Breaking down Eagles' pending free agents in 2026

Here's a look at the Eagles' pending free agents heading into the offseason in 2026.

By Dave Zangaro • Published January 12, 2026

The Eagles season ended with a loss to the 49ers on Sunday, so now it’s time to look ahead to the offseason.

As the Eagles enter the 2026 offseason, they have plenty of key pending free agents. The Eagles didn’t extend anyone during the season, which has been purposeful by GM Howie Roseman in recent seasons.

"We have a lot of good players who are free agents after this year,” Roseman said after this year’s trade deadline. "I think when you start picking favorites when you’re trying to compete for championships, there are other issues that come along with that. And so I think there’s going to be plenty of time to handle our business, however long the season lasts, and hopefully it’s a very long time. We’ll deal with all that when the time comes.”

Free agency this year begins with the negotiating window on March 9 ahead of the official start of the new league year on March 11.

Here’s a look at the Eagles’ pending free agents this offseason:

Offense

TE Dallas Goedert: It looked like Goedert wasn’t going to return for the 2025 season but then the two sides finally reached an agreement on a one-year deal to bring him back for his 8th NFL season. The 31-year-old in 2025 played in 15 games and caught 60 passes for 591 yards and a career-high 11 touchdown catches. He had two more touchdowns in the playoff game.

WR Jahan Dotson: The Eagles acquired the former Commanders first-round pick in a trade ahead of the 2024 season and he finished off the last two years of his rookie deal. Dotson wasn’t very productive in the Eagles’ offense but that seemed to be a product of being the WR3 in an offense that sometimes struggled to get the ball to A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

OT Fred Johnson: After the 2024 season, Johnson left in free agency and went to Jacksonville but then the Eagles pulled off a trade to bring him back in August. Johnson, 28, played in all 17 regular season games and started 8 in the regular season and the playoff game. He gave the Eagles a veteran swing tackle for the second straight season.

OL Brett Toth: The 29-year-old played more in 2025 than he had in his previous six years in the NFL. Toth played some center and guard and was a valuable replacement when the starters missed time. He missed the playoff game with a concussion.

TE Grant Calcaterra: The 2022 sixth-round pick just finished his fourth season in the NFL, reaching the end of his rookie contract. Over the past four seasons, Calcaterra played in 62 games with 22 starts. While he was often miscast as a blocker in the Eagles’ 12 personnel package, Calcaterra proved to be a reliable receiving tight end when Goedert missed time.

TE Kylen Granson: The 27-year-old came to the Eagles on a one-year deal and didn’t have much of a role on offense. But he did play a big role on special teams in 2025.

OL Matt Pryor: The veteran returned to Philadelphia on a one-year deal last offseason. He never really competed for a starting job and instead was a backup at multiple spots.

QB Sam Howell: The Eagles upgraded at the QB3 spot when they brought in Howell via trade in August. He didn’t play a single game with the Eagles this season and was active just four times.

RB A.J. Dillon: The veteran running back played a bit early in the season but then lost his role when the Eagles brought in Tank Bigsby via trade. Dillon, 27, ended up with just 12 rushing attempts for 60 yards this season.

FB Ben VanSumeren: The former linebacker became a full-time fullback in the offseason but was lost for the season on the first kickoff against the Cowboys in the opener.

Defense

LB Nakobe Dean: Dean began this season on the PUP list after suffering a torn patellar tendon in the wild-card round last year. He returned to the defense in Week 7 and played very well the rest of the way. The 25-year-old was a third-round pick back in 2022 and just finished out his four-year rookie deal. The Eagles still have Zack Baun under contract and drafted Jihaad Campbell in April.

OLB Jaelan Phillips: The Eagles traded a 2026 third-round pick to acquire Phillips, who came to Philly on an expiring contract. The former Dolphins first-round pick seemed to fit in quite well on the field and in the locker room with the Eagles and made it clear very early on that he’d be interested in making this his longterm home.

S Reed Blankenship: The 26-year-old Blankenship was a full-time starter the last three seasons after earning a roster spot as an undrafted rookie out of Middle Tennessee State back in 2022. In his four regular seasons with the Eagles, Blankenship started 50 games and had 9 interceptions.

S Marcus Epps: Just before the start of the 2025 season, the Eagles signed Epps to their practice quad but eventually brought him up to the active roster. When rookie Drew Mukuba fractured his ankle, the Eagles made Epps their starting safety next to Blankenship.

CB Adoree’ Jackson: The 30-year-old veteran signed a one-year deal with the Eagles in the offseason. While it looked like the Eagles wanted someone else to win that CB2 job, Jackson was their best option and got better as the regular season went on.

OLB Brandon Graham: The franchise’s all-time leader in seasons played and games came out of retirement midway through this season to help the Eagles’ defensive line depth. Graham ended up playing both edge rusher and defensive tackle this season.

OLB Joshua Uche: The 27-year-old Uche made the roster and played in 12 games but had a minimal role. He had 1 sack in 12 games this season.

OLB Azeez Ojulari: The former Giants edge rusher fell behind Uche in the pecking order and played in just 3 regular season games before landing on IR.

OLB Ogbo Okornokwo: Another veteran edge rusher, Okoronkwo played in just one game this season and landed on IR.

Special teams

P Braden Mann: In his third season with the Eagles, Mann had a career year. He punted 72 times in the regular season with a 49.9 average and a 43.1 net average. He also punted 20 inside the 20-yard line.

https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/breaking-down-eagles-pending-free-agents-in-2026/706775/

Will be interesting to see if they can retain Phillips. He's obviously the most expensive pending FA. But with Carter, Davis and Smith eligible for extensions and Mitchell, DeJean and Hunt next year...can they afford Phillips?

For the record, I'd keep Phillips over Smith if it comes down to it.

Would like to retain Blankenship too. Retaining Dean would be a luxury they likely won't be able to afford. Goedert? Maybe.

2 hours ago, EaglesAddict said:

Will be interesting to see if they can retain Phillips. He's obviously the most expensive pending FA. But with Carter, Davis and Smith eligible for extensions and Mitchell, DeJean and Hunt next year...can they afford Phillips?

For the record, I'd keep Phillips over Smith if it comes down to it.

Would like to retain Blankenship too. Retaining Dean would be a luxury they likely won't be able to afford. Goedert? Maybe.

Agree, of the defenders we're set to negotiate over the next two years, I'd like to see Howie do all he can to retain Mitchell, DeJean, and his preference of Carter or Davis -- preferably both of those guys if he can. I think that will be very difficult to do, and will probably preclude us from giving other guys like Phillips, Smith, Dean, and Blankenship big money -- which means they'll test the market.