Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Market Watch

Posted March 7th, 2025 | 3 Comments »

Free agency starts next week, but there is a lot of action going on right now. Some players are getting new deals and others are getting cut. This has been a busy few days and you can expect that to continue in the build-up to the official start of the league year.

The Eagles don’t have a lot of money to spend. They are preparing to lose some key players next week. To make the best of that situation the Eagles want comp picks in 2026. In order for that to happen, the Eagles can’t sign free agents to big deals. If you lose a player and sign one, they cancel each other out. There is a loophole. Players who are cut do not count against the comp pick formula. The Eagles will likely pursue some of  those guys.

Here are some potential names of interest from recent cuts.

DT Jonathan Allen
DT Dre’Mont Jones
DT Javon Hargrave

Allen is the best player, which also means he’ll cost the most. He would be fun to pair with Jalen Carter.

Jones makes the most sense from an age/cost/ability perspective. He also has experience playing in Vic Fangio’s scheme. Hargrave was terrific for the Eagles from 2020-2022, but he’s now 32 and coming off a season when he only played in three games. He feels like the kind of guy you sign at midseason after an injury.

Edge Harold Landry
Edge Joey Bosa

Landry will turn 29 this summer. He has 19.5 sacks and 36 QB hits over the past two seasons. He could make sense on a 3-year deal. Bosa was once a disruptive pass rusher, but he’s struggled to stay healthy. And he would be an awkward fit in Philly. I don’t see him headed this way. It would kind of be fun to sign him and make his brother Nick from the Niners suddenly have to hate him.

There are still two big names on the trade market.

  • Trey Hendrickson
  • Myles Garrett

Reports say that Hendrickson would cost a late 2nd. Then you would have to pay him big bucks. Garrett is still in a showdown with the Browns. He wants out and they don’t want to let go of him. We’ll have to wait and see how things play out.

I’m sure part of Howie would love to go get an elite pass rusher, but I just don’t know if the resources and money are worth it for this team. Never say never, as we’ve learned over the years.

There are still free agents that can be signed if the team wants to go that route. More importantly, there is a deep, talented draft class of DL. The Eagles are going to have a lot of options. It really comes down to how Howie wants to address the roster holes. It is interesting to see teams making cuts like this. They are creating cap space, but this isn’t a compelling free agent class. Is this just teams trying to save money? Do teams just see a really good draft class and want younger/cheaper options?

The Eagles are benefiting from these players becoming available. It gives them more options. You can bet Howie and his staff knew most, if not all, of these guys would get cut. They have reports on the players and know which guys are worth talking to. This is a crazy time of the year for players and agent so nothing may happen until next week.

Because Howie has drafted so well, the Eagles have plenty of young DL. Age isn’t a critical factor for them. They can add older players if they want without having to worry about getting too old. The Eagles can focus on adding the players they think are the best fit. Cost is important, of course.

I would love to know if Howie sees DT or Edge as the bigger need right now. Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Moro Ojomo give you three good DTs. Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt and Bryce Huff give you three good pass rushers. I realize Hunt hasn’t shown that over the course of a full season and Huff didn’t show it last year. I think Hunt has a really bright future.

Hunt showed tremendous improvement from September to the Super Bowl. He went from raw to key part of the rotation. The only real question now is if the Eagles think he is ready to start or should still be viewed as a key backup.

Howie said he’s not ready to give up on Huff. He said the same thing about Nakobe Dean at this time last year and that worked out well. Huff/Dean isn’t the same set of circumstances, but I still think Huff has been a good enough pro player that it is too early to give up on him. If you can get Huff back to playing like this, you’re in good shape on the edge. You’re already paying the guy. It would be great if he could become a reliable part of the rotation.

Sure would be nice to have that version of Huff in 2025.

I’m curious to see what Howie and the front office do. They have a good set of players already in place and plenty of good options.

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In a recent mock draft, Fran Duffy had the Eagles taking edge rusher Nic Scourton. He projected a trade back to the early 2nd round.

36) Philadelphia (Jacksonville) – EDGE Nic Scourton – Texas A&M

Scourton was named first-team All-SEC this year after leading the Big Ten in sacks the year before. A power rusher who has experience dropping in coverage while also being a competitive run defender and lining up all over the front? He seems like a nice fit for Vic Fangio’s defensive line.

I wouldn’t object to this. Scourton is similar in size to Hunt at 6-3, 257. Scourton is a more experienced/skilled rusher and should be able to contribute right away.

Scourton played somewhere in the 280 range last year, but lost weight for the Combine. He would be best suited to play in the 260 range in the NFL. He’s got the frame to support that weight and still be a good athlete.

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Big Money Baun

Posted March 5th, 2025 | 2 Comments »

Christmas came early this year. Eagles fans had one huge wish for the offseason. Please find a way to keep Zack Baun. Well, Howie listened.

Hell yes. I am a happy man.

I remember watching Baun’s press conference after he signed with the Eagles. I was very impressed with how professional he was. He also seemed “real”, like he could be your neighbor who is an accountant or is a sales rep for some company.

Then we found out the Eagles would play him at ILB. That got me more curious than excited. We then heard reports of him looking good in practice. After watching bad LB play in 2023 it was hard not to get fired up at the thought of a good LB. I did get excited after watching him play. There was still a question of just how good he was. I sure didn’t expect him to be an All-Pro. But that’s just what happened.

Baun had an amazing season. He led the team with 151 tackles. He added 11 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, 5 FF and 1 INT. He wasn’t just a tackling machine, Baun was a playmaker. He was just as good in the postseason, making even more big plays. His pick of Patrick Mahomes late in the first half of the Super Bowl helped put that game out of reach.

Baun was just as good off the field. He proved to be the kind of leader that Vic Fangio needed for his defense. Baun could get fired up and emotional, but could also stay focused and be all-business.

One of the things that made Baun so good was his versatility. He could line up on the LOS and give the offense a different look. He could go cover in the flat. He could stay in the middle and stuff inside runs. He also showed the ability to run with receivers down the seam. Baun could do it all.

There were some skeptics who thought Baun would sign elsewhere. The Eagles don’t traditionally pay big money to off-ball linebackers. Baun had a great season and might be going for the biggest offer. He is 28 years old and won’t have another big contract after this one. This was going to be Baun’s chance to cash in.

Apparently Baun decided that sticking with the Eagles was important to him. He had great teammates and a brilliant defensive coordinator. He played on the best defense in the league and just won a Super Bowl. Baun might have gotten a bit more money on the open market, but he probably wouldn’t have been as happy. Luckily he decided to stay.

As for the Eagles, they normally don’t throw big money at LBs because there are usually questions. Will the player fit the scheme? Is he a good teammate/leader? Can the player be a difference-maker? The Eagles knew the answers to these questions so this didn’t feel like a risky move to them. There isn’t a lot of mystery.

Age is probably the biggest issue with Baun. LBs don’t tend to age well. At the same time, Baun wasn’t an ILB in New Orleans and he wasn’t a starter so there isn’t the same level of wear ‘n tear on him. This feels like a limited risk and one that is sure worth taking.

Extending Saquon Barkley and re-signing Zack Baun were probably the biggest moves of the offseason. When you have star players, you can focus on keeping them happy and not chasing players from other teams as much. There is still the possibility of trading for Myles Garrett, but that doesn’t feel likely to me.

The offseason is off to a phenomenal start and the Eagles haven’t added anyone from outside. How crazy is that? They will make moves, but Howie did stress the need to be patient. Don’t expect a bunch of movement early next week. It might happen, but the Eagles may have to sit back and let other teams go chasing the hot free agents. The Eagles will likely be more measure with their plans and moves.

Thank you Howie. And thank you Zack!

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