March 02, 2026
NFL free agency is just around the corner, and the Philadelphia Eagles are probably going to lose a few good players, as they did a year ago. They'll also add players in free agency, of course, but they'll likely be looking for very low-cost players they deem to be good values (a) because of their salary cap challenges, and (b) because this year's crop of free agents stinks. Here we'll seek to identify a few of those types of guys.
Disclaimer: These will all be unsatisfying options, because, well, the Eagles won't be spending much in free agency.
Free agents who make sense
The Eagles tried to sign Kirk in free agency in 2022, but they got priced out by the Jaguars, who signed him to a four-year deal worth $72 million. If the Eagles had signed Kirk, they probably wouldn't have traded for A.J. Brown during the 2022 draft.
Kirk had a career year in 2022, but his numbers have declined each of the last three seasons:
| Christian Kirk | Rec | Yards | YPC | TD |
| 2018 (AZ) | 43 | 590 | 13.7 | 3 |
| 2019 (AZ) | 68 | 709 | 10.4 | 3 |
| 2020 (AZ) | 48 | 621 | 12.9 | 6 |
| 2021 (AZ) | 77 | 982 | 12.8 | 5 |
| 2022 (JAX) | 84 | 1108 | 13.2 | 8 |
| 2023 (JAX) | 57 | 787 | 13.8 | 3 |
| 2024 (JAX) | 27 | 379 | 14.0 | 1 |
| 2025 (HOU) | 28 | 239 | 8.5 | 1 |
Kirk has battled injuries the last two seasons, hence his decline in production. He also played on a Texans team in 2025 that employed star receiver Nico Collins and two highly drafted rookies in Jayden Higgins (34th overall) and Jaylin Noel (79th overall).
However, Collins was injured during the playoffs and Kirk took on a bigger role. He showed up big, catching 10 passes for 164 yards and 2 TDs, all of which led the team during the postseason.
Kirk still has speed and he is a good route runner:
If he is healthy, Kirk can help a contender, and he probably won't cost a lot of money. I view him as a significant upgrade over Jahan Dotson. It would make sense to sign a polished veteran like Kirk on a one-year deal and also draft a receiver as more of a long-term play.
Neal was the seventh overall pick in the 2022 draft, and he was a colossal bust. He had three bad seasons from 2022 to 2024, and in 2025 he had ankle and hamstring issues — plus a switch from tackle to guard — and didn't play a single snap.
Neal was a top 10 pick because he is a mammoth human being who had extreme athleticism coming out of college (at Alabama). In fact, he came in at No. 1 on Bruce Feldman's "freaks" list in 2021, with the following writeup:
Coaches and scouts rave about Neal’s flexibility and power. That flexibility is evident in his jaw-dropping split-leg box jump he tweeted last month. But coaches say that rare flexibility for such an enormous man is also evident in his ability to not only strike a defender and move him off the line but to get under much shorter guys and lift them off the ground.
“At his size, he is the most impressive lower body power athlete we have ever seen,” Alabama director of sports science Matt Rhea said. “His jumping power is in the top 1 percent we have ever measured. At 350 pounds, he routinely hits box jumps at 48 inches.”
Here's the split-leg box jump Feldman referenced:
I pulled a hamstring just watching that.
In 2024 the Eagles signed the 11th overall pick in the 2020 draft in Mekhi Becton. That worked out. In 2025 they traded for the 15th overall pick in the 2022 draft in Kenyon Green. That did not work out. If the Eagles were to take another low-risk shot on a highly drafted bust once again this offseason, Neal would fit that profile.
One difference is that Jeff Stoutland is no longer the Eagles' offensive line coach. To be determined if the Eagles can develop linemen like they did under Stoutland's watch. But I don't think they'll stop taking fliers on these kinds of players just because they have a new offensive line coach.
Salyer was a Chargers third-round pick who started at LT as a rookie and at RG in his second season, but has since become a bench player. He has played every offensive line spot, except C.
| Year | LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
| 2022 | 988 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1144 | 0 |
| 2024 | 57 | 20 | 0 | 260 | 1 |
| 2025 | 250 | 0 | 0 | 157 | 42 |
Here he is against the Raiders last season:
Jamaree Salyer pass block snaps vs Raiders wk 13. pic.twitter.com/WGPnBCkcFb
— Powder Blue Blood (@pwdrblueblood) December 2, 2025
If Salyer doesn't land somewhere where he has a chance to start, the Eagles would make sense as a place where he can build his value for free agency in 2027.
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