With the Super Bowl now behind us, the season is over and the offseason begins. The Eagles have a lot of work to do, starting with filling out the offseason roster. Most of the guys now on the practice squad will likely get re-signed. And they'll likely add a few guys from outside the practice squad.
The Eagles have eighteen free agents they need to make decisions on. Zach Baun, Mekhi Becton, Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, and Kenny Gainwell being the bigger names. The Eagles will make offers to most of those guys at a price they feel is reasonable and fits their cap model. The offers will likely be a bit lower than the players could get by leaving in free agency.
Josh Sweat seems likely to eschew the Eagles' offer and test the market. I'm pretty much assuming he's gone. Bryce Huff (largely invisible in 2024 due to injuries) and rookie Jalyx Hunt can fill that void. Zach Baun and Mekhi Becton will be more interesting. Both could get more money elsewhere but both feel at home in Philly for the first time in their careers. I suspect the Eagles would like both of them back but at their price. If the players move on, Jeremiah Trotter Jr and Tyler Steen are ready to take over for them. Kenny Gainwell will likely take an offer elsewhere. Will Shipley is standing by to take over the backup RB role and might be better. Milton Williams could leave, but the Eagles have Moro Ojomo and Thomas Booker standing by.
Cornerback Isaiah Rodgers is an interesting guy. He could take over for Darius Slay (not a free agent but could be a cap casualty) if Slay leaves. But the Eagles have Kelee Ringo, Eli Ricks, and Cooper DeJean (now the nickel back) standing by if Rodgers leaves in free agency. Darius Slay won't be back on his current deal. I could see them re-work the deal though to make it more cap-friendly. He wants to play just one more year which makes him a bad value for other teams.
The Eagles have the cap space to sign a few of their guys and add a guy or two in free agency. Maybe get a guy in a trade? One of the Eagles scouts talking about this year's draft class said there were no generational talents in the draft like Barkley or Myles Garrett. The fact that he mentioned Myles Garrett unprompted implies the Eagles are looking at possibly getting him. That would be an impressive get.
The Combine starts on the 27th and that's typically when the groundwork for trades takes place. All the teams and their execs are together and players' agents are there also. You can expect a few deals to be done, or at least started then.
The 2024 season is now in the books and it was a great one for Philly. Now is when we start prepping for 2025. Not a lot of holes for the Eagles to fill. They've prepared a deep roster with solid backups ready to take over if need be.
In a perfect world, the Eagles would get Myles Garrett or find a way to move up in the draft to get Abdul Carter or Tyler Warren. Getting Abdul Carter would pretty much require him tearing something important (Achilles, ACL, etc.) between now and the draft. He won't make it out of the top five if he stays healthy. Carter is going to be a great one, but getting to him will be a challenge.
It's going to be an interesting offseason. Will Kellen Moore commit career suicide and take the Saints' job? Who will replace him? Who will he poach from the Eagles' coaching ranks if he leaves?
The NFL season never ends. It just goes through different phases. We're now in the roster-building phase. Get this right and the rest is a lot easier.
Fly!!! Eagles!!! Fly!!!