NFL free agency is less than three weeks away and with the NFL draft approaching as well, it’s a great time to start shaping the Eagles 2020 roster on paper.
With 18 players set for free agency, Howie Roseman can’t keep them all and nor should he want to.
The Eagles have needs at several key positions and with a youth movement scheduled, here are four free agents the Birds should let walk next month.
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1. Ronald Darby CB 26 UFA –
Darby returned to the Eagles in 2019 after signing a one year deal and he again finished the season on injured reserve. Darby is likely to move on as the Eagles look to restructure the secondary.
2. Jordan Howard RB 25 UFA –
He’s only 25 years old and one of the top yardage producers over the past four seasons, but the carries simply aren’t going to be there next season.
At the beginning of the 2019 season, he looked like a keeper and the Eagles’ future at running back but with the emergence of Boston Scott and Miles Sanders, the Eagles should decide to look elsewhere and spend that capital on another skill player.
3. Nelson Agholor
The most obvious choice, it was over the minute Eagles fan and hero Hakim Laws went viral for saying, “we was catching them, unlike Agholor,” while rescuing a baby from a burning building.
The Eagles exercised Agholor’s 2019 fifth-year option last offseason, and he had one of the worst seasons of his career. Agholor missed the bulk of the Eagles playoff run with a knee injury and the team played better without him. Agholor will likely walk in free agency and could still make good money as a slot receiver on the open market.
4. Timmy Jernigan DT 27 UFA
Vinny Curry was a more productive player for the Eagles this year and could be an upgrade over Jernigan in 2020 at a cheaper price. With Fletcher Cox and Malik Jackson returning, Hassan Ridgeway could be the third defensive tackle, with Curry’s versatility allowing him to play along the entire line.
