March 03, 2021
The Philadelphia Eagles won't be major players in free agency this offseason. They also won't be losing any players in free agency that will make anyone lose any sleep.
Here are the Eagles' pending free agents, and what they are likely to find on the open market.
• S Jalen Mills (27): Mills is probably the Eagles' most valuable free agent, which probably says something about the state of this roster. He's a versatile player who has started at corner and safety, and there was never an assignment that he didn't think he could handle.
Would you want him as a starting corner? Ideally, no. Would you want him as a starting safety? Again, probably not. But he's a guy who can fill in at either spot, and win with. Contending teams looking for either a competent starter or high-end depth should have Mills on their radar, and Mills himself might be best served playing for a team that can win. If not, the Eagles would probably be happy bringing him back on a cheap one-year deal.
Mills made $4,000,000 in 2020, and his price tag in 2021 should be right in that neighborhood once again. Should another team sign him away from the Eagles, he would likely qualify in the sixth-round comp pick range.
• OT Jason Peters (39): Peters' market is probably limited to contending teams desperate for help at either LT or OG due to training camp injuries. And even then, a 39-year-old whose play not only fell off dramatically a season ago, but who also demanded more money to switch positions, won't exactly appeal much to teams that have no emotional attachment like the Eagles seem to.
There's a chance that Peters finds that no teams are interested in him, at all.
• DE Vinny Curry (33): Curry could give a contender snaps as a veteran minimum rotational DE at this stage of his career.
• CB Nickell Robey-Coleman (29): Robey-Coleman couldn't tackle or cover in 2020, and he occasionally had moments of bad effort. He might never play another regular season game again.
• TE Richard Rodgers (29): Rodgers had a decent season in 2020. A look at his numbers, compared with Zach Ertz's:
| Player | Rec | Yards | YPC | TD | Drops |
| Zach Ertz (383 snaps as a receiver) | 36 | 335 | 9.3 | 1 | 5 |
| Richard Rodgers (141 snaps as a receiver) | 24 | 345 | 14.4 | 2 | 0 |
Of course, Ertz drew more attention than Rodgers, but whatever. Rodgers won't be in high demand on the open market, and the Eagles should be able to bring him back on a cheap one-year deal.
• QB Nate Sudfeld (28): Sudfeld might have been hurt by his entrance into the Week 17 tank game against the Washington Football Team. He could very well be forever known as the guy the Eagles put in the game to ensure a loss, whether true or not. It's possible he doesn't find a market at all, when he otherwise might have been a legitimate No. 3 quarterback. Maybe the Colts will have interest. The Eagles could certainly bring him back on a minimum deal as well.
• DT Hassan Ridgeway (27): Ridgeway has been OK as a rotational guy when he has been able to play, but he hasn't been able to stay healthy. He's not getting anything more than a minimum non-guaranteed deal.
• CB Cre'Von LeBlanc (27): Assuming the Eagles are done experimenting with Avonte Maddox on the outside and he moves back to the slot, LeBlanc would be little more than a backup slot with the Eagles. The bet here is that the Eagles move on from LeBlanc, and he'll find his way onto some other team's training camp roster.
• LB Duke Riley (27): Riley doesn't have any plus skills as a linebacker, whether that be in coverage, against the run, or as a blitzer. He was also probably a little overhyped as a special teams player. Veteran minimum deal somewhere else.
• RB Corey Clement (27): Clement might be the next player who you think the team will move on from, but he somehow keeps finding his way back on the roster.
• S Rudy Ford (26): Special teamer only who the Eagles like. He'll probably be back on a veteran minimum deal.
• LB Nate Gerry (26): Gerry had one of the worst seasons an Eagles starting linebacker has ever had, and he's also recovering from a serious injury. I can't imagine how he could possibly be back. He may resurface somewhere, but it'll likely be in a much smaller role.
• P Cameron Johnston (29): I bet you didn't know Johnston is 29 years old. Anyway, he (a) did not have a good season, and (b) his restricted free agent tender amount is projected to be $2,240,000 this offseason, which the Eagles should not pay, and almost certainly will not pay. If that's correct, he will become an unrestricted free agent. It's worth noting that the Eagles signed punter Arryn Siposs to a futures contract.
• TE Josh Perkins (28): There's no way the Eagles will tender Perkins either.
Alex Singleton (27), Boston Scott (25), and Greg Ward (25) were all reportedly tendered by the team as exclusive rights free agents. What's an exclusive rights free agent, Jimmy? The short-short version is that they are players with two or fewer accrued seasons whose contracts have expired. If their current team tenders them, they cannot negotiate contracts with other teams, and their current team can retain their rights while paying them a small amount of money on a one-year contract. Assuming Singleton, Scott, and Ward earn accrued seasons in 2021, they'll be restricted free agents in 2022.
I wouldn't worry about compensatory picks for a while.
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