Ready…Set…Tamper

The offseason really gets going today when legal tampering starts at noon. Normally this is a very exciting time for Eagles fans. Howie Roseman is an aggressive GM and goes after star players. Today will likely be less exciting, with the Eagles focused more on keeping their own guys than chasing free agents.

Let’s look at the projected starting lineup before we talk about options. It is always helpful to know what you have and what you need.

WR – AJ Brown
WR – DeVonta Smith
WR –
TE –
LT – Jordan Mailata
LG – Landon Dickerson
C – Cam Jurgens
RG – Tyler Steen
RT – Lane Johnson

Edge – Nolan Smith
DT – Jalen Carter
NT – Jordan Davis
Edge – Jalyx Hunt
LB – Zack Baun
LB – Jihaad Campbell
SS –
FS – Drew Mukuba
CB – Quinyon Mitchell
CB –
NB – Cooper DeJean

You can see that there are some holes in the lineup. The Eagles could bring back their own guys at most of those spots. Receiver is the one place where they may want to upgrade on Jahan Dotson. He was adequate, but didn’t stand out in any way.

Now let’s talk about the open positions.

WR – It is really tough to discuss this without knowing how the AJ Brown situation will play out. If he’s back, all you need is a complementary player. If you move AJ, there is a major hole that needs to be addressed with a key resource (high pick or key free agent/trade). For now, let’s assume AJ stays. The Eagles might prefer to add a speedy receiver to help stretch the defense. Fran Duffy floated Brandin Cooks as an interesting option. He’s a proven veteran with good speed and the cost would be reasonable. Romeo Doubs might cost more than they want to spend, but he knows Sean Mannion and the system he wants to run. Gabe Davis doesn’t have top speed, but he was a good downfield receiver for the Bills and would be an interesting option.

TE – The cupboard is almost bare. The Eagles need to add several players. Expect this to be a combination of free agents and draft picks. Most people expect Dallas Goedert to leave in free agency. The Eagles do have some interest in bringing him back, but the price would have to be right. If DG leaves, there will be some options to replace him. Isaiah Likely is an undersized receiving TE who could be an interesting fit in the new offense. If they prefer more of a true 2-way TE, Cade Otton might make sense. David Njoku will turn 30 this summer. I don’t know that the Eagles would want an older player, but he’s a good receiver with consistent production.

Edge – The team has Smith and Hunt so there isn’t technically a hole in the lineup. This is a spot where you need more than just starters and the focus is on trying to re-sign Jaelan Phillips. Ian Rapoport just said there is “significant momentum toward a deal” for the Eagles to keep Jaelan Phillips in Philly. That would be a great start to the offseason. There is still no guarantee this gets done. If the Eagles have to replace Phillips they could go for veteran Bradley Chubb who has played for Vic Fangio. Odafe Oweh was really good for the Chargers last year and is in the prime of his career. He wouldn’t be cheap, but could be a nice addition.

S – Reed Blankenship has started the past three seasons for the Eagles. They would probably love to keep him around. The key here is cost. Blankenship is a solid starter, but he’s not a guy you can overpay. There may not be a great market for him so it’s possible the team can work something out with him. Blankenship will want to see what is available. This is a spot where the team could focus on the draft. There is a good safety class. I think the team would be smart to bring back Marcus Epps regardless. Sydney Brown is still in the mix, but he’s yet to show he can be more than a good STer.

CB – I don’t know what to expect here. Adoree Jackson started slow last year, but played better as the season went along. There is an argument to be made for bringing him back. The cost would be reasonable and he knows the system. He is older and his best days are behind him so it’s not an ideal move. EJ Smith floated the idea of the team going after Alontae Taylor, who is one of the top corners on the market. That would give the Eagles a dominant coverage group. I don’t think they’ll spend big, though, so that feels unlikely. There are good corners in the upcoming draft and the team could go for one of them, even as early as the first round. If the Eagles want to take an interesting chance, Kader Kohou played for Fangio in Miami. He’s coming off an ACL injury (last summer) and will be 100 percent for the upcoming season.

There is more uncertainty heading into this offseason than in any other that I can think of. There are a lot of moving pieces and it is really hard to predict what is going to happen because of that. The Eagles have some cap space, but not a lot. They have to be smart shoppers. That could mean a slow start to the offseason. But Howie is Howie and that means you never know what he’ll pull off.

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Here is an AJ update.

From The Insiders on @nflnetwork, If they #Eagles don’t trade A.J. Brown in the near future — and right now the momentum seems to have stalled — it’s not for lack of discussion and attempted creativity to manage a huge salary cap hit. pic.twitter.com/rFPGzb52Uj

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 8, 2026

Still a very confusing situation.

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Big Man Gets A Big Deal

The Eagles finally got going with an offseason move. It wasn’t a trade for Maxx Crosby. He’s now a Raven. AJ Brown hasn’t gone anywhere. He’s still an Eagle. The Eagles did lock up one of their own.

BREAKING: The #Eagles and star DT Jordan Davis are finalizing a 3-year, $78M extension with $65M guaranteed, per sources.

A massive $26M-per-year deal done by @WinSportsGroup for Davis, making him the highest-paid NT in NFL history. pic.twitter.com/WX2bP6YsC9

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 7, 2026

Good move. You always want to pay your own players when possible. Davis earned this deal with a strong showing in 2025. His career got off to a slow start. He was never a bad player, but just didn’t show signs of being the difference-maker the Eagles hoped for when they took him 13th overall back in 2022.

One of the problems with Davis is that he wasn’t in good enough shape. Vic Fangio took over the defense in 2024 and Davis started to improve his conditioning. He played better as that season went along and then finally had his breakout in 2025. Davis finished with 72 total tackles, 4.5 sacks and 8 TFLs. You may also remember him running back a blocked FG for a TD.

Davis finally had the stamina to take advantage of his ability. He was a stout run defender, but also made his share of hustle plays.

Jordan Davis came out Week 1 last year like a new player and maintained through the entire season, best football of his career

Pays off with a huge extension and – in my opinion – #Eagles are giving him this deal because they think there’s even more he’s ready to tap into https://t.co/dvGUkkV1xX

— Fran Duffy (@FDuffyNFL) March 7, 2026

I think Fran makes a great point there. Davis hasn’t reached his ceiling. The best is yet to come. Or at least it should be. Let’s hope he celebrates his new deal with some grilled chicken, kale and ice water.

As for the economics of the deal, the numbers are a bit skewed. You combine this extension and his fifth-year option and Davis is under contract for the next four years for just over $90M. That still buys a lot of Funyuns to be sure.

The move should help to open up some additional cap space for this season. The Eagles need that to give them enough room to make a few deals. They won’t be overly active, but Howie is going to get some stuff done.

The most pressing piece of business is still figuring out AJ’s future. The Bills and Ravens are out of the running. That would seem to leave the Pats and Chargers as the likely suitors. New England is reportedly not willing to give up a first round pick. If the offer isn’t good enough, AJ isn’t going anywhere. That would make plenty of Eagles fans happy. The key is whether it would make AJ happy. We’ll have to wait and see about that.

The next item for Howie is trying to keep Jaelan Phillips. We haven’t heard anything on that front. As much as Phillips likely wants to stay in Philly, his agent wants him to at least test the market. Khalil Mack just signed a 1-year deal to stay with the Chargers. He got $18M guaranteed.

The edge rusher market is very much up in the air right now. Mack and Crosby are gone. Trey Hendrickson will have several teams coming after him. The Vikings have let it be known that Jonathan Greenard is available via trade. Odafe Oweh and Phillips are two of the key targets. You just don’t know if people will throw huge money at them. Each player has some question marks. Let’s hope Howie can get something worked out with Phillips.

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Jalen Carter’s name was mentioned as part of some trade discussions. This may or may not mean anything. First, 31 other teams can call and ask about a player. That doesn’t mean he’s being shopped. The other thing to remember is that the Eagles get talked about a lot because of Howie’s reputation as a deal-maker. Not every report that comes out is true. Agents and other teams leak info to help create a market at times.

It is possible that the Eagles talked to other teams about Carter. If someone made a huge offer, Howie might be tempted. You’d rather not give up a special DT, but economics are a factor. The Eagles will have to extend Carter sometime soon. And he won’t be cheap.

Always consider your options.

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I’m surprised the Eagles haven’t cut Michael Carter yet. They can create cap room by letting him go. Normally the Eagles cut those guys quickly so they can hit the market and find a new job. The fact they are hanging onto him makes me wonder if they are trying to get him to re-work his deal and stick around.

Carter offers depth at nickel and safety.

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Things will get going Monday at noon so there is still lots of work to be done on Sunday. We don’t know if the Eagles will get anything finished, but you can bet Howie and his staff won’t be sitting around watching college basketball.

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Finally, for those who want an update on my personal situation…here you go.

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