interior when the Eagles had some injuries there. If he wants to keep playing, my guess is that the Eagles would welcome him back in a similar role.
• S Marcus Epps: Epps joined the team just before the start of the season, initially on the practice squad, and wound up appearing in 12 games, with four starts after Andrew Mukuba went down with a broken fibula. At a minimum, Vic Fangio trusted Epps' floor competency over the physically gifted but often out of control Sydney Brown.
• EDGE Josh Uche: Uche was the best of the Eagles' free agent EDGE defender additions last offseason, which wasn't a very high bar. He had 23 tackles and a sack in 12 games played.
• EDGE Azeez Ojulari: Ojulari was the presumed third EDGE defender in the pecking order when he signed with the Eagles as a free agent, but he fell pretty far down in the depth chart after a quiet training camp, and eventually landed on injured reserve.
• EDGE Ogbo Okoronkwo: Okoronkwo was signed to provide edge depth. He played in just one game (4 snaps) before tearing his triceps.
• P Braden Mann: Mann finished 22nd in punter EPA, but, in my opinion, he was fine. The Eagles should be able to bring him back on a reasonable deal.
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