"We can be this year's Eagles." The mantra going through 31 buildings across the NFL as free agency approaches is built around imitating what Philadelphia general manager Howie Roseman did last offseason to assemble a Super Bowl champion. While draft picks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean proved to be excellent additions at cornerback, the Eagles thrived by adding one of the best free agent classes in a single offseason.
Most teams will go years without landing a first-team All-Pro in free agency. The Eagles landed two in 2024 with running back Saquon Barkley and linebacker Zack Baun. Barkley flourished in a much better offense alongside quarterback Jalen Hurts, while Baun moved from edge rusher to linebacker and exceeded the wildest of expectations. C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who left the team in free agency the prior year, returned to the Eagles and picked off six passes. And former Jets tackle Mekhi Becton moved to guard and had a career year on the interior under offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland.
Even amid a stellar class, Roseman had his misses. His biggest investment was at edge rusher, where Bryce Huff quickly fell out of favor and was a healthy scratch in the Super Bowl. Former Bucs linebacker Devin White signed a one-year, $4 million deal with $3.5 million guaranteed, but after he battled injuries in training camp, Baun's emergence prompted the Eagles to cut White before the start of the regular season.
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Roseman had four of the best signings in free agency and two of the worst, which is a reminder of how difficult the free agent market can be. Most moves don't work out. Landing the sort of haul the Eagles hit on a year ago happens once every couple of decades. Every team paying attention knows those risks. As the Eagles showed in 2024, though, the upside can justify the risk.
I'm previewing the free agent market (the legal tampering period opens at noon ET, March 10) by going position-by-position and sorting players by tiers. It'll give everyone a sense of what the market looks like at each position, how teams will be competing for players and what the expected return for free agent additions should look like. I'll also include players who might become cap casualties, either before or during free agency, while passing along thoughts on many potential signings along the way.
Last week, I broke down the players on the offensive side of the ball. Monday, I'm hitting defense. Eleven of the defenders who were named to the 2024 Pro Bowl were acquired in free agency, including seven who were signed last offseason. How many Pro Bowl defenders will change teams this offseason?
Jump to a position:
Edge | DT | LB | CB | S
Edge rusher
Tier 1: Franchise players
Free agents: None
We have occasionally seen elite edge rushers hit the market, with Julius Peppers in 2010 the most prominent example. Given that edge rusher is the league's highest-paid position outside of quarterback, though, teams usually go out of their way to lock up their star pass rushers before they get close to free agency.