Ranking Importance of Re-Signing Each Pending Eagles Free Agent

The Eagles have their work cut out for them with 20 pending free agents that they will need to either re-sign or replace.

So where should the Eagles focus their efforts to extend players?

1. S Reed Blankenship

Blankenship gets the top spot as the Eagles only other options at the position beyond free agents are a soon-to-be second-year player coming off of a very significant injury and Sydney Brown, who is seemingly the exact same player as when the Eagles drafted him three years ago. That’s maybe one starter with the team right now and he’d be going into the season with just one season of NFL experience.

Blankenship is a team captain that’s spent the entirety of his NFL career with Philadelphia since signing as a free agent. He may not have the splash plays that the safeties like CJGJ have that can garner large contracts, but he has the solid play to hold down the back end of the defense well and allow others to make those plays. He won’t appear on most “top free agent” lists and that may ultimately play into the Eagles favor to allow them to retain him at a reasonable rate – a key move for a defense that will need to start investing money in extending their draft picks and will need to have some cost-controlled good players around to supplement them.

2. P Braden Mann

Mann is the other player that has an argument for the number one position on the list, though ideally the new offensive coordinator hire makes it so that the doesn’t see the field much.

Mann just completed another strong year punting with 43.1 yards per punt on average with an 11.1% touchback percentage and a 27.8% inside the 20-yard line percentage. The reason he doesn’t get the top spot is just that punters are generally more replaceable and they could bring in more competition among rookies in camp that would be able to start immediately than another position. Mann was top 10 in several categories, but not top five – something that should probably have the Eagles bring him back but is also unlikely to make another team go out of their way to offer him a significant raise to bring him in to replace their current punters.

3. S Marcus Epps

This one may not seem like such a huge deal, but Epps played a huge part in the defense this season when Mukuba went down to fill a hole that became very apparent when Brown got the playing time in the immediate wake of the injury.

As mentioned above, the Eagles have no safety depth unless they want to move DeJean out of the corner role and that would seem like a poor decision. Meanwhile, Epps was a castoff by the league at roster cuts but proved he still had gas left in the tank. It seems highly unlikely that teams will be lining up to guarantee him money and, if that is indeed the case, it would be a priority for the Eagles to offer him a contract to return next year as depth or a backup plan at perhaps the thinnest position on the roster.

4. TE Dallas Goedert

This may be a bit of a long shot, but tight end is a clear need for the Eagles in 2026 as Cam Latu is the only tight end on the roster under contract next season – and the Eagles barely used him in that role, relying on him more as a fullback and special teams player through much of the season.

Goedert can block, but is a strong receiving threat, coming off another season of nearly 600 yards and putting up a career-high 11 touchdowns. What puts Goedert lower on the list is the likely asking price – with Brown and Smith already signed to extensions, there probably isn’t the money to go around to Goedert as another team might offer him, so pricing and his other offers will really determine how much of a priority the Eagles will make him. It certainly seems like he’s looking for a pay day – or else he and the team would have agreed to a longer-term extension last offseason.

Goedert has a pretty extensive injury history and has never reached 1,000 yards, but expect GMs to realize he can reach that in an offense without so many mouths to feed. Plus, he’s coming off the healthiest year he’s had in at least the past four seasons – and certainly the healthiest since he came off his rookie contract.

5. OL Brett Toth

Toth has been with the Eagles for longer than most other players on the team. He’s had to grind repeatedly to get chances and stick with the team via practice squad or on the back of the roster, but his 2025 season was extremely impressive as he came in as the relief for Cam Jurgens – often he himself seeming to perform better than the center that started ahead of him.

Toth doesn’t seem likely to get a long-term deal or a high pay day, so the Eagles would be wise to bring him back as he seems to be the best backup the Eagles have had at the center position since Isaac Seumalo was backing up Jason Kelce. That seems even more important given Jurgens’ comments at the end of the season about his back injury still lingering and questions beginning to rise of if he will get back to being healthy or potentially needs to move to guard.

6. OT Fred Johnson

Last offseason seemed like Fred’s shot at starting somewhere. It did not go well and he ultimately got traded back to the Eagles instead of winding up being cut. His 2026 season didn’t go as well as his 2025 one with more stuggles backing up Lane Johnson than he had during the Eagles Super Bowl run, so it’s hard to imagine there’s a team that’s going to offer him more money now. That means the Eagles would be wise to re-sign the swing tackle, particularly with Lane Johnson’s health and future currently in question. It remains to be seen if Johnson would want to take the opportunity to start elsewhere instead, however – surely he’d like the opportunity, but it also seemed he wasn’t nearly as happy or content in the Jaguars locker room this past offseason as he has been in the Philadelphia locker room and that recent experience could be a major factor in his decision.

7. DE Jaelan Phillips

Phillips is quite possible the player on the list with the most potential impact for any team. The Eagles would be crazy to let him walk if the asking price is reasonable or a hometown discount. That said, he’s said his agent will handle the contracts during free agency and that points to he’s going wherever he gets top dollar. That seems like a recipe for him to head elsewhere and for the Eagles to get back a similar compensatory pick to what they gave up for him.

The Eagles do need edge rushers, but extensions to Nolan Smith, Ojomo, Jalen Carter, and Jordan Davis are probably a better use of the money on the defensive line this offseason while the Eagles look to add/develop some younger and more cost controlled talent at the position rather than investing all that money in the top free agent alone. Especially when the money Phillips could get offered might be enough to extend multiple of those players for future seasons.

8. LB Nakobe Dean

Dean is a good player, but his place on the priority list for the Eagles drops pretty significantly due to the team having just spent a first-round pick on a linebacker that rode the bench behind Dean. The team should absolutely monitor Dean’s market – and could swoop in if he gets lowball offers due to his extensive injury history making teams unwilling to commit much to him. At the right price, he would remain a solid upgrade and provide the Eagles a top-tier backup – but the initial plan for the Eagles should probably be to invest that money elsewhere and allow Jihaad Campbell to take the next step as the starter and look to claim another high comp pick for Dean’s departure.

9. DE Brandon Graham

Graham is a legend and his return from retirement went exceedingly well, particular with his ability to slide into a DT-like role and remain effective while providing versatility. This would seem like a no-brainer re-signing for the Eagles and it’s unlikely to be at a rate that hamstrings the team from other moves. What pushed Graham down the list is that he’s already made it clear he won’t be going elsewhere. He’s going to play for Philly or not at all. That makes it less of a priority for the team – particularly in the early stages – as they can make their other moves and see how the offseason develops before they officially bring him back.

10. FB Ben VanSumeren (Restricted Free Agent)

A restricted free agent, VanSumeren has a strong work ethic but has had terrible injury luck. As the team needs more blocking and could even benefit from VanSumeren serving as a TE 2 or 3 compared to the blocking they got last season from those positions it makes sense for the team to offer him a contract – particularly since there’s likely no need for guaranteed money on the deal to bring him back to compete to see if he can successfully fight for a roster spot again.

11. CB Adoree’ Jackson

Jackson was really good this year. He had a terrible first week and it seemed like half the fan base never forgave that despite his solid play locking down the outside with Quinyon Mitchell in the games subsequent to that. That said, he will turn 31 next year and had to leave about half of the games at times this year from getting shaken up on plays. In his tenth year, it seems like there’s only an increasing risk of that potential drop-off and it would seem difficult to rely on him alone given how often he left games this past season. Still, retaining someone familiar with the team as a potential starter or to bolster depth wouldn’t be a bad idea if he isn’t getting offers to start elsewhere or getting contract offers that would pay him at that level (and could potentially net the Eagles another compensatory pick), so this may be one that the Eagles keep a watch on.

12. EDGE Ogbonnia Okoronkwo

Okoronkwo was one of the Eagles reclamation projects for the season, but he never got a chance due to injury ending his season in the first game he started to get reps. He did speak to the media about how the locker room helped him with his recovery, so it seems like he connected there. If that’s the case, it might not be a bad idea for the Birds to kick the tires with him again and see if he can take off when given a chance when healthy. He shouldn’t be the Eagles primary plan, however.

13. QB Sam Howell

Howell didn’t see any game action for the Eagles after the team acquired him. They also didn’t re-sign rookie Kyle McCord to a futures deal, so Howell will get a look as the team will certainly want a third quarterback available.

The contract is big for the Eagles here as they are unlikely to want to spend much on a third quarterback and might look to bring him back if he has an interest in returning and doesn’t have other suitors willing to expend the capital for his services. His fate may also be tied to that of backup Tanner McKee and if there is another team out there willing to move the capital to acquire him from the Eagles and Philadelphia finding themselves in need of replacing their primary backup QB.

14. WR Jahan Dotson

Dotson has been effective as a third receiver when he actually receives looks, but the Eagles don’t utilize the position enough to invest money in the spot. Not to mention that the team has really taken a liking to UDFA Darius Cooper and should be getting back Johnny Wilson as two incumbents for the role next season. Meanwhile, Dotson has the pedigree that may get him a reasonable contract elsewhere and net the Birds a compensatory pick from a position they wouldn’t notice too much difference in.

15. OL Matt Pryor

The reunion with Pryor was more disappointing than anticipated. Bringing him back as a veteran seemed like it should have seriously helped with depth, but his play didn’t always provide that and left many fans holding their breath when he needed to come in – particularly at the times he entered as a tackle rather than a guard.

16. EDGE Josh Uche

Uche was a high-upside signing as the Eagles looked to get him back to the elite form he had just a few seasons ago. Instead, he was a bench-warmer who made no impact for the team and was largely a gameday inactive. There isn’t much of a reason for the Eagles to even look at him for a re-signing and he’d probably have more opportunity with another team.

17. TE Kylen Granson

Granson won’t cost much if the Eagles wanted to bring him back, but he was a sub-par blocker for someone that deep on the depth chart and it doesn’t seem like it should be a priority for the Eagles to bring him back – he didn’t offer anything that the Eagles couldn’t find in many other free agents.

18. RB AJ Dillon

Dillon hardly played, which made sense after Tank Bigsby’s arrival. The team could look to re-sign the vet to a minimum deal, but with three backs under contract already, it’s probably a better long-term outlook for them to bring in UDFA’s and younger guys who might be on the team for a few years if they can develop.

19. EDGE Azeez Ojulari

One of the more expensive free agent signings this offseason, Ojulari never made an impact for the Eagles. He’s probably expecting somewhat close to what he made last year and that shouldn’t happen with the Eagles as he clearly wasn’t a good enough fit for Fangio’s scheme to get playing time.

20. TE Grant Calcaterra

This should be a no-brainer. Calcaterra actively hurt the Eagles by being on the field and was a less effective blocker than if the team had put a random fan on the field – at least they wouldn’t have stepped around the person they were supposed to be blocking regularly and would at least provide somewhat of an obstacle to opposing defenders rather than actively bypassing them and allowing them a straight shot to blow up the play. Calcaterra shouldn’t even get a contract offer and the Birds should hope he gets picked up by an NFC East team so that they have 2 easier games next season.

The free agent legal tampering period begins at noon on March 9.