This is an exercise in patience and understanding and evaluation, of reading the free agent market, and working relationships with players and agents and nobody plays it better than Eagles Executive Vice President/General Manager Howie Roseman. Which players project the best for this football team for 2023 and beyond and who fit into a budget that far exceeds the immediate picture people, on the outside, see?
Welcome to the 2023 season, officially underway now, and we know that by the fingernails nibbled, the panic texts sent, and the emotion-filled tweets posted. Things are moving quickly as teams agree to terms with players and the dollar reports are filed and hot takes are made.
What have the Eagles done here in the first few days? Where are they going in an offseason that – do you need a reminder here? – goes long and far beyond March and then April and then May and so on and so on. This first week has been a doozy, that's for sure. The Eagles entered it and the conventional thinking from the outside was that a star-studded roster that won 16 regular-season and playoff games in 2022 would take a beating in free agency and that Roseman would have some major rehab work, particularly on the defensive side of the line of scrimmage.
Hold on there ...
See, you just have to let things play out and that is something at which Roseman excels. He's cool, calculated, and he and his team – and, to be sure and this is very important, there is a team here making all of this happen – look at every scenario and try to work in every eventuality and always leave themselves room for maneuverability. To be sure, keeping flexibility is critical in building a roster.
The roster, then, is taking shape. It's just the start, mind you, but we've seen some substantial development and it downright exciting. An overview:
1. Extending Darius Slay, keeping James Bradberry to maintain one of the NFL's best cornerback rooms
Gigantic, right?
An All-Pro player last season and a standout throughout his career, Bradberry figured to have a strong market in free agency. He wanted the right situation, and that fit included a strong compensatory package, sure, but it was also important that Bradberry liked the roster and the organization and the structure of the defense. In short, he wanted to gain a top-of-the-market contract and play for a contending team and an organization that does things the right way. Glad to have you back, James. Philadelphia, with its rabid fan base and a team that is, yes, a contender once again, is the right place for a player who lets his play do the talking. It just works with Bradberry here.
So, the Eagles have Bradberry together again with Darius Slay, who received a two-year extension of his own on Thursday. I know, I know, the social media, the emotion, the story that we must here from Slay and Roseman as an example that you never say never, right? Those two pair together on the outside at cornerback and with Avonte Maddox at nickel, and with some young cornerbacks like Zech McPhearson and Josh Jobe developing and, geez, this is a terrific cornerback room once again and if the Eagles want to add to it in an NFL Draft in which they currently hold the 10th and 30th picks, everyone would understand.
Great, great developments here and so important in the pass-heavy NFL.
2. Veterans Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox stay to add leadership, depth and production for the defense
You win with firepower and depth of talent and production at the line of scrimmage and that is exactly what the Eagles' plan is here. They are always going to work to win in the trenches and retaining defensive end Brandon Graham and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox helps. They both played well last season – Graham hit double digits in quarterback sacks for the first time in his glorious career, with 11, and Cox was strong inside with seven sacks and he was versatile when the Eagles played a "heavy" package to align against the run. They're both leaders and they are winners and they are going to be part of rotations that should again be disruptive.
And by keeping both players with one-year deals that work for both players and team, the Eagles retain the flexibility to add to the defensive line in the days and weeks and months ahead. Plus, young players like Jordan Davis and Patrick Johnson and Kyron Johnson and others are going to be expected to step forward and compete for more time and add more production. Win-win moves here, keeping the veteran defensive linemen.
3. Eagles welcome back a Hall of Fame player at center
It starts up front on both sides of the ball and the Eagles got tremendous news when Jason Kelce tweeted on Monday that he was going to delay retirement and return for a 13th season in 2023.
That is phenomenal for an offense that scored a franchise-record 477 points and set several other team records including third-down conversion percentage and red zone touchdown efficiency.
"I really enjoy this team, this organization, the coaches. It was a fun year last year and I'm looking forward to another fun one this year," Kelce said after signing his contract on Wednesday.
This ensures that at least four of the five starters along the offensive line – right guard Isaac Seumalo remains on the market – will return with Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Jeff Stoutland leading the way. An All-Pro for the fifth time in his career last season, Kelce remains on top of his game and his connection with quarterback Jalen Hurts is an instrumental piece of the offense's success.
4. Fortifying the running back position the right way
Best of luck to Miles Sanders, who hit the market and received the kind of deal from Carolina that he deserved after his Pro Bowl season of 2022. The Eagles knew there would be some losses (more below), and that's the product of putting together such a great roster and developing players and having them play so well. But the Eagles still have a deep and talented running back room that is still under construction.
Keeping Boston Scott, the jack-of-all-trades running back, was a smart move because Scott is just one of those "glue" guys who does everything right and who wins for you. Signing Rashaad Penny to a high-upside deal is a move you hopefully look at later in the year and say, "What a brilliant piece of work" by the Eagles' personnel and contract negotiating team. Everyone agrees that Penny has a world of talent – he's averaged nearly 6 yards per carry in his five NFL seasons – and the only thing that has stopped him is an unfortunate injury history after a high-volume, hugely productive collegiate career at San Diego State.
Maybe a chance of scenery is what Penny needs for some better luck. Maybe the Eagles, who were so outstanding at keeping players healthy in 2022, will find a way to mitigate some of his injury risk. At any rate, adding Penny is a low-risk, high-reward move to a running back room that already had an emerging Kenneth Gainwell – we all could see as 2022 played out that he was ready for a larger role – and a young talent in Trey Sermon who is champing at the bit to show what he can do.
If you want open-ended competition, look no further than the Eagles' running back room. This is going to be something to see – and the kicker is that the Eagles have every bit of flexibility to add more, should they decide to do so. Can't wait to see how each of these players report to the NovaCare Complex later in the spring in the best shape of their lives and bring out the best in each other.
5. To those players who left, good luck and thank you
There are some losses to consider here, in addition to Sanders. Reserve tackle Andre Dillard snagged a sweet deal from Tennessee, and he will have a chance to win a starting job. Linebackers T.J. Edwards (Chicago) and Kyzir White (Arizona) found new homes. Safety Marcus Epps (Las Vegas) moves out West for a new beginning and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave hit paydirt in San Francisco. The Eagles wish them all the best of luck. It's tough to say goodbye to such quality players and great young men.
But the Eagles knew they would lose some talent and they also knew that, on the other end of that, they'll receive some compensatory selections in the 2024 NFL Draft. Remember, and this is a message you've heard many times here: Roseman has to keep one eye on the now and one eye on the future and both pictures are very exciting and very promising.
6. There is a whole lot more to do here
As breathless as this week has been, we are still in the infant stages of the 2023 offseason. The Eagles have shown over the year that roster building is a year-round endeavor and they have found a variety of ways to add contributors.
The headlines-grabbing signings have dominated the airwaves the last couple of days and there will still be a trickle of them to come, but largely the market will cool and players will sign one-year contracts and that is a prime place to add to the roster. So, the message here is that free agency is not over yet, not by a long shot. The Eagles have done great work to date and they know the talent they can still mine in the coming days.
There is also still an NFL Draft ahead and the Eagles have six picks total, including those two in Round 1 and four in the Top 100. That's significant firepower.
Stay patient. Be confident. Understand that the Eagles have a plan – and they have flexibility to work around that plan if need be. The 2023 roster is coming together and there is so much more ahead to be excited about.
4. Fortifying the running back position the right way
Best of luck to Miles Sanders, who hit the market and received the kind of deal from Carolina that he deserved after his Pro Bowl season of 2022. The Eagles knew there would be some losses (more below), and that's the product of putting together such a great roster and developing players and having them play so well. But the Eagles still have a deep and talented running back room that is still under construction.
Keeping Boston Scott, the jack-of-all-trades running back, was a smart move because Scott is just one of those "glue" guys who does everything right and who wins for you. Signing Rashaad Penny to a high-upside deal is a move you hopefully look at later in the year and say, "What a brilliant piece of work" by the Eagles' personnel and contract negotiating team. Everyone agrees that Penny has a world of talent – he's averaged nearly 6 yards per carry in his five NFL seasons – and the only thing that has stopped him is an unfortunate injury history after a high-volume, hugely productive collegiate career at San Diego State.
Maybe a chance of scenery is what Penny needs for some better luck. Maybe the Eagles, who were so outstanding at keeping players healthy in 2022, will find a way to mitigate some of his injury risk. At any rate, adding Penny is a low-risk, high-reward move to a running back room that already had an emerging Kenneth Gainwell – we all could see as 2022 played out that he was ready for a larger role – and a young talent in Trey Sermon who is champing at the bit to show what he can do.
If you want open-ended competition, look no further than the Eagles' running back room. This is going to be something to see – and the kicker is that the Eagles have every bit of flexibility to add more, should they decide to do so. Can't wait to see how each of these players report to the NovaCare Complex later in the spring in the best shape of their lives and bring out the best in each other.
5. To those players who left, good luck and thank you
There are some losses to consider here, in addition to Sanders. Reserve tackle Andre Dillard snagged a sweet deal from Tennessee, and he will have a chance to win a starting job. Linebackers T.J. Edwards (Chicago) and Kyzir White (Arizona) found new homes. Safety Marcus Epps (Las Vegas) moves out West for a new beginning and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave hit paydirt in San Francisco. The Eagles wish them all the best of luck. It's tough to say goodbye to such quality players and great young men.
But the Eagles knew they would lose some talent and they also knew that, on the other end of that, they'll receive some compensatory selections in the 2024 NFL Draft. Remember, and this is a message you've heard many times here: Roseman has to keep one eye on the now and one eye on the future and both pictures are very exciting and very promising.
6. There is a whole lot more to do here
As breathless as this week has been, we are still in the infant stages of the 2023 offseason. The Eagles have shown over the year that roster building is a year-round endeavor and they have found a variety of ways to add contributors.
The headlines-grabbing signings have dominated the airwaves the last couple of days and there will still be a trickle of them to come, but largely the market will cool and players will sign one-year contracts and that is a prime place to add to the roster. So, the message here is that free agency is not over yet, not by a long shot. The Eagles have done great work to date and they know the talent they can still mine in the coming days.
There is also still an NFL Draft ahead and the Eagles have six picks total, including those two in Round 1 and four in the Top 100. That's significant firepower.
Stay patient. Be confident. Understand that the Eagles have a plan – and they have flexibility to work around that plan if need be. The 2023 roster is coming together and there is so much more ahead to be excited about.
