Philly Front Office

No late season collapse this year. The 2024 Eagles are the #2 seed and have about as good a chance as we can hope for in the playoffs. We will absolutely NOT be discussing post season optimism here, don’t you worry. Just get the starters rested and healthy so we can see everyone in Philly in two weeks.

I want to talk about next season’s Birds. We won’t really have holes on the roster but we could possibly be a little thin in some areas. Thankfully most of the roster is locked up and happy for the foreseeable future.

Quarterback

For all the crap he received most of the year, after the Washington game we can all agree Jalen Hurts is pretty good, right? Even if you do not want to concede that, he isn’t going anywhere. 

The fun part here is the backup situation. Kenny Pickett was maybe, just maybe, good enough to find a temporary starting job somewhere next season. That would mean a decent contract and likely a compensatory pick of some kind.  He will not be coming back next year.

Next year’s backup, Tanner McKee, looked pretty solid against Dallas in the second half. My first thought watching the game was KEVIN KOLB 2.0 BABY! Howie has to be salivating at the thought of fleecing some team next year in a trade for McKee’s potential. Think about Jalen going down for a game or two, McKee using his elite weapons as a showcase, and Howie trading him for a first-round pick in the 2026 draft. It’s going to happen. (Ian) Book it.

Skill Positions

Saquan is coming back, but Kenny Gainwell is a free agent. The team seems to love him so it is possible he returns on a cheap-ish deal, but the man is going to want to take what he can get out there. We also have Will Shipley waiting to fill his role. All parties are aware of this. Expect some undrafted free agent fliers on running backs the team will hope to develop.

Smith and Brown are recently extended and not going anywhere. Jahan Dotson, however, is on an unguaranteed $2.7m deal. He has been fine, but nothing special. It’s time to draft another speedster in the middle rounds and hope they work out better than John Hightower and Quez Watkins. Why is this the one spot we can’t seem to lock down?

Dallas Goedert will be in the last year of his contract and has underwhelmed the last two seasons. There is a very real chance that he gets cut this off-season if we get very serious about a tight end in the draft. More likely is 2025 is his last season with the Eagles, while his replacement is drafted in the second round. His time is numbered. Grant Calcaterra will also be in his last year next season. I can see him sticking around on the cheap.

Offensive Line

Want to hear something crazy? Cam Jurgens will be extension eligible this off-season. They are absolutely going to try to lock him up. Jurgens didn’t pop this year, but he more than eased everyone’s fears over a post-Kelce offensive line. Him leveling up next year is very possible. Creed Humphrey just signed a 4/$72m contract. Jurgens isn’t getting that right now, but it is certainly possible if he reaches free agency the following year. If they can get him for less than $10m per season now, they will jump at the chance.

Mekhi Becton is a free agent. He has not only performed, but he seems to be genuinely loving his time here. Does he love it enough and does he have enough Jets-trauma to take a little less to stay here? I don’t know. This will be something that will be decided quickly and before free agency kicks off. If he hits the market, he won’t be back. Tyler Steen would likely fill that spot, but we are always drafting offensive linemen. Ideally for all parties, Becton stays.

Mailata, Johnson, and Dickerson are all locked up. Johnson is in that late career dance with retirement though. I can see an athletic tackle on our radar this draft as the first step in his succession plan. Expect late round flyers on the offensive line per usual.

Defensive Backs

Oh baby! This unit took the biggest leap this season thanks to Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper Dejean popping off the screen every week. They are on rookie contracts and we don’t even have to think about them until after the 2026 season when they are extension eligible. That just feels gooooood.

I thought Darius Slay was as good as kicked into the sun after this season. Then the craziest things happened: he played well and he stopped shitting on the team on Micah Parsons’ web-show. He is under contract and cutting him does not help the salary cap. He is sticking around. It will be another year until Dejean takes his spot as CB2. Does this mean Isaiah Rodgers won’t be back? Probably. The guy can start for probably half the teams out there and won’t be able to turn down that money.

CJGJ is here and not going anywhere (unless he pulls another contract standoff, but let’s hope not). Reed Blankenship will be in his final year though. Do we try to extend him this off-season? If the money is right, he probably gets a deal. Howie does not like investing at the safety position but Blankenship shouldn’t break the bank. His production and fit within the defense has been more than solid since his debut without flashing star potential. Expect an extension.

Avonte Maddux has to be in his final go around in Eagles green. He gets mercilessly attacked every time he’s out there. Anyone else would be an improvement. I think we all want to see Kelee Ringo get more run anywhere he can.

Linebackers

Biggest question of the off-season: What happens with Zack Baun? We all have our fingers crossed hoping that they are just waiting to announce an extension until after the season. I am becoming increasingly pessimistic. He is probably looking for top of the market money but it’s 50/50 whether he gets it from us. The good news is that we have money to spend. The bad news is that we don’t usually spend it on linebackers.

Unfortunately, Nakobe Dean is up for an extension too. Do we pay both these guys??? It would be unprecedented for Howie to do this, but not impossible. If I had to handicap one over the other, I think they extend Dean due to his leadership and standing amongst the other Philly Bulldogs. Dean at least has another year and a solid franchise situation as a linebacker.

Defensive Line

There are some big questions all along the line. The one non-question is Jalen Carter, but his looming mega extension looms over the rest of the decisions. Milton Williams is a free agent while Jordan Davis is extension eligible. Both are talented and have upside, but might not be worth what they get on the open market. I just can’t see money being spent on Williams when he is in one of the easier situations in the league as Carter’s running mate. Moro Ojomo will likely just see his role increase. I don’t see Davis getting extended either. He has 2 more years of control and has not shown what they expected as the Collegiate Defensive Player of the Year. They will be happy to give him more time.

On the outside, to say Huff has underperformed is an understatement but he isn’t going anywhere. Thankfully, Nolan Smith broke out big this year and looks like a possible star in year 3. Jalyx Hunt also looks like a future starter at the very least. BG is truly 50/50 to return.

Then there is Josh Sweat. He is a free agent who still carries a big cap number. I thought he was good as gone in the offseason because he stunk. Then he was good enough to stick around because of his cap number. Now he might be thinking he gets paid in free agency! His playoffs will determine a lot about his future. A few big games and he is good as gone. Solid production means he comes back. A disappearing act and he’s probably gone again.

Coordinators

Vic Fangio will be the defensive coordinator here until he wants to retire. He probably has a year to year understanding with the front office. No worries, he will be back.

Kellen Moore has been pretty solid. He will be getting head coach interviews. Heads are going to roll around the league in about 6 days. Will the Bears see him as the voice to help Caleb Williams? A few years ago, Moore would have fit the bill for young, QB whispering, offensive genius that everyone had to have…then Dan Campbell happened. This off season will start a sea change in head coaching profiles. The game manager/motivator will be the newest wave. We may even see a guy like Jason Kelce get interviewed. The faux-alpha offensive guru type is not lighting up the league anymore and most are just plain unlikable. I think Moore sticks. About that game manager/motivator…

HEAD MOTHER FUCKING COACH!!!

That’s right, everyone’s favorite punching bag, Nick Sirianni, is going to get a contract extension this off season. He is entering his final year and absolutely shoved when things got tough this season. He showed that he can motivate and learn from his mistakes. That’s what you need in a head coach now. He sets the culture and the culture is good.

I fully admit I was team “what would you say you do here?” when thinking about Sirianni. Presiding over last year’s sinking ship should have been his death knell. He survived and the team is better for it. I was wrong.

Salary Cap/Free Agency

Without any maneuvering and without extensions and resignings, we have about $30m to spend (overthecap.com). That could actually go up with a few guys resigning. Thankfully, that is more than enough to bring back Baun and Becton. Howie also knows how to structure contracts to have the least amount of initial cap hit. Money is not a problem here.

Free agent inventory is VERY low. This usually leads to teams overpaying mediocre talent. Thankfully, this roster is loaded. Don’t expect the Eagles to be active at all. Defensive End might be the only position we would even want to spend money on but expect this to happen via the draft.

Draft

We have 7 picks this year. This includes (likely) our own in the first 3 rounds, the Lions fourth rounder, and 3 fifth rounders. We will more than likely maneuver around like we always do but expect most of these 7 picks to be made. We have a draft philosophy that focuses on the lines. DO NOT LISTEN TO ANYONE SAYING WE WILL DRAFT A LINEBACKER, SAFETY, OR RUNNING BACK IN THE FIRST ROUND!!! Anyone making these projections cannot be trusted. They do not know what they are talking about.

First Round – Defensive End. I can even see us trading up depending on what is available. All this defense is missing is a stud EDGE rusher. If none are available, expect a trade down to address tight end.

Second Round – Tight End. You would think this would not fit the team’s drafting philosophy but second round tight end while we still have an incumbent is our MO. It makes too much sense this year.

Third Round – Athletic offensive line project. Lane Johnson has a season or two left and it is time to find his replacement. If no one pops this year, it becomes target #1 in 2026.

Later Rounds – WR3, LB, Corner depth, DT depth. Are there any athletic Australian big men out there???

Conclusion

Things change quickly in the NFL. A complete team this year could be searching for answers the next year. You never know. The Eagles are very well built though and adhere to a team building philosophy that focuses on trust. Players who fit in are extended early and at the top of the market. Regardless of talent, if you are not a good teammate you do not fit on this team. There are no bad apples on this team no matter what the Philly media wants you to think. This is a well-run and talented organization. We are in good shape.