Here's some fair warning. This next theory is going to make us sound hypocritical. Often, we have sat on our high horses, and we've wagged our fingers at the Philadelphia Eagles' leadership structure. 'They need to rely on the NFL Draft more than free agency'. You've probably heard us say that a time or two, right?
Time and time again, we've learned something however. The draft truly is a crap shoot. No one knows how these guys will pan out. Perhaps the coaches are failing in developing them, but that forces Howie Roseman to work the phones more.
So, with new information comes new ways of thinking. Might we assume there's a possibility the guys from Georgia are limited?
We haven't given up on them yet. This season is in danger of slipping away though, and truth be told, we're beginning to feel some desperation.
Okay, lets turn over every rock. Maybe a couple of band-aids can stop the bleeding. Who's available in free agency?
Shaq Lawson, EDGE
Eagles fans enjoyed a front-row seat to enjoy Shaq Lawson's in-game talent during Philly's overtime win over the Buffalo Bills last season. He has eclipsed his 30th birthday which often turns interested parties off, but power and a high motor are normally the last traits a good edge rusher loses.
Randy Gregory, EDGE
Randy Gregory's age almost got him thrown off of this list. He turns 32 on November 23rd. Then, it hit us. Edge rushers can play well into their thirties. Come to think of it, Philly's best pass rusher is the oldest one they employ
Gregory vanished from our minds' forefronts once he left the Dallas Cowboys. He has only registered 5.5 sacks during his 22 most recent games, but he could do some damage as part of an Eagles rotation.
We know you hate former Cowboys, but ask yourself this. Are you sure Bryce Huff and Nolan Smith are better players than Gregory is?
Hassan Ridgeway, Defensive Tackle
Philly may be unable to squeeze a Pro Bowl-level effort out of Hassan Ridgeway, but two things are certain. First, we know we'll get 100% effort from him on every play, and second, he never made us sick like some of these new guys we've been watching.
Patrick Peterson, Cornerback
The first thought that crosses the mind when one thinks of Patrick Peterson is normally something in the area of 'man, he's old!'. Then, you start digging into Pro Football Focus grades and you notice he was better and more consistent than all of the young guys who are available, namely Xavien Howard, J.C. Jackson, and Eli Apple.
Zach Cunningham, linebacker
Zach Cunningham notched 85 tackles for the Eagles last season during 13 games with ten starts. While his name doesn't pop off the page, we have sense learned something. Based off what we have learned about Devin White, Zach might be the better football player right now.
Hunter Renfrow, wide receiver
It's hard to believe this guy is unemployed. You aren't convincing us that Hunter Renfrow isn't better than Parris Campbell, Jahan Dotson, or Johnny Wilson unless of course there's something going on with him that we aren't being told about.
Hunter Renfrow can return punts. This makes a ton of sense. It's hard to gather what the Eagles are thinking here.
Honorable mention: Chandon Sullivan, Cornerback
Chandon Sullivan isn't someone who's going to wow you by sticking his head in to make a tackle on a tailback who has reached the second level of you're defense, but he's still pretty good in coverage. He's also a familiar face having played five games for the Birds in 2018 after they added him as an undrafted free agent.
Another honorable mention: Kwon Alexander, linebacker
Kwon Alexander won't excite many Eagles fans because the first question they're going to ask is 'I thought we wanted to fix this run defense?'. While it's true that part of his game needs work and he missed ten tackles in 2023, he's a skilled pass rusher and coverage linebacker.
Hey, you can't have everything, right? Maybe his addition will alleviate the temptation of trying to drop Bryce Huff into coverage.
