It's nothing new this time of year. Still, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman must make several important decisions this offseason as the calendar turns to March and the new NFL league year looms.
The most obvious are Philadelphia's pending free agent class and how the potential big-money deals linebacker Zack Baun, defensive tackle Milton Williams and edge rusher Josh Sweat could get on the open market, impact the attempts at building a sequel to the Eagles' impressive Super Bowl LIX-winning roster.
Multiple sources have pegged Baun as the Eagles' priority No. 1 after an impressive All-Pro season while most outside the building believing Williams and Sweat may get too expensive. Then there's right guard Mekhi Becton and a complicated negotiation there, as well as a host of role players led by LB Oren Burks, cornerback Isaiah Rodgers and perhaps running back Kenny Gainwell, a popular figure in the locker room.
With in-house players under contract, six-time Pro Bowl CB Darius Slay needs attention because his guaranteed money had dried up and his cap number is too large.
However, the most complicated decision of all could be the fifth-year option for nose tackle Jordan Davis.
As the 13th overall pick in the NFL draft, Rosman has just over two months (May 2) to decide whether or not to commit $12.938 million to Davis, 25, for the 2026 season.
A lot can happen in those weeks, including shifts to the interior of the defensive line in the draft and free agency, plus there is the cap itself which was buoyed by a massive increase this year and will again next meaning $12.9M in NFL dollars down the road packs more value than the moment.
Davis has been a good player through his first three NFL seasons. It's also fair to say he's been a two-down one, especially under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio last season when Davis' playing time dropped from 519 defensive snaps in 2023 (45%) to 388 last season (37%).
The two current contracts most comparable to what the Eagles would be guaranteeing Davis are Indianapolis' Grover Stewart, who played 690 defensive snaps last year, and David Onyemata of the Atlanta Falcons, who was at 567.
In other words, the bang for the projected buck for Davis as the No. 13 overall pick is just not there.
Now that doesn't mean that Davis' role can't grow and there will still be opportunities, especially if Williams signs elsewhere as expected. The real difficulty for the Eagles will be deciding if Davis can be more than a two-down run-stuffer.
Fangio's mentality on defense is simple. If you can stop the run with a four-man front, you play that way and for the most part, the No. 1 ranked Philadelphia defense was able to do that consistently, which affected Davis' playing time.
Early in the season -- think Week 3 at New Orleans -- Fangio rolled out a six-man front to stop a Saints' running attack that was cooking early in the season. If the Eagles need to play heavier fronts next season, Davis' role will grow naturally so it's not just about monitoring snap numbers.
Fangio and defensive line coach Clint Hurtt have to evaluate how much they want Davis on the field in passing situations, something the Georgia product excelled with in the team's postseason run, albeit in a limited sample size. That said, it's hard to envision that role for Davis increasing that much as the game evolves toward more NASCAR packages with four pass rushers on the field at once in obvious passing situations.
The most likely scenario is Roseman eschewing the fifth-year option as a placeholder while working on a longer-term extension with Davis to lessen the cap value over the length of the contract.
Roseman always has contingencies in place as well and it was notable that one of the first players the Eagles met with at the scouting combine was Florida nose tackle Cam Jackson, a 6-foot-6, 340-pound prospect who could start a far more cost-effective clock for the Eagles as an interior defensive player.
The hard truth here is that Davis has been a two-down player and that is likely to continue so exploring cheaper options while trying to get a contract done that reflects that makes sense.
