Offseason Player Talk

Posted February 21st, 2026

The Scouting Combine gets underway this week. That means we’ll get to see 350 draft prospects work out and show us just how athletic they are. It also means teams will start talking to agents about free agency. Teams will also talk to each other about trades. Fun stuff.

Free agency will dictate what the Eagles do in the draft to a certain extent. The most important order of business for the Eagles is re-signing edge rusher Jaelan Phillips. I’ve seen free agents rankings that had him as high as the #3 overall free agent. That surprised me. Phillips is good and in the prime of his career, but he’s got an injury history, has never had more than 8.5 sacks in a season and he’s never been voted to a Pro Bowl.

I think Phillips ranking says more about the free agent class than it does him. This is not a class filled with stars and elite talent. Hopefully the market for Phillips will be good, but reasonable. As we know, it only takes one team to make a crazy offer. What should he cost? Here are a couple of projections.

For the sake of comparison, Josh Sweat signed a 4-year deal for $76.4M last March. If the Eagles can get Phillips for just a bit more, that feels like a solid deal. He is young and talked about how much he loved being in Philly. He is a good scheme fit. Phillips also has an excellent combination of size and athleticism.

One thing that could be an X-factor with free agent pass rushers is that there is a deep group in the draft. Some teams might prefer to save money and go young with draft picks.

I was curious what the market might be for Reed Blankenship. He isn’t a Top 5 safety on most FA lists so that means he isn’t likely to command big bucks. He is a steady, reliable player in the prime of his career so he will have suitors. The Eagles might be smart to let him test the market and then work something out.

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The Eagles have a good backup QB. For now. The free agent and draft classes aren’t good for teams looking for starting QBs. Daniel Jeremiah suggested a team like the Jets should call the Eagles about Tanner McKee. The Eagles might be able to get a mid-round pick for him.

Would it be smart to deal him? This is his final year under contract. There is a good chance the Eagles won’t be able to keep him long term so trading him would make some sense. The team could sign a veteran QB and add someone in the draft to shore up depth for this season.

If the Eagles don’t like their options at QB, hold onto McKee and get a final season out of him. Jalen Hurts has been durable in his career, but backup QB is still a critical position.

The team will likely add a QB in the draft no matter what. The question is how high of a pick and which QB. They don’t have to force anything, but as the Russell Wilson lesson taught them, if there is a QB you really like, go get him.

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Someone did a mock draft with the Eagles taking TE Kenyon Sadiq from Oregon. More than a few people responded that the Eagles would never spend a first round pick on a TE.

Maybe. They obviously haven’t done so in a long time. I do think we have to keep in mind that the team has been a bit more flexible in recent years. No one expected an ILB in the first round last year. No one expected them to spend big money on an ILB or RB, but Zack Baun and Saquon Barkley got big contracts.

TEs were a key part of the Packers offense. The Eagles are going to need to add multiple TEs. I don’t expect them to take one in the first round, but I won’t completely rule it out. The key is that it would have to be a player they really like.

Sadiq isn’t on the same level as Brock Bowers, Tyler Warren or Colston Loveland, but he is really talented and could be a star in the NFL.

https://igglesblitz.com/2026/02/offseason-player-talk/