On Wednesday, March 13th starting at 4:00 pm EST, NFL Free Agency begins. And, with the Philadelphia Eagles having some key players like center Jason Kelce, defensive end Brandon Graham, and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox deciding on whether they will retire or not. Once making the decision, the Eagles must decide on whether to re-sign them or not. Kelce is still under contract with the Eagles, which makes his decision a little harder on the team due to the money tied up in the contract. He did announce on March 4th that he is retiring.
The current positional needs are running back, wide receiver, linebacker, cornerback, and edge rusher. The Eagles currently have $56M in dead cap money, so will they decide to bring back the key players that filled those positions hitting free agency like running back, D’Andre Swift, linebackers Shaq Leonard, Shaun Bradley, and Zach Cunningham, backup quarterback Marcus Mariota, and wide receiver Quez Watkins.
The Eagles’ number one position in need is the defensive secondary. With so many potential fits in free agency, there are only so many players that would fit their scheme.
Here are five players that would fit in the Philadelphia Eagles system and would fit the needs that need to be filled.
Potential Free Agents That Could Fit the Eagles’ System in 2024
Saquon Barkley, Running back
Saquon Barkley was drafted by the New York Giants in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He was picked second overall as the first running back taken off the board. Over the last couple of seasons since being drafted, Barkley has had some injury issues. But, he has still been able to have a productive career so far. The Giants have decided not to put the franchise tag on Barkley for the 2024 season thus making him a free agent. With the statistics that he has already accumulated he is being looked at as a top-five running back on the list of free agents.
Contract: three years, $29.9M ($9.9M per year)
Career Rushing Stats: 1,201 carries, 5,211 yards, 35 touchdowns, four fumbles.
Career Receiving Stats: 288 catches, 2,100 yards, 12 touchdowns.
Saquon Barkley would be a great fit in the Philadelphia Eagles offense and would possibly be able to avoid more injuries due to the Eagles running more than one running back a game.
Donovan Peoples-Jones, Wide Receiver
Donovan Peoples-Jones was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He was drafted 187th overall. While Peoples-Jones has the size and speed to be a WR1, he was mainly a WR2 in Cleveland. Any team that decides to pick him up in free agency does not have a key receiver, he could be a WR1. But, when it comes to the Eagles, he would be a WR2 or WR3. Add on to the size & speed that the Eagles already have with A.J. Brown and DPJ would put the Eagles in contention for top five receiving core in the NFL.
Contract: one year, $2.7M
Career Receiving Stats: 122 catches, 1,895 yards, 8 touchdowns.
C.J. Henderson, Corner
The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted C.J. Henderson in the first round of the 2020 draft. He was the ninth pick, overall. He was traded to the Carolina Panthers in the middle of the 2021 season. And with cornerback position is one of the biggest positions needed this off-season for a lot of teams. When it comes to Henderson, he may have only played in a limited number of games in his short career. He could become a premier defensive back for the Eagles with it being their top need on the defensive side of the ball.
Contract: two years, $16.9M ($8.4M per year)
Career Stats: 49 games played, 172 total tackles, 139 solo tackles, 33 assisted tackles, one sack, three interceptions.
A.J. Epenesa, EDGE
A.J. Epenesa was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He was picked 54th overall. During his young career in Buffalo, A.J. Epenesa spent his time in rotation at the edge rusher position after the Bills drafted Gregory Rousseau in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft and signed Von Miller in 2022. With his aggressive gameplay, He could be a locker room leader and key player for the Eagles’ defense.
Contract: two years, $11.2M ($5.6M per year)
Career Stats: 58 games played, 64 total tackles, 41 solo tackles, 23 assisted tackles, three forced fumbles, two interceptions.
Devin White, Inside Linebacker
Devin White was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He was picked 28th overall. Devin White was the highest-drafted defensive player in LSU school history since Patrick Peterson in 2011 and the highest-drafted linebacker in the school’s history. His expectations coming out of college were spot on as well.
Since being drafted, he set five team defensive records. Most forced fumbles in a game with two, longest fumble return for a touchdown with 91 yards, most fumbles recovered by a rookie with four, most fumbles returned for a touchdown with two, and most defensive touchdowns by a rookie with two. So, there is no question whether Devin White would make an impact or not with the Eagles.
Contract: two years, $21.5M ($10.7M)
Career Stats: 76 games played, 566 total tackles, 364 solo tackles, 202 assisted tackles, 23 sacks, six forced fumbles, eight fumbles recovered for 149 yards and two touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Main Image: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
