March 14, 2024
After three days of free agency, the Philadelphia Eagles have secured potential impact players at edge rusher, safety, and running back, but they have not yet landed a starter at their most obvious, glaring need, linebacker.
First, a visual of the Eagles' depth at linebacker:
| 1 | 2 |
| Nakobe Dean | |
| Ben VanSumeren | Brandon Smith |
Basically you've got Dean, who has only played 225 snaps in his first two NFL seasons, and a couple of athletic special teams guys. They also signed Zack Baun, an edge rusher / off-ball linebacker hybrid, and they feel somewhat likely to also bring back 2023 starter Zach Cunningham. But obviously, a whole lot more needs to be done at linebacker.
After three days, most of the good available linebackers are gone. We'll list these guys in order of percentage of snaps played in 2023:
| LB | 2023 team | 2024 team |
| Bobby Wagner | Seahawks | Commanders |
| Demario Davis | Saints | Saints |
| Patrick Queen | Ravens | Steelers |
| Azeez Al-Shaair | Titans | Texans |
| Lavonte David | Buccaneers | Buccaneers |
| Kenneth Murray | Chargers | Titans |
| Eric Kendricks | Chargers | Cowboys |
| Jordan Hicks | Vikings | Browns |
| Josey Jewell | Broncos | Panthers |
| Jordyn Brooks | Seahawks | Dolphins |
| Blake Cashman | Texans | Vikings |
| Willie Gay, Jr. | Chiefs | Saints |
| Drue Tranquill | Chiefs | Chiefs |
| Anthony Walker | Browns | Dolphins |
• Jerome Baker: Baker is probably the most obvious name that makes sense for the Eagles, since he played for Vic Fangio in Miami last season. He's a good coverage linebacker with experience (94 games played, 82 starts) who just turned 27 in December. However, the Dolphins released Baker a week ago, thus giving him a head start on free agency, and the Eagles haven't shown any reported interest to date.
• Devin White: White had an incredible 2020 season, the year Bucs won the Super Bowl, when he had 140 tackles (15 for loss), 9 sacks, and 16 QB hits. He has outstanding speed, and can make plays sideline-to-sideline, but there are questions about his awareness and willingness to do the dirty work. He got benched during the Bucs' run to the playoffs last season. Enticing traits, but buyer beware.
• Tyrel Dodson: The Bills' loss of Tremaine Edmunds last season and an injury to Matt Milano forced Dodson into the lineup, and he played well, collecting 74 tackles (8 for loss), 2.5 sacks, 6 QB hits, a FF, and a couple of pass breakups while only playing 51 percent of the Bills' snaps. Also, grain of salt and whatnot, but he had stellar grades from PFF as both a run defender and in coverage. He's still only 25 years old and could be an ascending player.
After perusing NFL rosters, there simply aren't many teams loaded up with good linebacker depth. The Lions stood out as one, but they are a rare example. If the Eagles go the trade route, it's probably more likely that they'll wait until the draft plays out, when teams that draft linebackers might be more willing to deal vets, and the number of trade opportunities widen.
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