Does Eagles’ past draft success mean low expectations for free agency?

PHILADELPHIA — Eagles general manager Howie Roseman set the expectations for NFL free agency during a pre-combine session with local reporters in late February.

“From a big-picture perspective, we want to build a team that every year has a chance to compete for championships, that drafts really well and signs their own players, and just sporadically goes into free agency. That’s what we’re trying to do. And sometimes as much as you want to add from outside and you want to change it up, you’ve got to make a decision to keep the players you know, have played well and are part of your culture,” he said.

Nobody likes a splash move more than Roseman — and given his history, it would be foolish to rule one out — but he was setting the stage for a start to the league year on March 11 that will likely be more steak than sizzle from a player-signing standpoint.

It’s the reality for a team that has crushed it in the draft over recent years.

Consider the hit rate in Rounds 1 through 3 from 2021 to 2024.

All of them turned into starters. Three (DeVonta Smith, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens) have signed sizable second contracts with the Eagles, and Williams cashed in last offseason with a megadeal from the New England Patriots, the Eagles opting not to pay that price because of their depth at the position.

Georgia brethren in Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith Jr., Nakobe Dean and Jordan Davis are all eligible for extensions now while the dynamic secondary duo in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean will be eligible after the 2026 season.

The Eagles also have a number of quality players from their stacked roster poised to hit free agency in the coming days, including edge Jaelan Phillips, Dean, safety Reed Blankenship and tight end Dallas Goedert.

That’s a whole lot of financial considerations for a team that already has much invested in stars such as Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and A.J. Brown, along with its offensive line.

“Can we keep all our guys considering we have, for example, a lot of key defensive players coming off rookie deals in next few years? No, we are going to have to make choices,” Roseman said.

The expectation here is Philadelphia will make a push to re-sign Phillips.

Acquired from the Miami Dolphins before the November trade deadline in exchange for a 2026 third-round draft pick, Phillips helped solidify Philly’s defense over the second half of the season and finished with two sacks, seven QB hits, four passes defensed and four tackles for loss. He was a disruptor against the run and pass, a must for an edge player in Vic Fangio’s scheme.

Phillips is just 26, plays a premium position and has proved to be a system and culture fit, checking boxes the Eagles look for before writing a big check. His injury history could keep his numbers down, but there should be a healthy market for his services. It is yet to be seen whether his value exceeds the Eagles’ walkaway number.

Dean has been a strong player in the middle of the defense when healthy, not to mention a leader for that unit, but could be on the move with Zack Baun and last year’s first-round pick Jihaad Campbell occupying two of the primary linebacker slots. Goedert took a pay cut to stay in Philadelphia last season. If he’s going to cash in on his 11-touchdown season in 2025, the most likely scenario appears to be him doing so elsewhere. Similarly, it’s fair to wonder whether Blankenship will remain within the front office’s price range.

Depending on how these scenarios shake out, the Eagles will have more incentive to add at tight end and safety — two positions that were thin last season even with Blankenship and Goedert in the fold. Philadelphia will have opportunities in free agency and April’s draft to address those needs.

The other spot that stands out is offensive line. The group underperformed last season, largely due to injury. Some uncertainty followed with Lane Johnson and Dickerson both contemplating retirement this offseason. A smart play would be to bolster their depth in the trenches with modest signings in free agency and be on the lookout for eventual long-term replacements at guard and tackle through the draft.

Roseman noted that with the continual rise in the league’s salary cap, teams have done a good job of late retaining their own players. The effect is fewer difference-makers who reach free agency.

That’s all the more reason to focus on their draft, develop and re-sign model, which has served them well in recent years.

“That doesn’t mean that we can’t do splashy things, but from a broad perspective, if we can keep our players, if we can keep a lot of these young, really good players that we know that we live with, so we know who they are as people, and then it’s like a cake, it’s like a layer cake,” Roseman said. “Then you build on top of it with more good draft picks and more good young players, and then the cycle starts again.”