Last season the Eagles had one of the best rosters in recent history. Not just for the Eagles, but for the entire NFL. It is why they went on such a dominant run to the Super Bowl. They were top 5 on both sides of the ball. Their offense was near unstoppable, and their defense put up historic sack numbers. Despite not blitzing at a high rate. Sadly, that did not equate to a Super Bowl. the defense came up short in the Super Bowl vs the Chiefs. They couldn’t even get a single stop in the second half. And now they enter the offseason with a ton of important free agents. Putting them in a tough position if they want to carry over this season’s success.
The Eagles have a ton of players entering free agency. Most of them are on the defensive side of the ball. Names like Javon Hargrave, Brandon Graham, CJ Gardner-Johnson, Fletcher Cox, TJ Edwards, Kyzir White, Marcus Epps, and James Bradberry. Just to name a few. The Eagles defense was so good because they made some smart 1-year prove-it signings with guys to bolster the roster. The upside is it let them create a stacked team. But we are living the downside right now. Because after great seasons, those guys are all free agents. And it could mean the defense looks very different next year.
And to discuss which of those free agents could return, and which may be wearing another jersey soon, Jeff McLane from the Philly Inquirer joined The Anthony Gargano Show. He broke down the Eagles’ chances to resign some of those guys, as well as discussing which guys are pretty much already out the door. Anthony asked him player by player to see what McLane’s thoughts were on each name.
Here is what Jeff McLane had to say.
Javon Hargrave
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
“He will be one of the top Defensive Interior Linemen in this free-agency group. I wonder if they will be able to afford him. He’s younger than Fletcher Cox. So I think the Eagles will make more of an effort to retain Hargrave than Cox. Although if Cox is going to take less. And that’s within their structure of what they want to do in terms of the cap and maybe that’s that’s who they end up bringing back. But I think they prioritize Hargrave… I think he will be priority number one on the defensive side of the ball.”
Brandon Graham
(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
“Brandon may just step in and say, hey, let’s do this. Let’s get this done. He had a good year. The fewer snaps probably benefited him. And that’s what’s going to have to happen here if you’re going to come back. I mean, my expectation going into all this was that Graham would definitely be back. But I don’t think it’s like 100% solid.”
CJ Gardner-Johnson
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
“He can’t bring everybody back. He’s lowered the expectations by saying that. That being said, he still has room here. He still has a lot of maneuverings and he’s got savvy guys who know how to work this out and make it so that they can retain a few of those guys. And to me, Hargrave and C.J. are probably the two guys that they will prioritize.”
TJ Edwards and Kyzir White
(Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
“I don’t know if T.J. is going to break the bank on the open market, but he had a good year. Not a great Super Bowl, but he had a good overall year, and is important to what the Eagles do… That being said, they don’t have a lot of money. They’re going have to prioritize certain positions, and linebackers, are typically not one they prioritize.. It’s possible they don’t bring back either of those guys.”
James Bradberry
(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
“He’s going to want to get paid. I mean this is what’s going to happen. These guys are saying when you talk to them that they want to return. But I mean, when it comes down to it, ultimately they’re going to get where they’re going to go where they get top dollar. And I think that’s going to be the case with James Bradberry.”
