The Philadelphia Eagles are coming off a Super Bowl championship, yet want to make sure they give themselves an excellent shot at repeating in 2025. The core of this team is back for next season with the offense mainly intact.
As for the No. 1 defense in football? There will be changes.
Josh Sweat and Milton Williams are free agents and are going to command high salaries as two of the top defensive linemen available. Zack Baun is coming off an All-Pro season at linebacker and Oren Burks was a valuable asset to that group when Nakobe Dean went down with a season-ending injury. All four players are free agents when the new league year starts next week.
Philadelphia won’t be able to keep all these players as the Eagles are $22,875,016 under the salary cap, so general manager Howie Roseman will have to be creative in keeping the core of the defense intact. The Eagles defense was the catalyst toward the Super Bowl championship and the unit will be prioritized again — just like last offseason.
With free agency on the horizon, this is the blueprint for the Eagles’ offseason (or what they should do over the next two months).
Eagles to release former All-Pro cornerback James Bradberry ahead of 2025 NFL free agency, per report
Cody Benjamin
Baun was the glue in making the Eagles defense as good as it was, and one of the best free agent signings the franchise has ever had. Signing a one-year, $4 million deal with the Eagles last offseason, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio moved Baun to off-ball linebacker and made that position one of the strongest in the NFL.
Baun rewarded the Eagles with an All-Pro season, finishing with 151 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, four passes defended and an interception in 16 games. He upped his game in the postseason, finishing with 33 tackles, three passes defended, a forced fumble and two interceptions — including one in the Super Bowl LIX victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Baun is the first player since tackles became an official statistic in 1987 to have 150+ tackles and five+ forced fumbles in a season.
Thanks to Baun’s incredible season, he’s arguably the top free agent off-ball linebacker available. The Eagles will have to pay Baun nearly four times what he made last year, but the price to keep him is worth it.
The franchise historically hasn’t paid a linebacker under Roseman (or even prior to him), but Baun is a crucial part of Fangio’s defense and one of the best off-ball linebackers in the game. The Eagles will be thin at off-ball linebacker if they re-sign Baun or not, as Burks is a free agent and Nakobe Dean is rehabbing from a torn patellar tendon in his left knee (Dean expects to be back by Week 1). Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is the only off-ball linebacker remaining on the active roster.
Philadelphia has no choice but to pay Baun, which needs to be the Eagles’ top priority when free agency begins.
2. Acquire a pass rusher — or sign one
The Eagles pass rush is going to take a hit once free agency starts. Sweat and Williams are unlikely to return, and Philadelphia is also awaiting the final decision on Brandon Graham — who has stated in the past that last season was his final one in the NFL (Graham did leave a door open to a potential return).
If Sweat and Williams depart, that leaves Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt and Bryce Huff as the lone pass rushers on the active roster. The Eagles will have to make a decision on Huff as well, as he was inactive for the Super Bowl as a healthy scratch — the first year of a three-year, $51 million deal.
The Eagles will need to shop for a pass rusher in free agency, or enter the Myles Garrett sweepstakes. While acquiring Garrett is a long shot, he gives the Eagles a No. 1 pass rusher to pair with Nolan Smith and a dominant player on the edge to work with Jalen Carter in the middle of the defensive line. The Eagles would have to trade multiple first-round picks and a player to get into the conversation of acquiring a player of Garrett’s caliber, and the No. 32 pick isn’t as valuable as other first-round picks in 2025.
If the Eagles choose to go the free agent route and can’t re-sign Sweat or Williams, 34-year-old Khalil Mack had excellent years under Fangio and is one of the top pass rushers on the market. Emmanuel Ogbah also played under Fangio in Miami, while Chase Young (26) and Azeez Ojulari (25) are worth taking a flyer on.
The Eagles have options to replenish the pass rush, but don’t be surprised if Roseman takes a big swing at a difference-making player.
This move isn’t one the Eagles necessarily have to make but it makes sense to bring Becton back on the best offensive line in football. The Eagles moved Becton to guard from tackle and resurrected his career, as he allowed three sacks and 22 pressures this season at guard (5.2% pressure rate allowed per dropback). He allowed three sacks and eight pressures in the playoffs (7.2% pressure rate allowed per dropback).
There’s a strong chance Becton returns to the Eagles, as he hinted at a possible return and many of his teammates would like him back. Becton admitted he’d rather play guard for the Eagles or his next team in free agency, and he will cost a hefty price to bring back.
If the Eagles don’t bring back Becton, they have a contingency plan with Tyler Steen at right guard. Unlike the other top free agents on this roster, the Eagles have insurance in case Becton departs.
4. Figure out how to keep Darius Slay for his final year
Slay wants to play one more season in the NFL, as the 34-year-old cornerback enters his 13th year. Despite his age, Slay is coming off an impressive season as opposing quarterbacks targeting him competed just 47.1% of their passes.
While Slay didn’t have an interception, he allowed just a 63.6 passer rating as the primary defender in coverage and 5.5 yards per pass attempt. He also had 13 pass breakups and allowed just two touchdowns. In the playoffs, Slay allowed a 70.1 passer rating and had an interception with four pass breakups.
A veteran mentor for Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean — and vital toward their immediate success — Slay indicated last season may be his final one in Philadelphia. Slay’s cap number for 2025 is $13.8 million, but the Eagles designated him as a post-June 1 cut and saved $4.3 million in salary cap space — making Slay a free agent.
Keeping Slay at that salary didn’t seem feasible, so a new deal could keep him in Philadelphia for one more year before he retires. A captain of the team, Slay is a leader in the locker room and hard to replace.
The Eagles are restructuring enough of their defense in 2025. They don’t need to move on from Slay if they don’t have to but will have to work out a new contract if they wish to keep Slay in Philadelphia.
5. Draft a tight end with one of the top two picks
The Eagles offense is set for the foreseeable future with Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jordan Mailata, Lane Johnson, Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens under contract for multiple seasons. Dallas Goedert has just one more year under contract and will be a free agent after the 2025 season.
Whether the Eagles want to extend Goedert or not is uncertain, but it’s hard to keep every player on a loaded roster (especially with long-terms deals with Hurts, Barkley, Brown, and Smith). Goedert has a $11.8 million cap hit for 2025 and is 30 years old, and has only played a full 16-game season once (his rookie season in 2018).
In the three seasons Goedert has been the No. 1 tight end, he’s played in 36 of a possible 51 games. Re-signing him may not be in the cards for the Eagles, who may want to look toward finding a successor for Goedert.
Drafting a tight end with the No. 32 or No. 64 pick may be in the cards for Philadelphia, as the Eagles can find an understudy for Goedert this season and groom him to be the No. 1 tight end in 2026. The Eagles would also have valuable depth at the position as well, which they have mostly lacked since Goedert became the No. 1 tight end in 2021.
In a draft with good top-tier tight ends, the Eagles would be wise to select one of them with one of their first two picks. This would give Hurts another weapon in an already loaded offense.
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