Philly Front Office

This is NOT a doom and gloom post (maybe a little). Writing about next year’s team and the coming offseason is something I like doing generally (but also a desperate attempt to escape now). The season is not over (it might be). I want to look into the player personnel decisions that are upcoming and how they may affect the 2026 Draft and next year’s Eagles. Let’s get into it.

Why was Kevin Patullo Hired Again?

Free Agents

• Nakobe Dean – Last year, there was a chance that the Eagles focused on Dean and let Zack Baun walk. Once Dean went down with an injury though, there was virtually no chance they were going to let Baun hit the market. This season we are seeing something similar happen. We thought Jihaad Campbell made Dean expendable. Then Dean came back from IR and looks like the indispensable captain of the defense who should be an Eagle for life. If they resign Dean, does that mean Baun is possible trade bait? Not necessarily. Instead, they would just have one more year of an extra LB before letting Baun go becomes feasible. Stinks for Campbell though. 50/50 Dean gets an extension.
• Reed Blankenship – This past summer, I thought Andrew Mukuba was the key to all future roster planning. If Mukuba popped, that would make Reed expendable. While AM has been good, he certainly hasn’t doomed a Blankenship return. He now becomes what Baun was last season, the most important moving part on the defense this offseason. At least if Dean walks, we have Campbell. If Reed walks, we are in bad shape.
• Jaelan Phillips – Phillips has been a monster since coming over from the Dolphins and I think most would like to have him back. It’s not impossible, but if he wants $20m per season (he will), it will likely come from somewhere else. Depth at EDGE is a big concern in the future though. A contract for Phillips could mean Nolan Smith gets traded.
• Dallas Goedert – I can’t believe the Eagles didn’t draft ANYONE at tight end this year (or last year really). Perhaps they had plans that were dashed, but that is no excuse for having ZERO succession plan at the position. Over the previous 3 tight end generations, the replacement wasn’t just here already, he was ready to thrive. Do they give Goedert another 1-year contract? Would he even want that? Tight End might be the second biggest priority in the draft.
• Braden Mann – Mann only just turned 28 and is a fine punter. LOCK HIM UP
• Grant Calcaterra, Jahan Dotson, Fred Johnson, and other backups – While we shouldn’t mind anyone coming back, especially Fred, the other positions could stand to be upgraded, especially backup tight end. Can we get someone who knows how to block please?
• Sam Howell, AJ Dillon, and a ton of guys no one cares about – Seeya

The Eagles Have a (Good) Nakobe Dean Problem

Extension Candidates

• Jalen Carter – I have been beating the Jalen Carter extension drum for a year now, but what once seemed pretty cut and dried might not be anymore. There is no way they are ever going to let Carter leave, and he is under team control for at least 2 more years, but handing him the biggest non-QB contract in history isn’t a given now. We thought he would level up into a DPOY contender this season, but he seems mostly like more of the same. That’s still great, and it is $30m+ per season territory, but it’s not $40m+ territory. Both the player and the team might want to wait an extra year to see what happens.
• Nolan Smith – Smith broke out big last year and we had high hopes for this season. A stint on IR didn’t help anything. Since coming back, he’s been fine, but he hasn’t popped at all. There is speed, but he has not shaken the undersized moniker that has plagued him. He is another guy who instead of an immediate Brian Burns-ian extension may need to wait a year. If the team likes Phillips more, there’s a chance Smith is on the move.
• Jordan Davis – Davis is still under contract next year, but it is his 5th year option. This is the least salary cap friendly type of deal there is. If they are going to work out a deal, it will be this offseason or they will likely trade him. Davis has improved a ton, but he is also primarily a nose tackle who only plays around 1/3 of the defensive snaps. If he wants to be paid like an every down tackle, this isn’t going to work.
• Moro Ojomo – Carter and Smith aren’t the only 3rd year guys looking for a payday this offseason. The difference with Ojomo is that next year will be his last year of team control. Only first round picks have 5th year options. Ojomo is probably the next Milton Williams, earning himself past what the Eagles are willing to pay him, but they also do not have the next Ojomo coming up ready to replace him. That was supposed to be Ty Robinson, but he can’t even see the field.
• Jalen Hurts – Some people think Jalen would negotiate an extension now in order to get the future cap down, but I think this is probably for next offseason, not the coming one. I wrote about it anyway.

Jordan Davis Needs a New Contract

Trade Candidates

• Tanner MeKee – It is not a matter of if, but where McKee will be traded. At the very least, he is a walking 2nd round pick, but possibly worth even more. That is simply too much value for Howie Roseman to ignore in order to have a competent back up for 1 season and then let go. It is a bit surprising that the next developmental QB is not already on the roster. Perhaps that will be an important part of this year’s draft.
• AJ Brown – It’s impossible to ignore the AJ Brown situation this year. I’m not saying he’s wrong at all, but he hasn’t helped the team navigate this season in the least. Trading Brown doesn’t make a whole lot of sense financially or in terms of team building, but they may just not want the headache anymore. He would still have tremendous value, especially with the Eagles taking a $40m cap hit over 2 seasons to move him.
• Zack Baun – Moving Baun only makes sense if the Eagles resign Nakobe Dean. If Dean goes, Baun stays without question. Not only is he the oldest player on the defense (despite still being elite) but the cap hit to move him is negligible.

Upgrades Needed

• Tyler Steen – The upgrade may already be in house with Willie Lampkin, but Steen can’t be our starter. Being the 5th lineman on a team of Beatles is one thing, but when the rest of the o-line is struggling, a guy like Steen is really exposed. That’s what happened this season. I would expect either Mekhi Becton to come crawling back on a cheap deal or the Eagles to draft their tackle of the future and play him at guard for a season, assuming Lane Johnson stays one more season.
• Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens – The answer to upgrading both guys is probably just both healing up. The injured list this season seems to have one or both of them on it every week and neither are playing 100%. Considering both are playing on sizeable contracts, they aren’t going to be moved this offseason, but their careers are certainly on notice. This year has been a disaster for two of the previously most reliable.

Needs

• Lane Johnson’s replacement
• Safety (Reed or someone else)
• Tight End
• CB2…as always
• Pass rush help
• Backup QB

Salary Cap

Right now, the Eagles are slated to have around $17m in cap space for next year. Things aren’t as bleak as they seem though. Moving on from Dallas Goedert gets us to around $30m and cutting Michael Carter II gets us to around $40m. A Jordan Davis extension would bring the total to around $45m. There’s always more money in the NFL.

The Draft

• Picks
  • Eagles 1st, Eagles 2nd, Jets 3rd, Comp 3rd, Eagles 4th, Comp 4th, 5th (either Eagles, 49ers, or Falcons), Comp 5th
  • Whatever Tanner McKee gets us
• Priorities
  • First round is likely going to be an offensive tackle; if AJ Brown is traded, expect the team to use the 1st we get back on his replacement
  • Second round is a common place for the Eagles of the past to draft a tight end. It is possible that they take another CB or an EDGE too, but I would bank on TE
  • Third Round would be that CB and EDGE considering we have two picks
  • Fourth round might be early for a backup QB or late if you are the Eagles. Howie will forever have us on edge considering when he took Jalen Hurts
  • Expect both 5ths to get moved for 6ths and 7ths to fill out the churn at the end of the roster

All contract info from Overthecap.com