Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons (31) runs after intercepting the ball against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half of an NFL football game Dec. 18, 2022, in Denver.
The Philadelphia Eagles have loaded up in nearly every position of need this offseason with remarkable talent. But you can only get so far with talent alone. In this day and age, depth is probably the most important aspect of the 53-man roster, which is where the Eagles are at the moment.
Here are several free agents the Eagles should look into signing before Training Camp begins:
Safety is still a big need for the Eagles’ secondary. While bringing back C.J. Gardner-Johnson was a huge move, the fact of the matter is that there is a significant lack of depth within this group. Reed Blankenship has been great for the Eagles but you have to wonder if he can or will continue to get better in coverage. Sidney Brown is coming off of a huge injury which then leads to players that were on the practice squad for most of last season.
Then there is the DeJean theory that has now been squashed. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Eagles don’t want to overload Cooper Dejean just yet. Instead, they are focused on using him as an outside corner only during his rookie season which is a very smart move.
Simmons can bring everything you need and want in a veteran safety. Not only is he familiar with the scheme but he’s still in the prime of his career. In the last three seasons, Justin Simmons has 14 interceptions, 27 pass deflections, 5 forced fumbles, and 219 tackles.
Staying within the safety group, if Simmons is out of Philadelphia’s price range then they can pivot to Quandre Diggs. Diggs has 10 interceptions and 19 pass deflections over the last three seasons. He also hasn’t missed a game during that span which is exactly what the Eagles need from a veteran in their secondary. As the best ability is always going to be availability.
Diggs would reunite with Darius Slay and could mentor Brown as Slay mentors Mitchell and Dejean which would pave the way for a strong future within the Eagles’ defense. This would still be a home run move although many may feel like it is not as big of a splash as landing Justin Simmons would be.
Having the young guys get their shine right now is great but that doesn’t overrule the value of having a veteran voice. Especially one that played with Eagles’ legend Fletcher Cox. Bringing Ridgeway back to the Eagles would be a great depth move for the team. While he may not see a ton of snaps, Ridgewway has proven to be effective in a limited role, and a limited snap count would help him given he’s recovering from a torn Achilles.
Philadelphia needs to add more depth at the DT position and a veteran presence as well. Carter and Davis are still fresh in this league and would benefit greatly from having a player like Ridgeway in the locker room.
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HughE Dillon is a Philadelphia-based photographer and creator of the PhillyChitChat blog. Follow him on Twitter…
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