Eagles Go Quiet On First Day Of Free Agency. Now What?

Uh, Howie Roseman, are you up, man?

Free agency is well underway around the NFL. Multiple players signing with new teams, multiple teams spending well over hundreds of millions of dollars on all sorts of players and all sorts of positions.

However, one thing hasn’t happened. The Eagles haven’t made a single free agency signing. Yes, Howie Roseman of all people has yet to hand out one single free agent contract to a player. The Eagles are one of four teams that haven’t made an external addition during free agency so far, joining the Seahawks, Broncos, and Jaguars.

Now, it’s not like the Eagles don’t have money to spend on players; they do. It’s not much, but with the right moves, the Eagles can get back up into the $30 million range and sign multiple free agents for the right price. But why haven’t they gone shopping for anything?

And while they weren’t shopping, multiple players who were a part of the 2025 team have come and gone and signed with brand new teams for this season and beyond. So far, Nakobe Dean and Reed Blankenship have both jumped to the AFC and signed three-year deals, with Dean signing with the Raiders for $36 million and Blankenship signing for $24.75 million.

Jahan Dotson also saw his way out, signing with the Falcons on a two-year, $15 million deal, but the biggest shock had to come from Jaelan Phillips. Phillips, a standout edge rusher who was acquired by the Eagles at the trade deadline, had a stellar nine games in an Eagles uniform.

Phillips went into free agency and was expected to be a top name around the entire league, but the Eagles still felt that they had the money and the advantage of being able to talk to him before other teams, to get a deal done and keep Phillips in Philadelphia.

However, that didn’t happen as Phillips didn’t take long to make his decision in free agency, signing a four-year, $120 million deal with the Carolina Panthers. Phillips $30 million AAV is the highest any free agent has signed so far this free agency, and makes him the eighth current edge rusher in the NFL to earn $30 million per season.

That was a big shocker and a big loss for the Eagles, who expected Phillips to be in the $22-25 million range and they offered hima contract somewhere in that range. The Panthers came out of nowhere, blowing that number out of the water, making it a no-brainer for Phillips to sign that contract.

It’s not like the Eagles haven’t tried to sign players; they tried and have been outbid by teams with bigger cap numbers and have offered players contracts they feel are too expensive for their liking. It’s the sad truth of being championship contenders: you can’t pay everyone. It was evident for the Eagles last year, and it has continued to roll over this season.

So they’ve struck out on their own players and haven’t made a single push at a player from the other team. What’s the holdup? The answer to that can only be answered by Roseman, but for now, it seems like the Eagles are trying to wait out the market and try to find cheap deals for positions.

The biggest holes with this group are the edge rushers and the defensive backs room, and the currently empty tight end room. At the edge, the Eagles have just Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith under contract for 2026. Now, obviously, they’re going to make moves for free agents, but the team has been adamant about adding a difference-maker at the position for next season. You saw it in the chase for the former Raider Maxx Crosby and in their pursuit of Phillips.

Edge rushers have been the talk of town on day one of free agency, earning nearly $450 million in total on contracts, and four players making over $16 million a year next season. Trey Hendrickson will make that five when he signs, but after Hendrickson, the market goes south.

Should the Eagles go after Hendrickson? If they find a dollar amount that fits their budget absolutely, then it gets down to the nitty-gritty for suitable enough edge rushers. If they lose out on him, it’ll likely be a dumpster dive for depth pieces, and they have to hope they can draft someone to fill the void in April.

The final hope is that they can convince Bradley Chubb to resign with his former head coach, Vic Fangio. However, the problem is that he hasn’t been released despite reports from over a month ago that he would be when the new year started. The Eagles nearly traded for Chubb at the deadline this past year but opted for Phillips. If released, Chubb to Philly would be the favorite and rightfully so, as that would be the semi-huge move that they want to make.

As for the secondary, this team is in big need of a starting free safety and an outside corner opposite Quinyon Mitchell. Losing Blankship hurts the safety depth, as currently, that means Sydney Brown would be starting up top. Andrew Mukuba will be the other starter, but they need another guy in the sky to help Mukuba, who is also coming off an injury. They could find someone in the draft, but relying on two young players to man your back secondary doesn’t sound like fun.

One position they’ll likely not draft, at least early, is cornerback. The Adoree’ Jackson signing last year was good, not great, and Keele Ringo is not an option. Cooper DeJean is staying in the slot, so you need someone outside. I think going cheap but not super cheap is the move, and the outside cornerbacks are still plentiful and not bank-breaking. Cam Taylor-Britt, Greg Newsome, and Riq Woolen are all guys that come to mind and could all be looking for prove-it deals on a champisonhip contending teams.

And finally, you have tight end, a room that currently has zero players in it, unless you consider part fullback Cameron Latu a tight end. The blessing of losing Phillips has to be that the Eagles have money available, and it seems like Dallas Goedert could very likely be returning to Philadelphia for next season.

The highest a tight end has been paid in free agency so far is $13.3 million to Isaiah Likely. Teams aren’t paying tight ends as much as thought, and for the Eagles, that’s good. Goedert has high odds of returning for somewhere around Likely’s number, and that’d be a win for Philadelphia.

While it’s been quiet, things can change in a flash, and if there’s anyone who can start a fire with free agents and trades, it’s Howie Roseman.

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