March 01, 2026
Eric Hartline/Imagn Images
Nakobe Dean (17) celebrates his sack with Jaelan Phillips against the Lions. Will they be playing elsewhere in 2026?
This is a big week for the Eagles and NFL teams in terms of planning for the future. All of the chief decision-makers have returned from the NFL Scouting Combine following a week's worth of back-room meetings at St. Elmo's Steakhouse, Harry's & Izzy's, and other upscale restaurants and bars around downtown Indianapolis.
Personnel executives should have a better idea of how much it'll cost to keep their own players and the price tag for free agents around the league.
The legal tampering period that allows teams to negotiate with agents begins at noon on Monday, March 9, but the top-tier free agents will already have that work done and deals will get reported once the clock strikes 12.
Extensions for in-house free agents and trades are common during the week leading up to free agency. Some extensions and trades have already taken place this week.
The Eagles have four starters who are slated to become unrestricted free agents: edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, tight end Dallas Goedert, linebacker Nakobe Dean, and safety Reed Blankenship. Each are expected to have different markets, but each should be sought-after, making it almost impossible for the Eagles to retain all of them, and possibly lose all four.
Here's our best stab at predicting where each one lands if not in Philly:
At 31 years old and with an injury history, and already having taken one pay cut from the Eagles last offseason, Goedert is more likely to command a short-term deal that won't reset the market. He's still a productive player – his 11 touchdowns in 2025 were a personal best and franchise record for a pass catcher – but young, rebuilding teams that have cash to spend – like the Browns, for example – aren't likely seeking an aging tight end on a short-term deal.
Teams that already have an elite tight end or a tight end making top-market money, like the Raiders, Cardinals, Vikings, Falcons, Ravens, Cowboys, and Texans, probably aren't looking to shell out $10-plus million on another tight end if they already have an expensive one or an elite one. The one exception could be the 49ers given that George Kittle could be out for quite a while in 2026 after tearing his Achilles in a playoff game against the Eagles. The Niners are big on 12 personnel and lack depth at the position.
If Travis Kelce retires, the Chiefs would be an ideal short-term fit for Goedert. The Chargers have an upcoming pass-catcher in Oronde Gadsen but new OC Mike McDaniel comes from the 12 personnel tree and the team could move on from Will Dissly. The Giants could also be a team to watch as new OC Matt Nagy also likes two tight ends. The Jags and Panthers both have young, cost-controlled tight ends but could use an impactful pass-catcher like Goedert to bolster their pass game.
The Seahawks are another two-tight end-heavy offense whose starter, A.J. Barner, is on a rookie deal. The combo of Barner and Goedert would give the defending champs some major firepower as they aim to defend their title.
Geoff's prediction: Seahawks.
Dean's free agency reminds me of another talented former Eagle who entered the open market with expectations but faced obstacles to getting big money. In 2022, at the Combine, a few teams told me they had Eagles RG Isaac Seumalo as their highest-ranked free agent interior o-lineman. Typically, those kind of guys get market-resetting deals. Seumalo had to wait more than two weeks into free agency before signing a modest three-year deal at $8 million annually, well below market value. His injury history ended up being a major red flag. Although he had played 17 games in 2022, Semualo had played just a total of 12 games in 2020 and 2021 because of severe injuries and had started just nine games in 2018.
Flash forward to Dean, an incredibly talented linebacker, Super Bowl champion and leader who has already undergone two major lower body surgeries in his four seasons since coming out of Georgia with size and durability concerns that dropped him into the third round. Like Seumalo, Dean has bounced back to become one of the NFL's top players at his position, but it's only natural that teams will hesitate to hand him the kind of mega-deal that Dean would ordinarily merit.
This cold reality could actually help the Eagles bring him back on a one-year deal so he can prove to teams that he can stay healthy and play at a high level for consecutive seasons, then hit the market in 2027 at 26 to score the big bag. But the Eagles also need to get Jihaad Campbell on the field, so it's tricky. Either way, I'd be surprised if Dean scored a lucrative multi-year deal. He might just have to take the best available offer.
Dean is the quintessential 3-4 inside linebacker – a lethal blitzer who understands how to maneuver around traffic to stop ball carriers. His coverage isn't great but it's improved. He'd be ideal for coordinators who like to blitz from the second level or lean heavily on sim pressures.
The Chargers, Raiders, Jets, Bucs, Bills and Commanders all make sense for Dean based on their defensive structures and need for LB help. If Dean would rather accept a short-term deal with less cash to be better positioned in free agency in 2027 or 2028, he'd be a great fit for the Ravens, Broncos, Steelers or Patriots.
The one team that really jumps out? The Cowboys. Their new DC Christian Parker just came over from the Eagles. Nobody knows Dean's value better than Parker does, or how to use him. But the Cowboys could only get him on the cheap; they've got too much money tied into the rest of their roster.
Geoff's prediction: Buccaneers
Blankenship has been a core part of the Eagles' defense for the past two years and an incredible story, rising from undrafted rookie safety out of Middle Tennessee State to Super Bowl champion with 50 career starts and eight playoff games under his belt. He's not the greatest athlete and it helps if he's surrounded by other studs in the secondary, but he can be an asset to any team, whether rebuilding or in contention.
Typically, the market for undrafted rookies isn't thriving, even for those who have breakout seasons. Former Eagles LB T.J. Edwards similarly rose from undrafted free agent to starter for a Super Bowl team but only scored a modest three-year deal with the Bears in free agency in 2023 worth less than $20 million. Same for Marcus Epps, a teammate of Edwards' and starter on the 2022 Eagles that lost to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. He signed a 2-year deal with the Raiders worth $6 million annually. Epps also initially broke into the NFL as an undrafted free agent.
The fact that the Eagles didn't lock up Blankenship last offseason perhaps shows that he values himself more than the Eagles do.
The Cowboys, again, would be a team to watch for the same reason they are for Nakobe Dean. The Raiders have money to spend and desperately need help all over their secondary and defense. They have former Eagles in their front office who are familiar with Blankenship's impact, and just hired former Eagles defensive assistant Ronell Williams as their linebackers coach.
If the Colts lose Nick Cross in free agency, Blankenship could be an option. Other teams that need safety help: the Jaguars, Steelers, Vikings and Commanders.
Geoff's prediction: Raiders
This is a much tougher prediction, because literally every NFL team wants a young, impactful edge rusher. Of the Eagles' core four free agents, Phillips is the likeliest to return because the Eagles have always been willing to spend market value on impact edge rushers.
Phillips' injury history is cause for concern but he has great size and measureables, and when he's on the field he makes an impact. The Eagles also gave up a third-round pick to rent him, so they'd logically want to buy for the long haul.
If Phillips doesn't return, it's because another team shelled out really big bucks for him, so you'd have to start with playoff contenders that need edge help and still have a quarterback on a rookie deal – the Patriots, Commanders, Bears, Falcons, Panthers and Saints are all teams that fit that criteria.
Other playoff-caliber teams that need Phillips but would have to come up with the cash to outbid the Eagles are the Seahawks, Ravens, Bengals and Chiefs. You also have to watch for young, rebuilding teams with tons of cap space – the Titans, Raiders, and Jets – that aren't afraid to push the envelope and reset the market.
Prediction: Bears
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