The Philadelphia Eagles entered free agency with a bunch of veterans who were ready to test the market. They decided to bring back veterans like Brandon Graham, Jason Kelce, James Bradberry, while restructuring Darius Slay’s contract. But the one position that Howie Roseman seemed to neglect is safety.

Many fans (myself included) thought that the Eagles top priority was to bring back safety CJ Gardner-Johnson. Acquired from the Saints right before the season, the Eagles transitioned the former cornerback to the safety spot and he fit in beautifully. But he also overplayed his hand and mishandled his market. The Eagles reportedly came to him early in free agency and offered him a multi-year deal, he declined, and when he realized that the market wasn’t what he thought it would be the Eagles had moved on.

So what are the Eagles going to do? The idea that the Eagles are going to go into next season with a safety combo of Justin Evans and “Ed” Reid Blankenship is naïve. The Eagles will either address the safety position in the draft or via a trade (because the good safeties are off the board in free agency.) Howie Roseman absolutely loves to make trades. Out of every GM in football, Howie looks to trade more than anyone else.

So lets take a look at some players that fit the mold of a CJ Gardner-Johnson. Not the playstyle, but the contract status. The Saints traded CJ Gardner-Johnson to the Eagles because they could not agree on a contract extension. They elected to get a draft pick from the Eagles than a lower compensatory pick if he left in free agency. There are those players every single year that become available. Howie has done great work taking advantage of other teams cap issues.

So here are 5 players that might interest Howie Roseman and the Eagles via the trade route.

• S - Jeremy Chinn (Carolina)

  The Eagles were heavily interested in Jeremy Chinn during the 2020 NFL Draft. The Panthers havent picked up his team option and Chinn will become a free agent after the season. The Panthers gave up a lot of draft capital to trade up to the #1 pick so they could be interested in getting some of it back. Especially in a rebuilding year. The current coaching staff and front office didnt draft Chinn, so whats the upside for them to keep him?

• S - Darnell Savage (Green Bay)

  Darnell Savage is a local guy (Bear Delaware) who is poised to be a free agent after this season. He is on a Green Bay team that likely wont be competing much in 2023 since they missed the playoffs last year, and are moving on from Aaron Rodgers. So whats the upside for keeping Savage? Savage is owed over $7 million dollars so that might price him out of the Eagles price range but hes a hell of a player.

• S - Grant Delpit (Clevland)

  Like Chinn, Delpit is a former 2nd round pick from the 2020 NFL draft. Playing well for a Cleveland team that gave up a ton of draft capital to get creep Deshaun Watson. Cleveland is that adorable team that always thinks they are in it, so would they look to trade their starting safety? Well if he is just going to hit free agency in a year then maybe. He is on a VERY team friendly contract (owed just $1.6 million).

• S - Antoine Winfield Jr. (Tampa Bay)

  Winfield isnt unsigned because the Bucs dont want him. He is unsigned because he is going to cost a LOT if he hits the open market. He is slated to after this season. One of the best safeties in the league, he was originally a second round pick who has quickly developed into a beast. But he is playing for a rebuilding team. Does he want to be in Tampa? Does Tampa want to allocate top dollar to a safety? If the answer is “no” to both then Howie could pounce.

• S - Julian Blackmon (Indianapolis)

  Blackmon fits the mold of the previous names. He is on a bad team who is rebuilding. He is in the final year of his contract and is VERY affordable. What would he really cost? probably not much. But he could be a worthy stap gap at the position for one year. And playing with a CB tandem of Darius Slay, James Bradberry, and Avonte Maddox should help any safety elevate their game.

Sign me up for the 97.5 The Fanatic email newsletter!

Become a Fanatic MVP to get the latest info on the Philly Sports landscape, plus access to exclusive content and member-only contests.

First Name *

Last Name

Email *

Subscribe

By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.