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Jason Kelce Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Best, worst offseason moves for Philadelphia Eagles

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated 4/2/23

The 2023 NFL Draft will be held in Kansas City from April 27-29, and in the meantime, the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles are trying to hold their team together. Fourteen players have been signed or re-signed so far and some moves have been better than others.

BEST | Bringing back Jason Kelce

The five-time All-Pro center signed a one-year, $14 million deal to return for his 13th NFL season. Even at the age of 35, Kelce still plays at a high level. The team captain didn’t miss a game in 2022 and was named to his sixth Pro Bowl.

Philadelphia made it clear they wanted him back and they’ll need him now that Isaac Seumalo joined the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cam Jurgens was drafted to be Kelce’s replacement in 2022, but with Kelce back, he can take over for Seumalo at right guard and continue to learn from the future Hall of Famer.

BEST | Keeping the cornerbacks

While the Kelce move was obvious, the return of both cornerbacks was anything but. Thanks to James Bradberry and Darius Slay, Philadelphia gave up a league-low 179.8 yards passing last season. Both had three interceptions and Bradberry’s 17 passes defended were third-most in the NFL.

Bradberry turned down more lucrative offers before signing a three-year, $38 million contract. Slay was granted permission to seek a trade before agreeing to a two-year, $42 million extension. The pair is arguably the best cornerback tandem in the league and a big reason for the team’s success in 2022.

Slay
Bradberry
Maddox
Greedy …. Have the Eagles ever been this deep at CB? #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/k93ejgqlv7
— Lord Brunson tweets (@lord_brunson) March 26, 2023

WORST | Losing both safeties

Cornerbacks aside, the Eagles' secondary took a major hit when they lost Marcus Epps and C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Epps trailed only T.J. Edwards with 70 solo tackles last year and despite missing five games with injury, Gardner-Johnson tied for the league lead with six interceptions.

Epps signed a two-year deal with the Raiders while Gardner-Johnson signed a modest one-year, $6.5 million deal with the Lions. Philadelphia reportedly offered him more, but very little in terms of guaranteed money. The team signed free agent safeties Justin Evans and Terrell Edmunds to one-year deals but both are a step down from the 2022 group.

WORST | Signing Fletcher Cox

The Eagles just can’t quit the 32-year-old defensive tackle. They released Cox last offseason only to sign him to a one-year, $14 million contract two days later. Most assumed that would be it for Cox, but once again the team signed him to a one-year deal, this time for $10 million.

Cox put up good numbers in a rotational role last season, but after 11 years with the team, Eagles fans were ready to move on. Cox has been critical of his defensive coaches and has looked disinterested at times. It’s fair to wonder why Cox received such a large contract while younger players like Gardner-Johnson were allowed to leave for much less money.

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