Breaking down Eagles’ pending free agents in 2025

https://sports.yahoo.com/breaking-down-eagles-pending-free-070000363.html

Breaking down Eagles’ pending free agents in 2025 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Eagles’ 2024 season just ended with a huge Super Bowl LIX win. The parade is Friday but we wanted to take a look ahead at upcoming free agency.

As the Eagles enter the 2025 offseason, they will have plenty of questions to answer and several key free agent to try and re-sign.

During the season, Howie Roseman didn’t extend anyone and that was on purpose.

“Once you start doing that, it’s almost like, are you picking favorites?” Roseman said on Super Bowl Opening Night. “And the other guys start saying, ‘What about me?’ And they start playing for themselves as opposed to the team.

“Now, we’ve seen that probably costs you money in the long run as you’re doing it. But when you have an opportunity to compete for a championship, it’s worth that sacrifice I think.”

Here’s a look at all of the Eagles’ pending free agents this offseason:

Offense

OL Mekhi Becton: When the Eagles signed Becton after the draft, they most likely expected him to be a backup swing tackle. After all, that’s the position the former first-round pick played with the Jets. But offensive coordinator Jeff Stoutland tried Becton at guard briefly when Landon Dickerson missed the beginning of training camp and when Tyler Steen suffered an ankle injury, Becton took over and never gave the job back. Becton started 15 of 17 games in the regular season and then all four playoff games at right guard. ProFootballFocus had Becton as the No. 18-ranked guard in the NFL out of 77 qualified players in 2024.

RB Kenny Gainwell: The Eagles drafted Gainwell in the fifth round out of Memphis back in 2021 and during his Eagles career, Gainwell became a favorite of head coach Nick Sirianni. He ended up being the RB2 behind three different Pro Bowl running backs in Miles Sanders, D’Andre Swift and Saquon Barkley. Barkley was adamant this season that Gainwell had the ability to be a feature back in the NFL. After four years in Philly, maybe Gainwell will get that chance this offseason. During his four years, Gainwell had over 1,900 scrimmage yards and 13 touchdowns. He also had some big moments in the playoffs.

OL Fred Johnson: The Eagles signed Johnson to their practice squad during the 2022 season but it wasn’t until 2023 where Johnson really earned his spot. Johnson not only made the team out of training camp in 2023 but he was rewarded with a two-year contract that is now about to run out. Johnson in 2024 played in every game and started 6. Johnson started four straight games earlier in the season for Jordan Mailata at left tackle.

WR Parris Campbell: The former second-round pick spent the 2024 training camp as the favorite to be the Eagles’ No. 3 receiver but then they traded for Jahan Dotson. Campbell split his time this year between the 53-man roster and the practice squad. He played in 5 games in the regular season and caught 6 passes for 30 yards and a touchdown.

TE C.J. Uzomah: The Eagles actually released Uzomah before final cuts but he found his way back to Philly eventually on the practice squad and then the active roster. He was on IR for the Super Bowl.

OL Jack Driscoll: During the offseason, Driscoll signed with the Dolphins but was released at final cuts and made his way back to Philly. The Eagles’ fourth-round pick from 2020 ended up playing in 13 games this season before finishing the year on Injured Reserve.

OL Nick Gates: The veteran former New York Giants played 96 snaps all season and 68 of them came in Week 18. He was put on IR with a groin injury the day before Super Bowl LIX to create a roster spot for Brandon Graham.

WR Britain Covey: (RFA) The Eagles signed Covey as an undrafted rookie after the 2022 draft out of Utah. He has been their primary punt returner for the last three seasons but struggled to stay on the field in 2024 with neck and shoulder injuries. Covey never carved out a role on offense but has averaged 11.3 yards per return in his career. Covey is a restricted free agent so we’ll have to see if the Eagles tender him or let him test free agency.

OT Le’Raven Clark: The veteran offensive tackle was put on IR in May and spent the whole season there. Clark hasn’t played in a game since 2022 with the Titans. He played four games with the Eagles in 2021.

Defense

LB Zack Baun: The Eagles’ All-Pro linebacker should be the top priority going into this offseason. After four years with the Saints, Baun signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal this offseason and was one of the biggest surprises of the NFL season. He had 151 tackles, 5 forced fumbles, 3 1/2 sacks, 4 pass breakups and an interception. Baun finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

DE Josh Sweat: The Eagles reworked Sweat’s deal to keep him in 2024 after they were willing to shop him in the offseason. The 27-year-old had 8 sacks and 15 quarterback hits this regular season and had a huge Super Bowl with 2 1/2 sacks. Sweat has been with the Eagles since 2018 when he was drafted in the fourth round. Just recently, Sweat switched agents to Drew Rosenhaus for his upcoming free agency.

DT Milton Williams: The 2021 third-round pick had a big season with a career-high 5 sacks in the regular season and then he had a 2-sack game in Super Bowl LIX. He also had 10 QB hits and 7 TFLs. Williams has thrived in his 1-on-1 matchups next to Jalen Carter, who gets doubled a ton. Williams could get a sizable contract on the open market.

DB Avonte Maddox: The Eagles began the season with Maddox as their nickel cornerback for the first four games. But coming back from the bye week, they switched to Cooper DeJean in a move that really helped the defense. While Maddox lost that job, he did play well on special teams and climbed the safety depth chart to become the top backup at safety and nickel. He had a fourth-down PBU in the Super Bowl.

CB Isaiah Rodgers: The Eagles signed Rodgers, who had to sit out the entire 2023 season for violating the NFL’s gambling policy. Rodgers wasn’t a starter this season but he still played a lot as the top backup outside cornerback behind Darius Slay and Quinyon Mitchell. Slay has been Rodgers biggest proponent, saying Rodgers could be a starting cornerback.

LS Rick Lovato: The 32-year-old was back in 2024 on a one-year deal. Lovato has been with the Eagles since 2016 and has played in 135 regular season games and 14 playoff games as the Eagles’ long snapper.

DE Brandon Graham: No one has played more seasons or games as an Eagle than Graham. The 36-year-old came into 2024 saying it would be his final season. He suffered a torn triceps on Nov. 24 and miraculously returned for Super Bowl LIX. He wasn’t ready to address his future after the win.

LB Oren Burks: The Eagles signed the veteran linebacker to a one-year deal in the offseason. During the regular season, Burks didn’t play much on defense but had to take over as a starting linebacker in the playoffs after Nakobe Dean suffered a season-ending torn patellar tendon in the wild-card round.

LB Ben VanSumeren: (ERFA) VanSumeren was a major special teams contributor and began to play some fullback this season before suffering a season-ending knee injury in practice. VanSumeren is an exclusive rights free agent so he’ll be back as long as the Eagles want him to be back.

https://sports.yahoo.com/breaking-down-eagles-pending-free-070000363.html