The Eagles made their second Super Bowl appearance in the past five years, but the roster is set to look drastically different on the defensive side of the football.
With more than a dozen key contributors set to hit free agency next month, Philadelphia could lose eight starters on defense and they still need to sign quarterback Jalen Hurts to a contract extension.
With the new league year fast approaching, the Eagles will need to figure out who the most urgent signing is, and which player could get the franchise tag designation.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson
Philadelphia sent a 2023 fifth-rounder and 2024 sixth-rounder for Gardner-Johnson and a 2025 seventh-round pick.
He responded with a league-high six interceptions despite missing five games due to a lacerated kidney.
Now entering free agency, the expectation is that Gardner-Johnson is a must-have for the Eagles secondary and the team will take the steps to secure a long-term deal.
During his latest appearance on the ‘Inside the Birds’ podcast, Adam Caplan revealed that the Eagles plan to use the franchise tag on Gardner-Johnson if the two sides fail to agree on a long-term contract.
The dilemma in any franchise tag could come from cornerbacks earning significantly more per season than safeties and Gardner-Johnson was a slot cornerback in New Orleans before being moved by the Eagles.
Brian Dawkins wants an aggressive defensive coordinator
With Philadelphia looking to replace Jonathan Gannon, Hall of Fame safety, Brian Dawkins believes Vance Joseph should be the guy.
“I know that he’s aggressive, I know that he’s elaborate, I know he blitzes, I know he mixes things up in different situations.”
The Eagles have been one of the least blitzing teams since 2018, but an injection of Joseph could prevent quarterbacks from completing 80% of their passes.
Eagles defensive coordinator tracker: Identifying candidates who have interviewed for vacancy
Philadelphia has identified several potential candidates to fill the vacancy created by Jonathan Gannon accepting the Cardinals head coaching job.
According to Mike Garafalo, Philadelphia recently interviewed Chris Shula and Jesse Minter after it was reported that former Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard also interviewed for the job.
