3 Remaining Positions Of Need After Eagles' 1st Wave Of Free Agency

3 remaining positions of need after Eagles' 1st wave of free agency originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

We’re through the first big wave of free agency and the Eagles have added several players, kept some more and allowed others to walk.

And they’re not done yet because Howie Roseman is never finished adding players.

Here’s a recap of what the Eagles have done so far this offseason:

Signed: CB Riq Woolen, TE Johnny Mundt, CB Jonathan Jones, OLB Arnold Ebiketie, WR Hollywood Brown

Re-signed: TE Grant Calcaterra, P Braden Mann, TE Dallas Goedert

Extended: DT Jordan Davis

Renegotiated deal: DB Michael Carter II, OG Landon Dickerson

Left: OLB Jaelan Phillips (Panthers), WR Jahan Dotson (Falcons), LB Nakobe Dean (Raiders), S Reed Blankenship (Texans), OL Matt Pryor (Cardinals), QB Sam Howell (Cowboys), OL Brett Toth (49ers), OLB Joshua Uche (Dolphins), OLB Azeez Ojulari (Falcons), TE Kylen Granson (Titans)

And here are three positions of need that remain:

Safety

The Eagles this offseason watched as Reed Blankenship went to the Houston Texans on a three-year deal worth $24.75 million. That average annual salary of $8.25 million came in a little under what the Eagles probably expected Blankenship to get on the open market and they still let him walk. That is notable because it shouldn’t be a surprise to the Eagles that they now have a starting spot to fill this offseason.

One of their two starting safety spots is going to be taken by second-year player Drew Mukuba. The second-round pick out of Texas got off to an uneven start in his rookie season and just as he began to find some consistency, he suffered a fractured ankle and was lost for the season. But there were enough good signs from Mukuba to be excited about his future.

But the Eagles still need to figure out who’s starting next to him. One option would be to re-sign their own free agent Marcus Epps. Last season, the Eagles brought Epps back after he was released by the Patriots. Eventually, after Mukuba was out for the season, Epps started four games and was solid.

The internal options would be Sydney Brown, Michael Carter II and Andre’ Sam. The intriguing name there is Carter, who is back on a restructured contract. Carter has mostly played nickel corner but began learning safety in Vic Fangio’s defense last year and could be given a chance to compete. And then there’s the draft if the Eagles want to pair Mukuba with a young running mate.

Offensive line depth

The Eagles’ entire starting offensive line from the 2025 season is back for 2026. But there are plenty of questions about health. Both Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens dealt with injures during last season and this offseason went to Colombia for stem-cell treatments. And right tackle Lane Johnson will be 36 this season and is coming off a season that ended with a Lisfranc sprain that he was never able to return from.

So depth could be an issue in 2026. And the Eagles already lost one of their top backups when center/guard Brett Toth left for San Francisco to take a one-year deal with the 49ers. The Eagles’ other top backup Fred Johnson is still available. The Eagles still need a swing tackle so perhaps Johnson returns, but the absence of longtime OL coach Jeff Stoutland makes this trickier to figure out. The Eagles do have other young offensive linemen on the team but it’s hard to know exactly what to expect from players like Drew Kendall, Myles Hinton, Cameron Williams and Willie Lampkin.

Could the Eagles still look to add a veteran or two in free agency? Sure. Or maybe they wait for the draft to see how that goes. Remember, when the Eagles signed Mekhi Becton a couple years ago, it came after the draft.

Edge rusher

The Eagles did add one edge rusher when they signed Arnold Ebiketie to a one-year deal. But that came after they were unable to keep Jaelan Phillips, who left in free agency, taking a massive four-year, $120 million deal with the Panthers. This isn’t exactly a 1-for-1 swap. Ebiketie might be a nice player but he’s just 6-foot-2, 250 pounds, whereas Phillips is a bigger-bodied edge rusher. If the Eagles want to have that complementary body type in that room, they still have some work to do.

The Eagles have reportedly kept an eye on the Jonathan Greenard situation in Minnesota and could perhaps be interested in a trade to acquire the 28-year-old Greenard (6-3, 259). If that doesn’t happen, the Eagles could perhaps be interested in drafting an edge player in April to add to their trifecta of Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt and Ebiketie. And, of course, don’t forget about Brandon Graham. The 37-year-old Eagles legend has expressed a desire to return for a 17th season so that could still happen too.