After narrowly losing Super Bowl 57, the Philadelphia Eagles are back for another shot at the Lombardi Trophy. While the Eagles have one of the NFL’s most talented rosters, general manager Howie Roseman has never been afraid to tweak his club’s depth chart. In 2022, Philadelphia acquired safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson just before the regular season, then picked up defensive lineman Robert Quinn, Ndamukong Suh, and Linval Joseph during the campaign.
Let’s run through the moves the Eagles should consider as training camp approaches, including adding depth to their defense.
3 Final Moves for the Philadelphia Eagles
Monitor the Linebacker Trade Market
The middle of the Eagles’ defense will look entirely different in 2023 than it did last season. TJ Edwards and Kyzir White, both of whom played at least 800 snaps at linebacker in 2022, are gone, having signed free agent deals with the Bears and Cardinals, respectively.
Nakobe Dean, who starred at Georgia before entering the NFL as a third-round pick last year, is penciled in to take over one linebacker spot and was wearing the green dot on his helmet throughout offseason work, signaling that he’ll be receiving play calls from new defensive coordinator Sean Desai.
Philadelphia signed former Raiders LB Nicholas Morrow to start alongside Dean, but his deal is worth only the league minimum and doesn’t contain any guaranteed money. Morrow represents competency at a position where the Eagles rarely invest significant resources, but Philadelphia probably won’t be afraid to upgrade if they can find an opportunity.
While they could add a free agent like Rashaan Evans or Myles Jack, the Eagles should keep an eye on the linebacker trade market, where former first-round picks like Patrick Queen (Ravens) or Devin White (Buccaneers) could be available. If Tampa Bay falls out of the playoff picture, White could become an in-season trade option for Philadelphia.
Consider Signing Another Safety
As is the case at linebacker, the Eagles will attempt to piece together a starting combination at safety after letting both 2022 starters depart. Gardner-Johnson inked a one-year deal with the Lions, while Marcus Epps signed a two-year pact with the Raiders.
Now, the Eagles’ safety battle looks like a three-way race for two slots. Injuries forced Reed Blankenship, a 2022 undrafted free agent, to step in as a starter during his rookie campaign, and he showed flashes that indicated he could play a full-time role. Former Steeler Terrell Edmunds is the veteran of the group (75 career starts), while third-round rookie Sydney Brown should also have the chance to compete.
Philadelphia can probably get by with that trifecta, especially considering how strong they are at cornerback. But if Roseman wants to consider alternatives, a few free agents could make sense.
John Johnson III is the highest-profile safety remaining on the board, and it’s pretty surprising he’s still available. While Johnson wasn’t as productive over his two seasons with the Browns as he was during the early portion of his career with the Rams, he’s still only 28 years old and would instantly become the best safety on the Eagles’ roster. If Johnson doesn’t want to come to Philadelphia, older veterans like Logan Ryan or Duron Harmon could be on the Eagles’ radar.
Make a Decision on Derek Barnett
Derek Barnett has been a serviceable pass rusher for the Eagles over the past six seasons, but he’s never entirely developed into the Tier 1 defensive end Philadelphia might have hoped for when they selected him 14th overall in the 2017 draft. Although he’s still only 27 years old, Barnett could be fighting for a roster spot during training camp.
Barnett played just 11 snaps in 2022 before a torn ACL ended his season. As he recovers, he’s squarely behind Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, and Brandon Graham on the Eagles’ pass-rushing depth chart, while first-round rookie Nolan Smith could also be ahead of Barnett.
The Eagles would create just $58,000 in cap space by releasing Barnett this summer. That’s nowhere near enough of a financial motivation for Philadelphia to cut ties — unless Barnett simply isn’t healthy enough to make the roster this season.
They’d open up a bit more space — roughly $1.1 million — if they can find a trade suitor for Barnett. Enough NFL teams still need pass-rushing help that Barnett might have a trade market, but the Eagles would likely have to settle for a late-round pick.
