March 14, 2026
Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images
Howie Roseman and the Eagles still have work to do in free agency.
Before the start of free agency we ranked the top five short-term positional needs for the Eagles to fill with competent players so they didn't have to reach for needs in the draft. We identified tight end, edge defender, cornerback, wide receiver, and safety, in that order.
Let's review what the Birds have done at each spot, and what is left to do.
The Eagles entered free agency with only Cameron Latu under contract for the 2026 season, and it felt like there was a pretty good chance they would not retain 2026 TE1 Dallas Goedert and TE2 Grant Calcaterra.
However, the Eagles re-signed Calcaterra 🤷♂️, and it is now looking like the Eagles will also re-sign Goedert, partly because doing so will allow them to avoid his accumulation of dead money to count toward their salary cap this season.
They also signed 31-year-old blocking tight end Johnny Mundt.
The Eagles' depth chart at tight end will look something like this if indeed they bring Goedert back:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Dallas Goedert (presumably) | Johnny Mundt | Grant Calcaterra | Cameron Latu | E.J. Jenkins | Jaheim Bell |
Are the Eagles good to go for now at tight end? Assuming Goedert is back on a one-year deal, the Eagles will be in a similar situation that they were in a year ago, with a tight end group full of players on expiring contracts.
They surprisingly did not address the position in the draft last year. I would be stunned if they failed to address it again.
But as far as free agency goes, the only move likely to come is a re-signing of Goedert, because the rest of the decent available tight ends have already been picked clean.
The Eagles prioritized getting a new deal done with Jaelan Phillips, who they had dealt for at the 2025 trade deadline. However, the Panthers signed Phillips to an absurd four-year deal worth $120 million, and the Eagles were right to walk away from that price tag.
However, the loss of Phillips left a hole, as the Eagles had just Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, and someone named Jose Ramirez left on the edge.
Late on Thursday night, they got a deal done with former Falcon Arnold Ebiketie, whom they also had interest in at the 2025 trade deadline. Ebiketie signed a one-year deal worth $7.3 million, with $4.3 million guaranteed. At that money, he would have to be absolutely atrocious in training camp not to make the team. And even then he probably would anyway. So pencil him in on your 53-man roster projections.
It is also expected that Brandon Graham will sign with the team once again in 2026.
Depth chart:
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Nolan Smith | Arnold Ebiketie | Jose Ramirez |
| Jalyx Hunt | Brandon Graham (presumably) |
Are the Eagles good to go for now at edge defender? Smith had a breakout season in 2024, but an injury-challenged 2025. Hunt had a breakout 2025 and became a legitimate NFL starting-quality player. If those two guys play to their potential in 2026, that's a nice duo. But they are both undersized, and so is Ebiketie.
The edge defender position would look a lot better with Phillips in there, even if Ebiketie has talent and a chance to be a positive contributor.
But also, the Eagles could use a bigger edge, and I don't think they'll rely on the draft to find one. It feels like they could add one more edge either in free agency or via trade.
The Eagles' plan heading into 2025 training camp was to hope that Kelee Ringo had developed into starting-caliber corner in his third NFL season, and if he hadn't that Adoree' Jackson was there as a fallback option. That was not going to be their plan this offseason.
Reading the tea leaves, the Eagles are highly likely to have an offense-heavy draft this year. If a great corner prospect falls and has no business being available when the Eagles are picking, sure, they could take one, but it was always much more likely that they'll address the offensive line, receiver, etc.
That means that addressing the corner position would have to happen during free agency, which is what happened.
The Eagles' biggest free agent acquisition this offseason was Riq Woolen, who signed a one-year deal worth $12 million. At that money, he'll almost certainly be the team's third cornerback, behind Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, with DeJean playing outside corner in base defense, and moving inside to the slot with Woolen playing outside in nickel.
The Eagles also retained Michael Carter, and signed Jonathan Jones, and they still have Kelee Ringo, Jakorian Bennett, and Mac McWilliams under contract.
Their depth chart is full:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Quinyon Mitchell | Kelee Ringo | Jakorian Bennett | Tariq Castro-Fields |
| Riq Woolen | Jonathan Jones | Mac McWilliams | Ambry Thomas |
| Cooper DeJean | Michael Carter |
Are the Eagles good to go for now at cornerback? Yes, although Woolen, Ringo, Jones, Carter, and Bennett are all scheduled to be free agents next offseason. I could see the Eagles drafting a corner to develop as high as, saaayyyy, Round 3, but they don't need anymore corners short-term, for now.
Jahan Dotson left in free agency, as expected, and he'll actually qualify toward the comp pick formula, which is a pleasant surprise.
But the elephant in the room is A.J. Brown, who I still very much believe will be traded at some point this offseason, whether that's today, next week, during the draft, or sometime after June 1.
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
| A.J. Brown (for now) | Johnny Wilson | Quez Watkins |
| DeVonta Smith | Danny Gray | |
| Darius Cooper | Britain Covey |
Are the Eagles good to go for now at wide receiver? It's a strong rookie wide receiver class this year, and I'd be shocked if the Eagles don't select one in the first two days of the draft. But the Eagles still also need some kind of competent vet to add to the mix, even if they keep Brown.
Reed Blankenship got a significant bump in pay, signing a three-year, $24.75 million deal with the Texans. At $8.25 million per year, the Eagles probably could have afforded that, but seemingly did not try to match.
The Eagles have one starting spot at safety pretty much locked in with 2025 second-round pick Andrew Mukuba, but there have to be concerns about his durability.
Otherwise, Sydney Brown has not lived up to his potential, while undrafted guys like Andre' Sam and Brandon Johnson are unproven.
It feels like the Eagles need a safety every year around this time, and this year is no different. I'm not even sure who to temporarily place in the first-team defense here on the depth chart:
| 1 | 2 |
| Andrew Mukuba | Sydney Brown |
| Andre' Sam | Brandon Johnson |
Are the Eagles good to go for now at safety? The Eagles could still re-sign Marcus Epps, but even then a starting safety duo of Epps and Mukuba isn't good enough, in my opinion, even with one of the best cornerback situations in the NFL. They still have work to do here.
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