Five Free Agents That The Eagles Should Consider Pursuing (3/2/22)
NFL free agency is only two weeks away. The Eagles are coming off a season where they managed to make the Wild Card round with a 9–8 record, and many sports analysts and fans were expecting this team to be a four-win team at best.
But because the team managed to highly exceed expectations, the Eagles will need to add some marquee free agents to get even better and to hopefully get deeper into the playoffs.
Here are five free agents that will drastically improve the Eagles’ current roster.
Haason Reddick
Haason Reddick should be on the top of Howie Roseman’s wish list when it comes to signing free agents.
Last season, the Eagles were second to last in the league in sacks. Throughout the season, the defense had a hard time getting to the quarterback.
After playing more of a linebacker role during his first few seasons in the league, Reddick has transitioned into more of a defensive end, and it has completely turned around his career.
Over his last two seasons, he has compiled double-digit sacks. In 2020, he had by far his career-high with 12.5 sacks, and last season he had 11 sacks.
Adding Reddick will give the Eagles defense a lethal pass rusher that they haven’t had for so long.
It also doesn’t hurt that Reddick will be playing for his hometown team, as he is originally from Camden, New Jersey, and he played his college ball at Temple.
Chandler Jones
If adding Reddick doesn’t work out, then why not a plan B for adding someone that can get to the quarterback, and Chandler Jones is that guy.
After suffering a biceps injury that made him miss much of the 2020 campaign, Jones bounced back in a big way for the Cardinals, as he compiled 10.5 sacks making that his seventh season of compiling double-digit sacks.
While the Eagles’ main priority should be adding more younger players, and Jones is certainly not that, as he is 32 years old, the fact that he is still playing at a high level should provide the Eagles with optimism.
Jones would be another player that would fill arguably the team’s biggest need going into this pivotal offseason.
Marcus Williams
With both of the Eagles’ safeties in Rodney McLeod and Anthony Harris becoming free agents this offseason, it’s time that the Eagles find more youth and stability within the safety position.
Adding Marcus Williams, who happens to be one of the league’s best safeties and is only 25 years old will fulfill both of those needs.
Williams thrived in a Saints defense that played a lot of zone coverage under former defensive coordinator and now Saints head coach Dennis Allen, and Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon is a big fan of zone coverage.
Adding one of the best safeties in the league to a secondary that already features one of the league’s best cornerbacks in Darius Slay will pay major dividends to the defense.
Mike Williams
Whoever will be the Eagles quarterback next season, whether it’s Jalen Hurts or someone else, will need another added playmaker to the offense.
Mike Williams will be the perfect compliment to wide receivers Devonta Smith and Quez Watkins.
The skills that Smith and Watkins both lack is what Williams is very good at.
William’s biggest strength is his ability to catch 50/50 balls due to his big and physical stature. According to PFF (Pro Football Focus), he had the sixth-best tight coverage grade among all NFL wide receivers. He was just one of nine wide receivers to catch half of his contested targets last season.
Allen Robinson
Robinson has been on the Eagles’ wish list for a while, dating back to 2017 when he was with the Jaguars.
Similar to Williams, Robinson is a big physical receiver who can make contested catches.
Robinson is only 28 years old, and he has already been in the league for eight seasons.
Despite his past injuries, he has compiled three seasons of 1,000 or more receiving yards, including back-to-back in 2019 and 2020 with Mitchell Trubisky as his quarterback.
