Eagles lose key defensive starters in free agency, but have young players expected to step forward

The Eagles lost three defensive starters in defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, linebacker T.J. Edwards, and safety Marcus Epps on Monday when the NFL’s legal tampering period opened.

Hargrave agreed to terms with the San Francisco 49ers on a massive four-year deal worth $84 million. The Illinois native Edwards agreed to terms with the Chicago Bears on a three-year deal worth $19.5 million. Epps agreed to terms with the Las Vegas Raiders on a two-year deal worth $12 million.

Hargrave, 30, Edwards, 26, and Epps, 27, net $40 million, $12 million and $8 million in guaranteed salary, respectively.

Their departures were mostly expected for the Eagles, who had 18 free agents ahead of the new league year, which officially begins at 4 p.m. Wednesday. With a bevy of expiring deals — in addition to a looming contract extension designated for quarterback Jalen Hurts — general manager Howie Roseman is now forced to make critical decisions regarding roster retainment and turnover following the team’s appearance in Super Bowl LVII.

Hargrave, Edwards, and Epps served as key pieces for the league’s No. 2 ranked defense. Hargrave finished with a career-high 11 sacks this past season, while Edwards led the team with 159 tackles. Epps, originally a sixth-round pick in 2019 by the Vikings, earned the coaching staff’s trust and was implemented as a full-time starter for the first time in his career in 2022. Epps recorded a career-high 94 tackles, six passes defensed, and one forced fumble while appearing in 99% of defensive snaps (1,096) — the most by any Eagles player.

Coach Nick Sirianni and recently hired defensive coordinator Sean Desai will need to identify another player to serve as the defensive communicator in the huddle as Edwards sported the green dot for the Eagles.

Aside from the trio of Hargrave, Edwards, and Epps, the Eagles have four other defensive starters — defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, linebacker Kyzir White, cornerback James Bradberry, and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson — who are free agents. Prior to the legal tampering period, the Eagles signed veteran defensive end Brandon Graham to a one-year deal, marking his return for his 14th season.

While the Eagles have a couple of in-house options to replace some of their losses, they still need to address depth and talent at all three levels of the defense. Defensive lineman Milton Williams, who is entering his third year, flashed toward the end of last season, and Jordan Davis appeared in a limited role as a rookie. Meanwhile, Nakobe Dean appears to be penciled in for one of the starting linebacker spots after the former Georgia standout sat behind Edwards and White.

“I think that’s part of the exciting thing,” Roseman said at the NFL scouting combine. “When you look at our first three picks last year, Jordan played the most of those guys. Missed some time with injury — but those guys are ready to play and they are ready to contribute. We knew when we were drafting them last year, we were drafting them because we thought they were the best players, not necessarily because they were the guys ready to fill spots at a position of need.

“As we look at our team this year, knowing that those guys can take a step forward and be part of it, and being comfortable with the young players playing and young players that have talent and that have work ethic and get put in that spot. We even saw it this year when we put young players in spots and how they stepped up. I don’t think that’s something we’re afraid of.”

» READ MORE: In Howie We Trust: Eagles enter free agency led by Roseman, the NFL’s best GM

At safety, former undrafted rookie Reed Blankenship proved to be a serviceable piece; he appeared as a midseason substitute for Gardner-Johnson, who missed five games with a lacerated kidney injury. The Eagles enjoyed Blankenship’s physicality and emergence, but it remains to be seen whether he can take on a full-time role under Desai’s new playbook. Blankenship had 34 tackles with two passes defensed and one interception across 10 games (four starts). The Eagles also have Andre Chachere and K’Von Wallace on the depth chart, although neither player has regularly appeared in a starter role.

“We’re going to prioritize the things that are important to us, that we build our team on,” Roseman said. “We’re going to make sure those areas are strong. Are we going to get all the free agents back? We’re just not. We’re not capable of getting all those guys back, but we also understand we’re in a good situation in terms of picks that we have going forward...We’re not going to make excuses for the position we’re in.”

Regarding their own offseason spending, the Eagles are somewhat cash-strapped at the moment. They have around $6.6 million in cap space, according to Over The Cap, which ranks 24th in the NFL. They can create additional flexibility and double their amount of cap space by restructuring Lane Johnson’s contract, a practice they’ve repeatedly done in recent years.

Looking ahead to the NFL draft that begins April 27, the Eagles currently possess six picks, including four selections inside the top 100, and two first-rounders (Nos. 10 and 31). After losing Hargrave and Edwards in free agency, the Eagles are expected to gain multiple compensatory draft picks in 2024. According to Over The Cap, Hargrave is expected to generate a 2024 third-round comp pick for the Eagles, while Edwards and Epps present sixth-round comp pick value.

“It’s a long way away until we play the next game,” Roseman said. “...We have two first-round picks. We have to make sure that we just make good decisions after good decisions, we stack those together, and we’ll end up having a really good team, and we’ll get to camp and try to bring them all together.”