The Eagles may not have a single player who is new to the roster in a starting role to open 2025, though first-round pick Jihaad Campbell could start at linebacker if Nakobe Dean, who tore a patellar tendon in the Wild Card game, isn’t ready for the start of the season. The Eagles traded up one spot to land Alabama’s Campbell at number 31 and could utilize him as both an off-ball linebacker and an edge rusher.
Much of the rest of the Eagles’ draft was used to add defensive depth to a roster that is already loaded. Second-round safety Andrew Mukuba of Texas, third-round Nebraska defensive tackle Ty Robinson and fifth-rounders cornerback Mac McWilliams of UCF and linebacker Smael Mondon (5-161) of Georgia all figure to be reserves as rookies.
The Eagles also reworked the quarterback depth behind Hurts, trading with Cleveland for Dorian Thompson-Robinson and picking Syracuse passer Kyle McCord in the sixth round. Either one could challenge 2023 sixth-round pick Tanner McKee for the primary reserve spot behind Hurts.
The Eagles used the third day of the draft largely to restock their group of offensive line reserves, picking up Boston College’s Drew Kendall, Michigan’s Myles Hinton and Texas’ Cameron Williams. The Eagles also traded with Houston for guard Kenyon Green, a former first-round pick who didn’t stick as a full-time starter with the Texans. None of those new linemen are likely slated to start unless injuries hit the group.
The Eagles were not particularly active in free agency and they didn’t sign a single new player to a deal longer than one year. They did grab some edge rush depth with former Giant Azeez Ojulari and former Patriot Josh Uche. Ojulari had 22.0 sacks in four years in New York, including 6.0 last year. Uche had 20.5 sacks in four-plus seasons in New England before being traded to the Chiefs at midseason last year.
The Eagles grabbed another former Giants defender in cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, who started five games in 14 appearances last year but won’t be needed to start in Philly unless 2023 fourth-round Pick Kelee Ringo doesn’t work out. Fellow newcomer Avery Williams, previously with the Falcons, is nominally listed as a cornerback on the roster, too, but the Eagles signed him to compete for the punt and kickoff return jobs.
On offense, the most notably new addition is former Packers running back AJ Dillon, who could step in as the primary back to spell Barkley from time to time. Dillon didn’t play last season due to injury but the former second-round pick had 2,428 rushing yards over the previous four seasons in Green Bay. The Eagles’ offense also got some new depth pieces in former Colts tight end Kylen Granson, former Dolphins tackle Kendall Lamm and former Bears guard Matt Pryor. And there’s a new long-snapper in town after the arrival of Charley Hughlett, who held the same job in Cleveland the past 10 seasons.
As is often the case with the loaded roster of a defending Super Bowl champ, the Eagles did have some defections in free agency as a couple of core defenders got mega-deals with other teams. The biggest contract went to defensive tackle Milton Williams, who got four years and $140 million from the Patriots. Williams was only a part-time starter in Philadelphia but he had 5.0 sacks last year and was one of the most coveted players to hit the market.
Edge rusher Josh Sweat also cashed in for $76 million and four years in Arizona. He led the Eagles with 8.0 sacks in 2024 and then raised his profile even higher with 2.5 more in Super Bowl LIX.
Mekhi Becton spent only one season on the Eagles’ offensive line but the former first-round pick revived his career by switching to guard and serving as a road-grader in the Eagles’ powerful rushing attack. Others who got deals elsewhere in free agency included cornerbacks Isaiah Rodgers (Minnesota) and Avonte Maddox (Detroit), linebacker Oren Burks (Cincinnati) and running back Kenneth Gainwell (Pittsburgh). Burks stepped into the starting lineup for most of the playoffs last year after Dean got hurt.
The aforementioned trades to get Green and Thompson-Robinson also sent a player in the opposite direction. Quarterback Kenny Pickett was part of the deal with Cleveland for Thompson-Robinson while defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson went to Houston in the Green swap. The Eagles also released veteran cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry with post-June 1 designations. Slay landed in Pittsburgh but Bradberry has yet to sign with another team.
More recently, the Eagles traded defensive end Bryce Huff to San Francisco. Huff had come over from the Jets after a 10-sack season but never figured much in the Eagles’ edge rush rotation (2.5 sacks) and was a healthy scratch for the Super Bowl.