Position-by-position look at 2026 Eagles offense before free agency

The NFL offseason will kick into high gear next week when free agency begins at noon on Monday. That’s when the negotiating window opens.

The new league year will begin at 4 p.m. next Wednesday.

The Eagles are projected to have just over $12.5 million in salary cap space, per OverTheCap, and aren’t expected to be major players in free agency. But Howie Roseman also won’t just sit on his hands.

Here’s a position by position look at the offensive side of the ball:

Quarterback

Under contract: Jalen Hurts, Tanner McKee

Pending free agents: Sam Howell

Need level: Low

Thoughts and options: Jalen Hurts isn’t going anywhere and the biggest question around the franchise quarterback is about when he’ll get his next extension. Hurts is under contract through the 2028 season but is already out of the top 10 in terms of average annual salary. The Eagles’ need at quarterback would obviously increase if they decide to trade Tanner McKee as he enters the final year of his rookie contract. If the Eagles were to trade McKee, they would need to find an adequate replacement. This is going to be a season with high expectations and the Eagles won’t go into it without a backup they can trust. Maybe they can just re-sign Sam Howell if they like him. But some former Eagles like Kenny Pickett, Gardner Minshew and Joe Flacco are set to be free agents so there might be options if the Eagles trade McKee — but they won’t let him go unless they get a substantial return. The Eagles will need a third QB but it’s possible they find him in the draft or with a cheap signing. 

Running back

Under contract: Saquon Barkley, Tank Bigsby, Will Shipley, Carson Steele

Pending free agents: A.J. Dillon, Ben VanSumeren (RFA)

Need level: Low

Thoughts and options: The Eagles will bring back their top three running backs from the 2025 season. It was a bit of a down year for Barkley after his 2,000-yard season in 2024 but he’s still one of the best running backs in the NFL and he’s under contract through the 2028 season. The Eagles also have Tank Bigsby under contract for the 2026 season and Will Shipley under contract for 2026 and 2027. Could the Eagles add another low-risk player like what Dillon was last season? Maybe. But the priority isn’t high and it’s hard to imagine the Eagles will bring Dillon back to be their No. 4 back. If anything, the Eagles could continue to look at bolstering the fullback position. They have Cameron Latu in the building and signed Steele but VanSumeren is a free agent after suffering a season-ending injury on the first play of the 2025 season. The Eagles won’t tender VanSumeren but perhaps there’s a chance he comes back on a one-year deal.

Receiver

Under contract: A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Darius Cooper, Johnny Wilson, Britain Covey, Danny Gray, Quez Watkins

Pending free agents: Jahan Dotson

Need level: Medium

Thoughts and options: We’re putting the need level at receiver at a medium for now. That could obviously change based on what happens with A.J. Brown. If Brown is on the team in 2026, the Eagles bring back two top-tier receivers. If Brown gets traded, there’s a ton of confidence in DeVonta Smith’s ability to take over as a No. 1 receiver, but the Eagles would need to find his No. 2. I’m bullish on the future of Darius Cooper but the Eagles can’t rely on Cooper as WR2. It’s hard to imagine the Eagles trading Brown and then overpaying for a receiver in free agency, especially because the Eagles are expected to play the compensatory pick game. Players who are released don’t count toward the compensatory pick formula so if a player like Calvin Ridley gets released, maybe he could be an option. The Eagles might also be linked to Romeo Doubs because of the Sean Mannion/Packers connection, but that would likely have to be an overpay. Maybe a veteran like Mike Evans makes some sense for a year. The Eagles could also scan the league for trade options — perhaps guys like Brian Thomas from Jacksonville or D.J. Moore from Chicago could become available in a trade.

Tight end

Under contract: E.J. Jenkins, Cameron Latu, Jaheim Bell

Pending free agents: Dallas Goedert, Grant Calcaterra, Kylen Granson

Need level: High

Thoughts and options: It looked like the Eagles and Dallas Goedert were heading for a split last offseason before the two sides found some common ground on a one-year deal. The best outcome for the Eagles would probably to figure out a similar deal with Goedert again in 2026 but he could really be gone this time. But there will be some other free agent options. Kyle Pitts won’t be one of them after the Falcons slapped a franchise tag on the former first-round pick. Former Browns tight end David Njoku announced that he wasn’t returning to Cleveland. Njoku is a nine-year veteran, who probably won’t break the bank. The Eagles could be a good landing spot for Njoku if Goedert moves on. Isaiah Likely from Baltimore and Chig Okonkwo from Tennessee could also be options. The Eagles also need to create a more complementary tight end room. Howie Roseman admitted that last month because it was obvious the Eagles didn’t have guys who were capable of blocking; that’s even more important in this new scheme. So maybe a player like Charlie Kolar from Baltimore would be a solid add. Those are some free agents available but the Eagles could look to draft a tight end too. Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq is the top tight end in this class but he might be gone by the time the Eagles are on the clock at No. 23.

Offensive line

Under contract: Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Tyler Steen, Lane Johnson, Drew Kendall, Myles Hinton, Cameron Williams, Willie Lampkin, Hollin Pierce, Jake Majors, John Ojukwu

Pending free agents: Fred Johnson, Brett Toth, Matt Pryor

Need level: Medium-high

Thoughts and options: On one hand, the Eagles will return all five starters from the 2025 team. So it’s hard to say this is a “high” priority. But just because Lane Johnson is back for the 2026 season, it doesn’t mean the Eagles shouldn’t begin to think about finding his replacement. The best way to do that is obviously in the draft. As we look at free agency, it seems unlikely the Eagles will make any splashes at offensive line but their top two backup offensive linemen are pending free agents. And the Eagles should be interested in bringing back Fred Johnson and Brett Toth if they can. Johnson has been a solid backup tackle the last couple seasons. He went to Jacksonville last year but then got traded back to Philly. Maybe he’ll give it another go elsewhere with a chance to start. Toth ended up being a key backup last season at both guard and center and is a valuable player going forward, especially because of lingering health questions about Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens. The Eagles should be interested in bringing Toth back, but other teams are going to be interested too. Then there’s Mekhi Becton, who was released by the Chargers. There might be a temptation to bring Becton back but Jeff Stoutland isn’t the offensive line coach in Philly anymore. And that fact makes it a little tougher to figure out a few of these cases.