Who’s left? Three remaining free agents could still make sense for the Eagles. | Early Birds
The Eagles will have to be bargain hunters in the next week or two, so don’t expect any of their potential signings to be too flashy.
Good morning, Eagles fans. Happy new league year! In case you aren’t yet aware, the Carson Wentz trade can become official today. The Eagles will incur the largest dead cap hit in league history, but they still got under the salary cap just in the nick of time, shedding roughly $70 million in salaries.
The Eagles will have more work to do if they intend to sign free agents, but looming decisions on guys such as Zach Ertz, Derek Barnett, Alshon Jeffery, and Malik Jackson figure to give them some breathing room. If Ertz is traded and Jeffery and Jackson are released, the team could have about $8 million to spend.
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Safety first
The Eagles will have to be bargain hunters in the next week or two, so don’t expect any of their potential signings to be too flashy. Still, Jalen Mills’ departure for New England leaves their secondary even more barren than it was.
Here are three defensive players the Birds could target in the coming days.
Malik Hooker
As mentioned, the Eagles have a gaping hole in the back end of their defense after Mills agreed to a four-year, $24 million contract with the Patriots. Hooker has a history in new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s scheme and would give the team a decent starting option. Considering what Mills got, Hooker will likely be in line for something similar, maybe between $4 million and $6 million per year. He’s coming off a torn Achilles, which will hurt his value a bit. Still, he’ll be 25 at the start of next season and could help direct traffic in Gannon’s scheme on a prove-it deal.
K’Waun Williams
Williams, who played for the 49ers the last four seasons, is one of the better slot cornerbacks still available for an affordable price. Avonte Maddox figures to be the team’s starting slot corner after a tough 2020 on the outside, but Maddox could also move to safety. According to Pro Football Focus, he played 226 snaps as a deep safety for the Eagles in 2018 before playing mostly in the slot the following year. If they move him, they’ll need a quality starter at two cornerback spots, and Williams would be about as good as they could hope for on the inside.
Williams, who will turn 30 next season, might be too expensive for the Eagles to get seriously involved. According to a New York Daily News report, the Jets, with former 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh as their new head coach, have shown interest in the former 49ers cornerback, as have the Eagles, Lions, and Colts.
Kwon Alexander
The Eagles’ needs aren’t just in the secondary, and Alexander could help them remake their linebacker room a bit after he was released by the Saints on Tuesday. Alexander would be the best linebacker on the team the second he stepped in the building, although that’s not saying much. He would also be a question mark, health-wise. Like Hooker, Alexander, 26, is coming off a torn Achilles and has often struggled with injuries. Even with injury concerns, he could be worth a look at a low cost.
What you need to know about the Eagles
The Eagles have finally made it under the salary cap, Zach Ertz’s agent is now free to pursue a trade, and much more. Les Bowen recaps the latest Eagles developments from Tuesday.
Free agency might have unofficially started Monday, but the Eagles have yet to get involved. Be sure to listen to the latest Birds Eye View podcast detailing where the Eagles stand.
The Eagles are in the backup quarterback market, but the top names are flying off the board. Yours truly goes through the biggest signings from Tuesday, explaining how they affect the Eagles.
Plenty of frustrated fans called for Howie Roseman to lose his job at the start of the offseason. Jeff McLane explores how the Eagles GM has survived long enough to oversee yet another rebuild.
The Eagles’ quiet start to free agency has some wondering just how bad the Eagles will be next season. As David Murphy argues, the lack of early activity is another indication of just how badly this team needs a rebuild.
We’re likely due for another coronavirus-altered offseason with limited on-field practice time. How will that affect Nick Sirianni’s ability to teach players his new offensive scheme? Bowen explores the challenges here.
Speaking of ways the pandemic is changing the inner workings of the league, Bowen explains how the draft process is being hampered by the cancellation of the scouting combine and the lack of traveling for scouts.
Behind on Monday’s news? Let me fill you in: Mills got a big contract from the Patriots, who went on a spending frenzy at the start of the “tampering period.”
From the mailbag
Ertz to LAC for a 2021 4th. Who says no? — Ed (@OldSchool_EZ) on Twitter
Good question, Ed. I’d guess, right now, the Chargers would say no. The Eagles are clearly intent on not releasing Ertz, nor does it seem they would give him away for poor compensation, but the toothpaste is out of the tube. It’d be extremely difficult and unlikely that the Eagles would bring Ertz back at this point. Considering this, it’s hard to imagine they’d get hung up on haggling over a third and a fourth.
The Patriots’ signing the top two free-agent tight ends will help Ertz’s market in the next few days as tight-end-needy teams that just missed out look elsewhere, but I still think the Eagles would take a fourth at this point.