NFL league meetings: What we expect to learn as Jeffrey Lurie, Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni head to Arizona

With the new league year well underway, Eagles brass will migrate west for the annual league meeting in Phoenix next week.

Between sessions with NFL and team leaders, Jeffrey Lurie, Howie Roseman, and Nick Sirianni will gather individually with reporters to discuss the Eagles’ offseason endeavors. While the initial weeks of free agency have been relatively uneventful, there are plenty of key questions facing the team ahead of next month’s draft. Their answers — and most importantly, their subsequent decisions — will offer insight into the direction of the team.

The Tush Push won’t be among those hot-button questions. Neither the competition committee nor the league’s clubs submitted rules proposals this year that would eradicate the play. This time last year, the push sneak was the talk of the league, but the lack of a renewed effort to ban it correlates with the Eagles’ declining efficiency in 2025.

Which topics are most pertinent this offseason? Here are five of the top questions (and some honorable mentions) surrounding the Eagles heading into the league meeting:

Consider this a recurring topic during every Roseman press conference until a) the trade deadline or b) Brown gets traded.

But don’t expect Roseman’s response to differ much from what he said ahead of the combine last month (and at the end of the season). When asked in February if Brown would be back in 2026, Roseman said, “It’s really hard to find great players. I think A.J. is a great player. I think that from my perspective, we’re looking to improve in all areas, and you don’t do that by subtracting.”

» READ MORE: The Eagles are assessing A.J. Brown’s trade market. Just don’t expect Howie Roseman to give him away.

He also said the following about listening to offers on any of his players: “I think you go into the league year listening to offers for everything and anything. I don’t think that you can go into any conversation with anyone and just shoot things down without hearing what they have to say, because you never know.”

Just because Roseman doesn’t want to subtract doesn’t necessarily mean a trade is off the table. The prospective return for Brown via trade, and the Eagles’ succession plan at WR1 both in the short and long term, matter. And just because the Eagles didn’t move Brown at the start of the new league year doesn’t necessarily mean they never will. Roseman has emphasized in the past that his efforts to improve the roster in any given season run through the trade deadline at midseason.

The Inquirer and others have reported on the New England Patriots’ ongoing interest in Brown. Now that the initial wave of free agency has passed, could those discussions ramp up before or after the draft, especially if Roseman’s asking price drops? Every date on the NFL calendar, from the draft to the start of the offseason program to training camp and beyond, will offer more insight into Brown’s future and the likelihood he gets moved this year.

The Eagles have a vacancy at their starting safety spot, alongside Drew Mukuba, following Reed Blankenship’s departure to the Houston Texans in free agency. While Roseman has not signed or acquired a player of equal caliber at the position since the start of the new league year, the Eagles have some potential short-term suitors for the gig and could still make some moves before the season begins.

Marcus Epps is the most obvious candidate. The 30-year-old safety signed a one-year deal to return to the Eagles and continue his second stint (he was previously with the team from 2020-22). Last season, Epps slotted in relatively seamlessly as the starter in relief of the injured Mukuba for four of the final six games of the regular season.

Epps isn’t the only defensive back with at least some safety experience on the roster. Michael Carter II, 27, was one of the backups last season (behind Sydney Brown, who was traded to the Atlanta Falcons last week) in addition to his depth nickel cornerback duties. However, his in-game experience is limited, as he has just 25 free safety snaps since his career began in 2021, according to Pro Football Focus.

How does Roseman view the position heading into the draft? He could select a safety next month, but would he seek a player to start immediately or a potential long-term project? As far as the former is concerned, the Eagles have other needs to address (more on those later) and may feel uneasy about having two young players starting at safety this season.

Alternatively, Roseman could trade for a starter, even before the season starts, if the team isn’t satisfied with their options in training camp. He did as much ahead of the 2022 season on cutdown day, when he acquired C.J. Gardner-Johnson and a 2025 seventh-round pick from the New Orleans Saints in exchange for a 2023 fifth-rounder and a 2024 sixth-rounder.

Aside from safety, the Eagles have a couple remaining short- and long-term question marks on the roster ahead of the draft.

Edge rusher checks both of those boxes. For now, Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, and Arnold Ebiketie are the Eagles’ top players at the position going into the draft. If the start of the new league year had gone the team’s way, Jaelan Phillips would also be part of that group, but the Carolina Panthers signed him to a four-year, $120 million deal ($30 million average annual value).

» READ MORE: 2026 Eagles free agency tracker: All the Birds’ signings, trades, and other roster moves

The Eagles’ interest in retaining a player of Phillips’ caliber shows they might not be finished adding to the edge rusher corps just yet. Not only could Roseman stand to draft another player, but he could also trade for a veteran, just as he did in acquiring Phillips at the deadline last season. According to The Athletic, the Eagles checked in with the Minnesota Vikings about Jonathan Greenard, who would also require an extension if traded.

Then, there’s the other side of the trenches. Lane Johnson and Landon Dickerson are back for 2026, but what happens afterward? Johnson, who turns 36 in May, missed half of last season with a foot injury and Dickerson, 27, played through myriad injuries in 2025. Dickerson also reportedly agreed to a restructured deal that ends in 2027, one year earlier than his previous contract.

The Eagles shored up their short-term insurance at tackle when they brought back Fred Johnson on a one-year deal on Tuesday. But who will eventually assume Lane Johnson’s starting role at right tackle? Roseman could draft his heir in April. If Dickerson’s future is truly a concern, as the decision to shorten his contract appears to indicate, then Roseman could also be on the market for the left guard’s prospective replacement, too.

Over the next few seasons, Roseman will address the corps of homegrown defensive stars who are becoming eligible for new contracts. He began that work this offseason by signing Jordan Davis to a three-year, $78 million extension that keeps him under contract through 2029.

Is Jalen Carter next in line? The 2023 No. 9 overall pick out of Georgia is eligible to have his fifth-year option exercised this offseason. Roseman could also get ahead of the rising cap and ink Carter to a long-term extension now. He would have some leverage, given Carter’s regression in 2025 relative to his second-team All-Pro showing the year before.

An extension at this juncture might not be so straightforward, though, from the Eagles’ perspective. How do Carter’s shoulder ailments factor into his long-term outlook? The Inquirer reported earlier this month on the risks the organization must assess given Carter’s injury and maturity issues.

Still, if Carter can build on his 2024 pass-rushing form, the Eagles would be wise to build around him and Davis on the defensive line in the future. Roseman doesn’t typically discuss contract negotiations in public, but the NFL annual meeting will provide him with a chance to issue a vote of confidence in Carter.

Roseman and Sirianni will have an opportunity to discuss all of the personnel moves the team has made this offseason so far, but naturally, any topics related to the quarterback position rise to the top. The Eagles made their latest tweak to the room when they acquired 38-year-old Andy Dalton from the Panthers in exchange for a 2027 seventh-round pick.

At first glance, the acquisition of Dalton appears to signal an impending trade of Tanner McKee, the 2025 backup to Jalen Hurts who is entering the final year of his rookie contract. While adding Dalton certainly gives the Eagles insurance if they get an offer that blows them away on McKee, the move aims to strengthen the room, on and off the field.

The addition of Dalton continues the offseason trend of surrounding Hurts with ample quarterback experience, both in terms of playing and coaching. Perhaps no one knows the potential benefit of having an experienced third quarterback on the roster better than Sean Mannion, a career backup whose interest in coaching piqued while serving in his reserve role with the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings, and Seattle Seahawks from 2015-23. In the aftermath of the Dalton trade, Sirianni will be able to explain his thought process for assembling this particular support system around Hurts.