Where Do The Eagles Stand Entering Draft Season?
Will A.J. stay? Do we need safeties? Why are all of our linemen getting stem cell treament in a foreign country?
I spent the past week in Guatemala, my first trip to Central America. I watched the sky paint the backs of volcanoes as the afternoon fog lowered to kiss the trees. White clouds moved with purpose above me as lush greenery consumed the earth around me. As I stood in wonder of nature’s brilliance, one singular thought kept crossing my mind...“damn, the Eagles are looking pretty light at the safety position.”
As we move on from winter like Kevin Patullo’s offensive coordinator career, we turn the page toward one of the most important months in the NFL calendar and the official start of draft season. Three weeks removed from the start of free agency, the 2026 Eagles are starting to take shape. As currently constructed, Howie Roseman’s creation is speckled with weak spots and question marks. Like an IKEA table you’re missing a couple screws for that doesn’t look quite like the picture.
But Howie attended the Daryl Morey School of “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over.” The team in April is not the final team. The next phase is infusing an expensive roster with young, inexpensive talent through the NFL Draft, which kicks off on April 23. As we gear up for the next hallmark of the NFL season (and inhale YouTube highlights of D3 tight ends we swear are hidden gems), here’s where the Birds stand entering draft season.
The Beat Goes On for A.J. Brown
This A.J. Brown story is like getting your teeth cleaned at the dentist. People are yapping at you throughout the whole thing, and all you can think about is when it’s going to be over. As the question of Arthur Juan’s future remains, the Eagles have made some minor moves at wide receiver.
Hollywood comes to South Philly as Marquise Brown signed a 1-year deal with his favorite childhood team. Hollywood has the potential to be a game-breaking #3 wide receiver for Philly, with the speed to stretch the field for one of the best deep ball throwers in the league, in Jalen Hurts. His addition to the team feels more complementary to the roster as currently constructed, rather than a direct replacement for Brown’s production.
The more interesting signing is the Eagles bringing in wide receiver Elijah Moore, a former 2nd-round pick by the Jets in 2021 and a close friend of A.J. Brown. Moore and Brown played together at Ole Miss in 2018 and have a famously close relationship. Moore spoke with ESPN about their relationship in 2022, saying:
“I wouldn’t even call it a friendship. It’s family. The things we’ve been through, the things we talk about, it has real substance. That’s someone who is connected to me in a way that’s more than… He’s blood.”
Moore’s signing is notable because he’s not an especially accomplished wide receiver. He played two years with the Jets, two years in Cleveland, and last year in Buffalo, where he logged 112 yards in 9 games last year for a notoriously light receiving core. He still hasn’t topped the 5 touchdown mark he set in his rookie year as a highly-touted prospect with the Jets. It’s hard to fault Moore; having the Jets and Browns on your resume is like getting an entry-level job at a landfill fresh out of college. But still, Moore will have to fight for a roster spot in Philly.
The Eagles love taking a chance on undervalued prospects, but I see the Moore signing as…um…more. As mentioned in a profile on Brown in the Athletic by Brooks Kubena, A.J. doesn’t consider himself to have many close friends, saying, “Obviously, I have teammates who I care about, and I love. But as far as close friends who I can truly, truly depend on, I think that’s just a lot. And I don’t want to place that on someone.”
“A.J. is particular,” said Moore in the same piece. “When you call someone a friend, it’s like basically one level below a wife: a true friend. A friend that’s seen everything, all your flaws, not going to judge you, but also work through them with you.” Moore helped A.J. when he was dealing with significant mental health struggles in the 2020 season, and the college teammates have stayed close.
It’s hard to interpret the Moore signing as anything less than an effort to create a positive environment for A.J. Howie Roseman denied this in his press availability at the Annual League Meeting earlier this week, saying, “Everything we’re doing is based on the particulars of the players. There’s nothing we’re doing to do favors [for] ... anyone.”
But I don’t know if I believe that. All week at the Annual League Meeting, the Eagles have kept the company line, reiterating that “A.J. Brown is an Eagle for now.” Earlier in the offseason, Roseman alluded to the fact that the Eagles are in the business of having great players, and A.J. Brown is a great player.
Color me delusional, but I think this move is all about optionality. I don’t think moving on from A.J. is as set in stone as the narrative would have us believe. I think Howie Roseman and the Eagles are keeping their options open. If you can create a positive environment for Brown in an offense that he wants to continue to be a part of, then roll the dice in 2026 and work together to try to bring a third Lombardi to Philadelphia. If Brown sees the offense and the environment as untenable for his goals, then trade him to New England after June 1 when his dead money hit lessens. And if Moore gives you any sort of production, that’s icing on the cake.
Eagles Insider Derek Gunn shared an interesting note on 97.5 the Fanatic, saying, “The Eagles are not actively trying to move A.J. As smart of a business entity as they are, you have to listen to any and every offer. Obviously, whatever offers and rumors that have been out there have not been good enough to entice the Eagles to make the move.” Patriots GM Eliot Wolf echoed those thoughts on an appearance on Up and Adams, saying, “A.J. Brown is a member of the Eagles, as Howie mentioned yesterday, and we haven’t had any conversations about anything regarding that in a long time.”
So, we’ll see what happens. Either way, I expect the Eagles to draft a rookie wide receiver in the middle rounds as a low-cost option to strengthen a position group that would suddenly look less formidable if you remove Brown.
Safety? Hardly Knew Ye.
With the loss of Reed Blankenship, the Eagles’ safety room is looking thinner than George Costanza’s hairline. The Birds are leaning on second-year safety Andrew Mukuba, coming off a season-ending injury and an up-and-down performance in 2025, to lead the position group.
As Mukuba looks to reach his potential as an undersized ballhawk, he’ll be flanked by Michael Carter II (a former slot corner who the Eagles traded for last year) or Marcus Epps (who was a steady hand in Mukuba’s place last season). The Eagles also signed safety J.T. Gray, an 8-year veteran and 3-time All-Pro special teams player. Gray’s never started a game at safety, so the Eagles will look to take advantage of his difference-making skills on special teams.
The Eagles also didn’t invest in safety heavily last year around Blankenship and Mukuba. With a strong cornerback group bolstered by the signing of former Seahawks cornerback Tariq Woolen, the Eagles are comfortable with having safety as a weak spot, knowing their cornerbacks, led by Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, can make up the difference.
There are still free agent options on the market, including former Steelers safeties Chuck Clark and Kyle Dugger, and former Texans safety Jimmie Ward. But expect the Eagles to evaluate what they have before making any additional moves.
Can I Get a Pass Rusher?
After the Panthers pried away Jaelan Phillips by paying him the GDP of a small island nation, the Eagles are left with a gaping hole at pass rusher, a position the Eagles historically place high value on. But who will devour quarterbacks across from promising youngsters Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt?
The Eagles signed former Falcons edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie and former first-round pick Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, who played for Cleveland and Chicago last year. Both are undervalued players with high upside. Despite that, neither is meant to fully replace what Phillips and Josh Sweat, before him, brought to this team.
I can see the Eagles drafting an edge rusher in what looks like a very deep class. On the other side of the draft, if the Eagles still feel like there’s a hole at the position, they have some free agent options. Bills defensive end A.J. Epenesa was connected to the Birds before signing with Cleveland. But Cleveland recently opted not to sign Epenesa after issues with his physical. Is that Howie’s theme music I hear?
Other free agent options are oft-injured but still productive edge Joey Bosa, who played 15 games in Buffalo last year and logged 5 sacks, and human building who’s seemingly on a new team every season, Jadeveon Clowney.
The most interesting option? 33-year-old Leonard Floyd, who played under Vic Fangio in Chicago. Last season with Atlanta, Floyd had 19 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 10 quarterback pressures, and 11 quarterback hits in 15 games. Daniel Popper of The Athletic wrote, “Floyd still has the juice to press tackles to the corner as a rotational rusher. He produced pressure on 13 percent of his pass-rush snaps, a rate that ranked in the top 50 among all players with at least 200 pass-rushing snaps. It topped his pressure rate from each of the previous three seasons.”
The other option is the trade market. Does Philly let the dust settle after the draft and look at a trade to bring Josh Sweat back home from Arizona? Or potentially trade for the Vikings, Jonathan Greenard? You know what, f*** it, I’ll do it. Put me in Howie.
Stem Cells, Bounce-Backs, and the Offensive Line
Philly’s offensive line is looking for a bounce-back performance after a down year, while also learning an entirely new scheme. On top of that, a long-time strength suddenly has some big question marks. The biggest of all is their overall health. Last year, the Eagles’ offensive line missed a total of 14 games (8 of those by Lane Johnson and another 3 by Cam Jurgens).
In a recent interview with Bussin’ with the Boys, Jurgens explained his injury issues, saying his disc “broke off and got wrapped around my sciatic nerve, so it was just like suffocating my leg. It was hard to walk, I don’t know how I was playing.” Not great!
The Eagles’ 2024 Super Bowl run clearly took a huge toll. Both Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens have both gone to Colombia to seek stem cell treatment for their injuries. Going to another country to seek cutting-edge medical procedures is always a good sign!
On top of that, the Eagles are weirdly light in offensive line depth. They lost occasional human turnstile, occasional replacement-level lineman Brett Toth to the 49ers. Their backups include undersized center Willie Lampkin and unproven second-year players Drew Kendall, Jake Majors (a player I’m not convinced is real), Cameron Williams, and Myles Hinton. The expectation for all of those players to develop with the loss of Jeff Stoutland is a tall order.
I can see the Eagles tapping into a draft class with strong interior line prospects come April 23. If they want to work the market, there are options, including old friend Mekhi Becton (who is still very large). Expect the Birds to work through the draft and let the market settle before bringing someone in.
One move the Eagles did make was bringing back swing tackle Fred Johnson on a 1-year deal. Johnson is a locker-room favorite and played well last season, filling in for an injured Lane Johnson in 8 games. Johnson is also familiar with the Shanahan-McVay system, playing under former Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor as a backup with the Bengals, and spending training camp with McVay disciple Liam Coen and the Jaguars last year.
Fred’s success in that system is yet to be seen since he was cut by the Bengals, and the Jags traded him back to Philly. Still, his familiarity with the system could really help this group.
The Tanner McKee Trade Machine
We’re keeping the Trade Tanner dream alive, but the market has really dried up for our boy Tanner McKee. Entering the last year of his rookie contract, Philly was expected to trade Tanner to a quarterback-hungry team. But then Kyler Murray got released, Geno Smith got traded, and Malik Willis took his talents to South Beach.
In the meantime, the Eagles traded a 2027 7th-round pick for Andy Dalton, who’s known as a great mentor to young quarterbacks and almost ran away with the Panthers’ starting job before a car accident two years ago handed the reins to Bryce Young. Dalton is a great player to have in the building to help with Jalen Hurts’ development. Hurts is now surrounded by current and former NFL veteran quarterbacks in Dalton, offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, and offensive coach Jerrod Johnson.
McKee’s market may be drying up, but out of the NFL veteran options available, he looks like the best in a market filled with Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, and Aaron Rodgers (who is Pittsburgh or bust). McKee has potential as a bridge-starter for a rebuilding team and could be on the move after the draft.
Depending on how things shake out, maybe McKee gets a chance with the Arizona Cardinals, the last stop on the QB-needy merry-go-round, and a team that’s dying to draft Ty Simpson way too high. Arizona would be better suited to take a chance on the Stanford Slingshot.
Eagles Draft Picks this Year
1st Round: Own Pick (No. 23 overall)
2nd Round: Own Pick (No. 54 overall)
3rd Round: From Jets (No. 68 overall, Haason Reddick Trade)
3rd Round: Compensatory Pick (No. 98 overall)
4th Round: From Falcons (No. 114 overall, Sydney Brown Trade)
4th Round: Compensatory Pick (No. 137 overall)
5th Round: From Falcons (No. 153 overall, 2025 NFL Draft Trade)
5th Round: Compensatory Pick (No. 178 overall)
6th Round: From Falcons (No. 197 overall, Sydney Brown Trade)
lol
“After the Panthers pried away Jaelan Phillips by paying him the GDP of a small island nation…”