PHILADELPHIA -- The question posited to Eagles chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie was about the significant loss of quality players from his championship roster this offseason, and whether he could say that the current team is better than the one that dismantled the Kansas City Chiefs less than two months ago in Super Bowl LIX.
Lurie took a moment to tout the prowess of the 2024 squad before transitioning into the reality of their current situation.
"I'd almost like to say that, has there been a better NFL team than the 2024 Eagles? I don't know. I'd much rather say that. I'm very proud of that," he said at the league meetings last week in Palm Beach, Florida, noting the strength of the personnel across the board and the dominant performances against the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game and the Chiefs in the title bout. "I think we had an incredible roster. I think we'll still go into the next season with a superb roster."
Regularly fielding the kind of team that can rattle off 16 victories in its past 17 tries and win the two biggest games of the year by a combined 50 points is not realistic. Maintaining some level of sustained greatness is within this organization's reach. But it can't be achieved without incurring some pain along the way, the front office has concluded.
The pain has been felt over the last handful of weeks through the departure of a number of veteran contributors. The Eagles traded starting safety C.J. Garder-Johnson to the Houston Texans, released Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay Jr., and let defensive tackle Milton Williams, guard Mekhi Becton and edge rusher Josh Sweat, among others, walk in free agency.
Meanwhile, league sources confirmed tight end Dallas Goedert has been the subject of trade talks. The combination of his age (30), injury history and average salary of $14 million per season has the Eagles considering moving on from their leading receiver from this past postseason.
There also have been some additions, such as the signings of edge rushers Azeez Ojulari and Joshua Uche, cornerback Adoree' Jackson and running back AJ Dillon to one-year deals. But it's pretty clear heading into the draft that the Eagles have taken a step back from a talent standpoint so far this offseason, leading to a number of important questions for the defending champs, none bigger than: Do they remain in good position for a repeat?
Why are they parting with so many good players?
The Eagles are doing this to keep the core intact for as long as possible.
They have handed out lucrative contracts to a host of players in recent seasons, including quarterback Jalen Hurts, running back Saquon Barkley, receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, offensive linemen Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata and Landon Dickerson and linebacker Zack Baun.
Thanks to successful drafting over the past three years, they know more big pay days are probably coming for players currently on their rookie contracts such as rising star defensive tackle Jalen Carter, center Cam Jurgens, edge rusher Nolan Smith Jr., and eventually, cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.
Budgeting for those future salaries meant making some tough decisions on players who helped deliver a Lombardi Trophy such as Sweat (four years, $76 million with the Cardinals) and Williams (four years, $104 million with the Patriots), who signed large contracts in March.
"If you look at our drafts from 2022 to 2024, we had eight starters in the Super Bowl from those drafts and zero of them have long-term contracts," general manager Howie Roseman said. "As we stand right now, we have 20 picks in the 2025 and 2026 drafts. So, we are going to need some of those roster spots for younger players. We're trying to balance having the best possible team we can have this year and also acknowledging that there is a transition with the middle to back of our roster and that we are going to have some younger players here."
Who will fill the immediate voids?
Safety is the most pressing position at the moment after the decision to trade Gardner-Johnson, who made two Super Bowl appearances in his two years in Philadelphia. Sydney Brown, the team's third-round pick in 2023 out of Illinois, figures to be in the mix for the starting spot opposite Reed Blankenship, but it's a good bet Roseman will add more players to compete before the start of the season after showing some interest in the safety market during the first wave of free agency.
Second-year player Jalyx Hunt figures to see a significant bump in responsibilities with the departures of Sweat and recently retired Brandon Graham. Ojulari and Uche also will try to make up for the loss at edge. Smith made a giant leap forward in Year 2 and will need to ascend both as a player and leader to fill the significant void left by Graham.
Another 2023 third-round pick, Tyler Steen, will be in the mix for the starting guard spot created by Becton's exit. Kenyon Green, a former first-round pick acquired in the Gardner-Johnson deal, could push him.
Third-year defensive tackle Moro Ojomo has fans inside the building, particularly after his play during the postseason, and will be leaned on to help offset the loss of Williams in the interior.
As Lurie pointed out, not much was made of the one-year signings of players such as Baun and Becton last offseason, so there could be surprise contributors on the roster. And Roseman's work shaping the team is not yet complete.
"With Howie, trust me, I think every day is an excursion in terms of what could be," Lurie said. "There's no games for five months. So, I think we'll have a very good roster and you guys can decide how good was that team that you'd mentioned Feb. 9."
How does the draft fit in?
The Eagles currently have eight 2025 draft picks, including four selections in the fifth round.
They are projected to have 12 picks in 2026, including three in the third round, in part because of compensation picks expected to be awarded for the departures of Williams, Sweat and Becton.
After losing free-agent OL Mekhi Becton to the Chargers, as @Tim_McManus reported, the Eagles are now poised to have 2026 compensatory picks in rounds 3, 4, 5 and 6. They also already had the Jets' 3 in 2026 courtesy of the Haason Reddick trade. They now are expected to have five... pic.twitter.com/ctaEpXFkJ6
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2025
That gives them 20 picks over two years to use as resources. Those can be used to move up in the draft or packaged in a trade as the regular season nears if the Eagles determine they lacking in a particular area.
"Our job is to worry, and you'll have causes for concern no matter how many good players we have on our team," Roseman said.
"We're incomplete right now. There's no doubt about it. Talent acquisition season has just started and it goes for a long time, and we continue to try and find any possible ways to upgrade the depth and talent level on our team."
Though it's not sound business to bank on rookie players for immediate impact -- especially when you hold the last pick in the first round -- the Eagles have had a number of players produce right away in recent seasons led by Carter, Mitchell and DeJean. That trend could continue as Philadelphia tries to balance all of its sizable salaries with younger players and less expensive contracts.
Are the Eagles in position to repeat?
They're set up as well as any team in the NFC to go the distance, even though their roster took some hits.
The offense remains loaded with difference-makers both up front and at the skill positions. The No. 1 defense from a season ago is facing more turnover, but there's plenty of ascending talent for maestro defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
As Roseman has noted in the past, the Eagles' three trips to the Super Bowl in recent seasons correlate to the front office nailing their offseason moves. There is a scenario in which the players brought in on one-year deals, via trade and the draft don't pan out, leaving Philadelphia vulnerable in some key areas after a year of being strong everywhere.
But the front office has developed a pretty strong track record at this point, making it more likely than not that the roster will still be one of the best in the league in '25, even as the Eagles prepare for another big contract boom in '26 and beyond.