By now, the Eagles have ticked just about every box on their offseason checklist, but despite such a strong free agency and draft haul, the work is never really done. Howie Roseman has become one of the true pioneers of conquering the 'compensatory pick formula' and as of tomorrow, any free agent signed will no longer count towards that, meaning if that was the only thing holding the Eagles back from pulling the trigger, they now have a chance to sign that player 'penalty free'. Here are five names who could be on their immediate watch list.
Defensive End, Ziggy Ansah
Ansah is a name who has been linked with the Eagles throughout the offseason and with good reason. Jim Schwartz was Head Coach of the Detroit team that drafted Ansah back in 2013 and would go on to amass 8 sacks, forcing 2 fumbles in his rookie year.
There is understandable concern over the 29-year old's durability after he needed surgery rehab for a shoulder injury that cost him the second-half of the 2018 season, but it's not as if Ansah has the 'injury prone' tag attached. Even with last year's season-ending injury, Ansah has still posted up 4 sacks and 7 QB hits in 7 games and has notched at least 7.5 sacks in four of his six seasons in the NFL. Prior to that injury, he had never played in fewer than 13 games...but the timing of the injury mattered.
Ansah was entering in the heart of his contract year when he suffered the injury and with so many big-name edge rushers in that free agency class all entering without durability concerns before such an eyebrow-raising draft class, Ansah slipped through the cracks.
The Eagles are almost certain to lose Chris Long and while Shareef Miller will add some depth, he's some-way off being as impactful as Ansah would be. He's a perfect fit for this scheme and would likely be available on a relatively cheap 'prove-it' contract, giving the Eagles more time to see what they have in Sweat and Ostman next season.
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Offensive Guard, Brandon Fusco
The Eagles let Stefen Wisniewski and Chance Warmack walk this offseason, paving the way for Isaac Seumalo to step up and maybe the mauling Matt Pryor to emerge as a primary backup. But with Brandon Brooks anything but certain to be healthy enough for week one, the Eagles would be wise to being in a veteran presence, just in case.
The Falcons released 30-year old Brandon Fusco recently after an offseason of investment. James Carpenter, Adam Gettis and of course first-round selection Chris Lindstrom, all join the offensive line room. But that doesn't mean Fusco doesn't have value.
He started in seven games before suffering a season-ending ankle injury against the Giants and played the right guard spot at an adequate level.
Fusco has a wealth of experience under his belt, after spending six years with the Vikings and a single season with the Niners prior to his stint with the Falcons.
Fusco would provide an emergency insurance policy as a player that has started every game he has been healthy for since 2012 and like Ansah, could be relatively inexpensive due to the season-ending injury sustained.
Wide Receiver, Jermaine Kearse
The Eagles did address the wide receiver position this offseason, heavily. DeSean Jackson and J.J Arcega-Whiteside headline the new additions, while AAF star and former NFL receiver Charles Johnson joins Greg Ward and a slew of undrafted free agents who will fight for depth spots. But the one spot they didn't address, was the slot.
The Eagles seem intent on keeping Nelson Agholor this season, even with his $9.4M cap hit. However, while never cementing himself as an offensive focal point last year, Jermaine Kearse could be a name worth noting if the team does decide to move on from Agholor late into proceedings. We know this is a possibility, just ask Jordan Matthews and Ronald Darby.
Even if they don't, adding a slot receiver behind Agholor would be a favorable move. He fits the 'big slot' mold that the Eagles seemingly prioritized in their pre-draft meetings (6'1 209 lbs) and at 29-years old, is coming off a career-low 371 yards. Conversely, he posted a career-high 810 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2017. After spending most of his career in Seattle, Kearse seemed to drop off just a tad in New York, but an ability to play the slot physically could benefit the Eagles and give Kearse the platform to make the case for a longer-term contract.
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Free Safety, Tre Boston
How Tre Boston is a free agent is frankly beyond me at this point. Unless there's something we don't know with regards to his attitude, effort levels in practice etc, it just doesn't make sense.
He's still 26 years old and after the free agency market dried up last year, his 79 tackle, 5 interception season wasn't enough for teams to somehow want to take the plunge. Boston gambled on himself and took a late prove-it contract with the Cardinals, in a season where he (shockingly) exceeded expectations again.
Boston tallied another 79 tackles, 3 interceptions, a career-high 9 passes defensed and forced a fumble. Yet here he is, unsigned. The former fourth-round pick now has more than a solid resume at free safety and the Eagles may want an extra insurance policy behind Rodney McLeod. As we learned last year, you can never have too much defensive back depth...and Boston just seems to constantly shine, even if the world does refuse to notice.
Tight End, A.J Derby
The former Pats TE missed most of last season with a foot injury, catching just 3 passes for 48 yards and a touchdown in 4 games. The Dolphins eventually placed Derby on IR in December after beginning the season as Miami's top tight end target. At 27-years old, Derby still has his best years ahead of him.
A former 2015 sixth-round selection, Derby spent his rookie year on IR before being traded to the Broncos one year later. He was moved to the Dolphins in the heart of the season, as he was to the Broncos one year before, meaning that the tight end should now be available cheap and could just need some stability without the pressure of needing to be a top TE receiving option as he was in Denver and Miami.
Enter the Philadelphia Eagles.
If you cast your minds back to the opening few weeks of last season, Dallas Goedert was rarely used at all, while Joshua Perkins somewhat squandering the opportunities handed to him. An injury to Richard Rodgers really didn’t help matters and by the time the Eagles started shifting their offense to a primary base of 12-personnel, the addition of a third tight end would’ve been extremely valuable…just look at Trey Burton’s production in his final year as an Eagle.
13-personnel was a huge part of the Eagles success both on the ground and through the air during their iconic Super Bowl run and Derby would provide the receiving threat to line up with Goedert and Ertz in a package that would simply be terrifying, allowing Richard Rodgers to return to his role as an in-line blocker.
