Eagles' free agent signings may not be as impactful as fans wanted after camp buzz

The Philadelphia Eagles felt the same financial squeeze that many other contenders experience after their championship, having lost starting pass rusher Josh Sweat and defensive tackle Milton Williams to the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots (respectively) in free agency while cutting veteran cornerback Darius Slay.

The Eagles have young replacements lined up for all three of them, as defensive tackles Moro Ojomo and Ty Robinson will fill in for Williams, all while Jalyx Hunt steps up on the edge and Kelee Ringo sees his role in a young secondary grow. Just in case, Philadelphia has some veterans who will compete with the neophytes for snaps.

The Eagles brought in two veteran pass rushers in Josh Uche and Azeez Ojulari on cheap flier contracts, all while luring Adoree Jackson over from the rival New York Giants with Ojulari. While these guys will play a role in an offense, Dan Graziano of ESPN reported that those veterans may not have the pathway to playing time many expected them to have.

Graziano said that despite all of those veteran additions, the Eagles would "prefer to see young players Moro Ojomo, Ty Robinson, and Kelee Ringo take on bigger roles the way Smith, Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, and Jalyx Hunt already have shown the ability to do."

Eagles could start younger players over veteran FA signings

Ojomo might be a bit undersized for the defensive tackle position, and Robinson didn't have the production many pre-draft scouts would have liked to see from someone with his physical gifts, both of them should have little trouble working their way into the defensive tackle rotation right away.

Ringo was regarded as a player with first-round talent when he came out in the 2023 NFL Draft, leaving many surprised when he fell to the fourth round. Ringo emerging as a standout over Jackson could give the Eagles a trio of star corners all on rookie contracts, which should terrify the NFC.

Even Hunt, who managed to overtake free agent bust Bryce Huff in the pass rush rotation by the end of the year, has room to grow. Hunt, who recorded 1.5 sacks and 10 pressures in very limited playing time last year, will be trusted to play close to half of the snaps now that Sweat is gone.

The Eagles are taking low-risk one-year deals on veterans, likely hoping that one of either Ojulari, Jackson, or Uche ends up emerging as a dynamic presence. However, if the Eagles must stick them on the bench in favor of the young guns, Howie Roseman is likely not going to be too broken up about it.