March 13, 2024
Through the first two days of free agency the Philadelphia Eagles have been busy, but there's still work to do. Let's take a look at their remaining checklist.
Back in early February, we identified the Eagles' five biggest team needs in free agency as linebacker, safety, running back, wide receiver, and quarterback. We did not include edge rusher because it was unknown at the time that they intended on replacing Haason Reddick and/or Josh Sweat for whatever reason. We'll call that the sixth need. In my view, they secured three of those spots so far:
• Safety: They signed Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to a three-year deal. He will line up opposite Reed Blankenship on the back end, and also has the versatility to play in the slot should Sydney Brown recover from his ACL tear and prove to be a capable starter. Perfect fit. Could the Eagles add another decent safety if that market becomes depressed and there's value to be had? Sure, but if they make no more moves at safety in free agency that would be acceptable.
• Running back: They went a little out-of-character, signing Saquon Barkley to a three-year deal, securing their three-down back. They should be done there in free agency, at least in terms of adding outside players.
• Edge rusher: They signed Bryce Huff to a three-year deal, and added edge defender / off-ball linebacker tweener Zack Baun for depth. More moves are coming here with their own edge rushers (more likely parting with Josh Sweat than Haason Reddick at this point), but they could be done adding to the edges from the outside.
• 🚨 Linebacker 🚨: The free agent linebacker crop wasn't as strong as safety. The Eagles were in on a handful of linebackers early, but those guys signed with other teams. Many of the better linebackers — like Patrick Queen, Blake Cashman, Josey Jewell, Jordan Hicks, Eric Kendricks, Lavonte David, Willie Gay, and Anthony Walker — have already signed with other teams around the league. Guys like Jerome Baker, Devin White, Bobby Wagner, and Tyrel Dodson remain.
It will be interesting to see if the Eagles still like any of the remaining linebacker options on the market, or if they pivot to the trade market.
They could also look to re-sign Zach Cunningham, regardless of other moves made at linebacker.
• Wide receiver: The Eagles signed DeVante Parker on a veteran minimum deal, but he feels more like a lottery ticket than a guy the team can definitively count on to have a role in the offense this season. If this is to be the team's only move at receiver during free agency, that would be disappointing.
• Quarterback: Marcus Mariota left for Washington, so now the question is whether or not the Eagles think that last year's QB3, Tanner McKee, can become the QB2. If so, the Eagles could add a low-end backup quarterback to compete with a rookie draft pick and/or McKee. If not, then the Eagles will seek to bring in a more trustworthy, game-seasoned backup to definitively be the QB2.
• Cornerback: Cornerback always felt to me like a position that was more likely to be addressed in the draft than in free agency, but if the right fit is out there, then the Eagles could pounce. They need a starting slot corner, assuming that won't be Gardner-Johnson's primary position, and can use more depth.
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