With initial FA wrapped up, I think Howie and Co have a clear understanding of what we need to do heading into the draft. There's still time for some semi-splash moves to be made, but a lot of my concerns heading into my Birds Mock Draft V1 have been addressed.

Lots of action in this one...

Re-signed

• Dallas Goedert — 1 year, TBD (confirmed)

• Brandon Graham

• Michael Carter — 1 year, TBD (confirmed)

• Grant Calcaterra (confirmed) — 1 year, TBD (confirmed)

• Braden Mann (confirmed) — 4 year, $14M (confirmed)

Let Walk

• Jaelen Phillips (confirmed)

• Nakobe Dean (confirmed)

• Reed Blankenship (confirmed)

• Jahan Dotson (confirmed)

• Fred Johnson

• Adoree Jackson

• Marcus Epps

• Matt Pryor (confirmed)

• Joshua Uche (confirmed)

• Sam Howell (confirmed)

• AJ Dillon

• Brett Toth (confirmed)

• Kylen Granson (confirmed)

Extension

• Jordan Davis — 3 year, $78M (confirmed)

• Jalen Carter — 4 year, $125M

Free Agency

• Tariq Woolen, CB, Seahawks — 1 year, $15M (confirmed)

• Arnold Ebiketie, DE, Falcons — 1 year, $7.3M (confirmed)

• Johnny Mundt, TE, Vikings — 1 year, TBD (confirmed)

• Hollywood Brown, WR, Chiefs — 1 year, TBD (confirmed)

• Taylor Rapp, S, Bills

Draft Trade

• PHI sends Tanner McKee and compensatory 2026 4th round pick (#137) to Jets for one of their 2026 2nd round picks (#44). Tanner McKee fits the type of QB Frank Reich likes, and it's a relatively cheap option to bring in for the first season of the new regime.

• PHI sends 2026 3rd round pick (#68) to ARI for Josh Sweat, DE. He turns 29 going into the 2nd year of his 4 year, $76M deal. He's a homegrown talent that played incredibly well under Vic's defensive scheme.

• DRAFT DAY 2 — With the AJ Brown deal in place to be executed on June 1 (see Post-June 1 Trade), one of the top rated WRs on their board drop into Day 2 due to a run on OT and edge rushers. PHI sends 2nd round pick (#54) and our 3rd round pick (#98) to TEN for 2nd round pick (#35).

Draft

• 1.23 - Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia

  • Fits the mold of what the Birds look for in OTs. Big, athletic, and can pass-protect like a pro. He can provide depth at both tackle positions in his rookie year, but the goal would be to develop him into our starting RT once Lane retires.

• 2.35 (from Titans) - Omar Cooper, WR, Indiana

  • Explosive YAC receiver that can play outside and slot.

• 2.44 (fron Jets) - Derrick Moore, DE, Michigan

  • Strong, physical, disciplined, and long. Compares to Jalyx Hunt's game. He's a perfect fit for Fangio’s system, and will provide another quality (and young) piece to the DL for years to come. Rotating between Hunt, Smith, Sweat, Ebiketie, and Moore will be downright nasty.

• 4.122 - Devin Moore, CB, Florida

  • Quality CB to groom behind Woolen if he doesn't pan out as a long-term signing. Lengthy with good zone instincts. Can play outside and in slot, but needs to develop his game in man coverage.

• 4.137 - Kamari Ramsey, S, USC

  • Coverage versatility, pattern recognition, sub-package flexibility. Fits Fangio’s need for a chess-piece safety with Reed leaving.

• 5.178 - Luke Kenda, OG, Cincinatti

  • Possesses smart football IQ with strong run‑and‑pass capabilities and good at zone blocking. His age will most likely push him down the boards to mid-day 3.

• 6.215 - Cyrus Allen, WR, Cincinatti

  • Explosive athlete with separation skills and vertical speed.

Post-June 1 Trade

• Because we were able to secure Omar in this year's draft, PHI sends AJ Brown to NE for their 2027 1st and 3rd round picks. For me, this trade strictly comes down to loading up on high picks in next year's incredible looking draft while reducing the cap hit. I strongly believe this new offense will not force-feed any one WR. While respected by many in the locker room, AJ will not be happy in this new offensive scheme. Ultimately, I think he's moved after June 1.

  • This would give us 7 picks in the first 4 rounds next year, including two 1st round picks (albeit projected bottom 10 1st round picks).

Solid mock with the free agency activity that we have witnessed thus far and reasonable draft choices.

I had been thinking of ideas to incorporate in my next mock update after seeing who the Eagles have been able to retain/let walk and definitely had a Josh Sweat trade in mind given the reported trade request following Gannon's firing. I was going to mock pick #98 going to the Cardinals and even toyed around with an alternative trade of Tanner McKee going to the Cardinals in lieu of draft picks with Kyler Murray out of the picture, but I think the Cardinals pass on McKee.

The Cardinals ownership probably remembers the infamous trade for Kevin Kolb back in 2011 and would rather wait for the draft to take a chance on their QB 😅. Considering Josh Sweat was one of the lone bright spots on their defense this past season and coming off a career postseason with us the year before, I can see the Cardinals potentially holding out for pick 68 or more, so a reasonable projection here on your end.

The Jets could certainly be in the mix for Tanner McKee, but I personally believe that they're going to draft a QB early after trading for Geno Smith, who is likely going to be the bridge QB for the rookie they select. Considering Smith was acquired for minimal draft capital, I wouldn't rule out the scenario you posed, but think it's much less likely now.

I personally don't believe in trading away A.J. Brown, and believe the Eagles are leaning toward holding him unless they find someone who is willing to overpay. A 1st and 4th round pick is a solid haul, but not enough considering they're both gonna be late picks coming from the Patriots IMO. Since the Eagles haven't signed a QB, I'm also inclined to believe they are gonna hold onto McKee unless they are blown away with an offer, similar to Brown. Backup QB is too important of a position for this team for obvious reasons given prior Super Bowl success with proper QB depth. The 44th pick is too good to pass up though if the Jets actually do offer it up in a trade.

Thank you for the update.

3 hours ago, eaglesfan0075 said:

Solid mock with the free agency activity that we have witnessed thus far and reasonable draft choices.

I had been thinking of ideas to incorporate in my next mock update after seeing who the Eagles have been able to retain/let walk and definitely had a Josh Sweat trade in mind given the reported trade request following Gannon's firing. I was going to mock pick #98 going to the Cardinals and even toyed around with an alternative trade of Tanner McKee going to the Cardinals in lieu of draft picks with Kyler Murray out of the picture, but I think the Cardinals pass on McKee.

The Cardinals ownership probably remembers the infamous trade for Kevin Kolb back in 2011 and would rather wait for the draft to take a chance on their QB 😅. Considering Josh Sweat was one of the lone bright spots on their defense this past season and coming off a career postseason with us the year before, I can see the Cardinals potentially holding out for pick 68 or more, so a reasonable projection here on your end.

The Jets could certainly be in the mix for Tanner McKee, but I personally believe that they're going to draft a QB early after trading for Geno Smith, who is likely going to be the bridge QB for the rookie they select. Considering Smith was acquired for minimal draft capital, I wouldn't rule out the scenario you posed, but think it's much less likely now.

I personally don't believe in trading away A.J. Brown, and believe the Eagles are leaning toward holding him unless they find someone who is willing to overpay. A 1st and 4th round pick is a solid haul, but not enough considering they're both gonna be late picks coming from the Patriots IMO. Since the Eagles haven't signed a QB, I'm also inclined to believe they are gonna hold onto McKee unless they are blown away with an offer, similar to Brown. Backup QB is too important of a position for this team for obvious reasons given prior Super Bowl success with proper QB depth. The 44th pick is too good to pass up though if the Jets actually do offer it up in a trade.

Thank you for the update.

I don’t believe they’ll trade McKee but who knows what’ll happen but I don’t believe for a second AJ is going to be here at the start of the season.

A lot can happen before post June 1. Rams could trade Adams and go all in on AJ, Pats budge and offer Howie what he’s looking, Broncos might be willing to part with their first rounder but as of right now there’s no movement.

But it will pick up steam in the upcoming weeks or around June 1. Although he never said it, I’m under the believe he doesn’t want to play here anymore. It’s inevitable AJ is going to be traded this offseason IMO.

11 hours ago, eaglesfan0075 said:

Solid mock with the free agency activity that we have witnessed thus far and reasonable draft choices.

I had been thinking of ideas to incorporate in my next mock update after seeing who the Eagles have been able to retain/let walk and definitely had a Josh Sweat trade in mind given the reported trade request following Gannon's firing. I was going to mock pick #98 going to the Cardinals and even toyed around with an alternative trade of Tanner McKee going to the Cardinals in lieu of draft picks with Kyler Murray out of the picture, but I think the Cardinals pass on McKee.

The Cardinals ownership probably remembers the infamous trade for Kevin Kolb back in 2011 and would rather wait for the draft to take a chance on their QB 😅. Considering Josh Sweat was one of the lone bright spots on their defense this past season and coming off a career postseason with us the year before, I can see the Cardinals potentially holding out for pick 68 or more, so a reasonable projection here on your end.

The Jets could certainly be in the mix for Tanner McKee, but I personally believe that they're going to draft a QB early after trading for Geno Smith, who is likely going to be the bridge QB for the rookie they select. Considering Smith was acquired for minimal draft capital, I wouldn't rule out the scenario you posed, but think it's much less likely now.

I personally don't believe in trading away A.J. Brown, and believe the Eagles are leaning toward holding him unless they find someone who is willing to overpay. A 1st and 4th round pick is a solid haul, but not enough considering they're both gonna be late picks coming from the Patriots IMO. Since the Eagles haven't signed a QB, I'm also inclined to believe they are gonna hold onto McKee unless they are blown away with an offer, similar to Brown. Backup QB is too important of a position for this team for obvious reasons given prior Super Bowl success with proper QB depth. The 44th pick is too good to pass up though if the Jets actually do offer it up in a trade.

Thank you for the update.

I’m not convinced Geno is the bridge quite yet. QBs are pretty weak in this draft class after the first few, so figured a semi-proven younger vet was a better value for their second 2nd round pick than a dart throw rookie.

Tried to keep the trades as fair as possible for both parties, so with that in mind, this scenario would be cherry for us.

7 hours ago, Ray75 said:

I don’t believe they’ll trade McKee but who knows what’ll happen but I don’t believe for a second AJ is going to be here at the start of the season.

A lot can happen before post June 1. Rams could trade Adams and go all in on AJ, Pats budge and offer Howie what he’s looking, Broncos might be willing to part with their first rounder but as of right now there’s no movement.

But it will pick up steam in the upcoming weeks or around June 1. Although he never said it, I’m under the believe he doesn’t want to play here anymore. It’s inevitable AJ is going to be traded this offseason IMO.

The draft will tell us everything about AJ’s future. If we land a WR in the fist 2 rounds, I strongly believe he’s being moved. With that being said, a future 1 and 3 is still a great value for a 29 year old WR that’s still considered top 8 in the league.

New England is the clear trade partner IMO. AJ and Vrabel connection plus the need for an alpha WR in their offense…too big of a need for this upcoming season to continue momentum with Maye’s development.

Give Howie a call. I'd hope he's thinking this way.

Would you predfer Josh Sweat or Jonathan Grenard? Seems that package could get us either.

Who is WR3?

1 hour ago, Rob331 said:

Give Howie a call. I'd hope he's thinking this way.

Would you predfer Josh Sweat or Jonathan Grenard? Seems that package could get us either.

Who is WR3?

Sweat for the familiarity and existing contract that is an absolute steal for an above average pass rusher.

Without knowing how Mannion will utilize Smitty, I'd say Darius Cooper, Quez, and Allen battle it out for the WR3 spot.

23 hours ago, leftcoastnest said:

Sweat for the familiarity and existing contract that is an absolute steal for an above average pass rusher.

Without knowing how Mannion will utilize Smitty, I'd say Darius Cooper, Quez, and Allen battle it out for the WR3 spot.

@Rob331 welp, Hollywood Brown is most likely settling in as our WR3...

17 hours ago, leftcoastnest said:

Hollywood Brown is most likely settling in as our WR3...

Yep - that leaves starting safety and a big edge as our immediate needs. Throw in a replacememtn for Lane and you have day 1 and 2 in the draft.

I'd really hope we can swing a deal for Sweat or Grenard and sign Epps before the draft. We could then concentrate on the BPA.

54 minutes ago, Rob331 said:

Yep - that leaves starting safety and a big edge as our immediate needs. Throw in a replacememtn for Lane and you have day 1 and 2 in the draft.

I'd really hope we can swing a deal for Sweat or Grenard and sign Epps before the draft. We could then concentrate on the BPA.

I want Rapp over Epps. He could be more than a stop-gap starting safety alongside Makuba

20 minutes ago, leftcoastnest said:

I want Rapp over Epps. He could be more than a stop-gap starting safety alongside Makuba

I used your Sweat idea in my latest piost - thanks.

I'd be ok with Rapp so long as we draft a potential started.