The NFL’s new league year is set to begin under some very extenuating circumstances as the sports world has been ground to a halt due to the coronavirus.
Teams can begin negotiating with pending free agents Monday, and deals can be signed as early as March 18.
ESPN.com recently set out to rank the top 100 unrestricted free agents, including players who are set to have the nonexclusive franchise or transition tag applied.
The Philadelphia Eagles are set for a reboot and have six of their 18 free agents land on the list. Malcolm Jenkins could join the list if the Eagles don’t pick up his option for 2020.
Here are the six Eagles who landed on ESPN’s top-100.
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51. Halapoulivaati Vaitai
Vaitai was the highest-ranked Eagles player on the list.
Big V as he is known in Philadelphia, has spent most of the past four seasons as a swing backup and spot starter. He can play both guard and tackle and was good enough as a replacement left tackle in 2017 to help the Eagles win Super Bowl LII. A player of his size and relatively youthful age is sure to generate interest. […]
58. Jason Peters
The future Hall of Famer will have a market in free agency and it’ll be interesting to see if Howie Roseman and company are content with letting him walk.
At his age, Peters is a year-to-year proposition. But after he played in 29 of a possible 32 games over the past two seasons, there is a reason to think he could squeeze out at least one more quality season. Even if his best years are long behind him, starting left tackles of any quality generate intense interest. […]
85. Nelson Agholor
Agholor didn’t reach his full potential with the Eagles but he’s still a talented player capable of putting up formidable numbers with a talented quarterback.
Agholor was part of a receiving corps that helped scuttle the Eagles’ offense in 2019. He had a 4.3% drop percentage, among the 40 worst rates in the NFL, and missed five games because of a knee injury. But if he is healthy, and perhaps in a new system, he can help a team’s depth. […]
88. Rodney McLeod
A talented safety, McLeod is unlikely to return, especially if he can land a big deal on the open market.
Although few teams seek out 30-year-old free agents, McLeod can be the kind of calming veteran whose presence alone can settle a defense. […]
97. Jordan Howard
Howard could return to the Eagles and will have a market in free agency for a team that wants a physical running back or a guy that is constantly gaining positive yards.
Howard’s career hasn’t followed the trajectory that suggests he is about to cash in on the open market, but he could be a value signing. […]
100. Ronald Darby
Darby is as talented a cornerback that you’ll find on the open market, but he’s struggled to stay healthy over the past two seasons and he’s been susceptible to the big play.
Darby once again had his season cut short by injury, this time because of a hip flexor. He has missed 23 of a possible 80 games in five seasons. But he is talented in coverage, still young and will merit some looks.
