Eagles Lose 2 More Key Defensive Starters In Free Agency

For 4th staright off-season, the Eagles will see several starters on their defense depart. Go back to post 2022, and the Eagles lost both starting Safeties, both starting Linebackers, and a DT. Last year, they lost Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, and CJ Gardner Johnson, though the latter was by choice. Now, they have already seen 3 defensive starters walk in the first day of free agency.

First, it was Jaelan Phillips. The Eagles made a late push, but just could not, or would not, match the 4-years and $120 million the Panthers gave him. 6 hours later, 2 more starters are out the door. Nakobe Dean heads to the Las Vegas Raiders, and Reed Blankenship joins the Texans.

Losing Dean is no surprise. The Eagles knew he would not return when they drafted Jihaad Campbell. Dean remained the starter at LB this past season, but it was clear he would not return.

Still, it is a big loss. Dean, when healthy, was one of the key cogs in this defense. Not just as a leader on and off it, but he played LB at such a high level. Whether he was dropping back in coverage, stopping the run, or even rushing the passer. His impact was felt throughout the game.

One of his most iconic moments came vs the Jaguars back in 2024. The Jaguars had marched down the field late in the game. A TD would have given them the lead with just over a minute to go. Instead, Dean picked off Trevor Lawrence in the End Zone and sealed the win.

Jihaad Campbell slides into his starting role. He did not see the field much in his rookie season. It's hard to get on the field as an LB when you aren't the starter. But he looked the part early on while Dean was out with an injury.

Blankenship leaving was not as sure a thing as Dean leaving. Mostly because there is no easy answer behind him. They drafted Drew Mukuba last year, but that makes for just 1 starting Safety. Behind him, they have Sydney Brown and a few guys stashed on the practice squad, like Andre Sam. They have not shown much faith in Sydney Brown as anything other than a special-teams player.

Blankenship's play on the field was mostly solid. He occasionally got beaten in coverage, but for the most part, he was a capable starter. Not a star that is going to leave a massive hole, but the drop from dependable to unknown can be fairly steep. Many Eagles fans thought they would be fine finding a replacement for Marcus Epss after 2022, but soon learned that dependable can be pretty good compared to who you replace them with.

Blankenship was also a Captain. Darius Slay touted him as one of the next young leaders of the team back in 2024. That was later proven when his teammates elected him a Captain. Now, after only 1 year of wearing the C, he is gone, and a new leadership void emerges. Dean, while not a captain, is another guy many tout as a young leader. Both are gone.

The Eagles are no strangers to turnover. We mentioned what happened in 2023 and last off-season, but even in the off-season before they won the Super Bowl, there were some big changes. Fletcher Cox retired, and they traded Haasan Reddick.

Now they have to do it again. For Dean, the replacement is already in-house. But there are no easy answers at Edge and Safety. They also need a CB3, though that could easily be the return of Adoree Jackson.

Howie is known to be a magician. He has his work cut out for him this off-season. They have a lot of draft picks, but there are also needs on the offensive side, and the looming trade talks with AJ Brown. Let's see just how much magic Howie Roseman has in him.