Which pending free agents will be back with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2026?
Philadelphia has a lot of pending free agents to watch closely. The list includes Dallas Goedert, Reed Blankenship, Jaelan Phillips, Azeez Ojulari, Jahan Dotson, Brandon Graham, Braden Mann, Joshua Uche, Kylen Granson, Matt Pryor, Fred Johnson, AJ Dillon, Nakobe Dean, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Brett Toth, Ben VanSumeren (RFA), Sam Howell, and Grant Calcaterra.
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Of the group, the guys who have been talked about the most this offseason already have been Goedert, Blankenship, Phillips and Dean. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo joined “The Anthony Gargano Show” on Friday and said that Goedert wants to come back. Dean has said multiple times that he wants to be back. Phillips was the team’s big trade deadline pickup and already looks like he’d be hard to replace. Blankenship has been a key piece in the Eagles’ defense for a bit, and there isn’t a ton of safety depth outside of Andrew Mukuba.
The Eagles have a handful of pending free agents
Dec 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean (17) stands during the National Anthem before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Of the group, arguably it would make the most sense to bring Goedert or Phillips back. The Eagles don’t have a long-term plan at tight end and the pass rush will lack high-end edge rushers if Phillips leaves. While this is the case, CBS Sports’ Zachary Pereles shared a story with one player each team should prioritize in free agency and floated Dean as the guy for Philadelphia.
“Eagles: LB Nakobe Dean,” Pereles wrote. “Whether or not they can actually do it, keeping Nakobe Dean makes a world of sense for Philadelphia. Dean only recently turned 25 and has shown tremendous blitzing ability, especially as he emerged as a full-time player the past two seasons alongside Zack Baun. But he’s also dealt with significant injury issues, which might keep his cost from becoming prohibitively high for the Eagles, who love their former Georgia defenders.”
Dean is an awesome player and it would be great to have him back. But the Eagles have Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell in the mix as well at linebacker. The only way it would make a “world of sense” for Philadelphia to make a move is if the team were to shift Campbell to the edge. That could change things. But as the roster currently stands, he unfortunately isn’t the pending free agent that fits the best. Again, that would be Goedert or Phillips.
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