The Eagles are in the process of retooling their roster off the heels of the Super Bowl, gearing up for the 2025-26 NFL season. Here at PSN, we have provided a handful of mock drafts with more to come as we get closer to the draft in April. Philadelphia will need to address some positional needs whether that is through the draft, free agency, or trade.
With the unexpected trade of C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Texans, the Eagles currently have Reed Blankenship penciled in at the free safety position with the strong safety slot seemingly up for grabs. Former 2023 third-round pick out of Illinois Sydney Brown is in line to take over the spot, but it doesn’t seem like that is set in stone.
The Eagles love to bring competition into their locker room and practice field at the NovaCare Complex and it could be a fair assumption that the team will look to make Brown earn his starting spot through competition in OTAs, training camp, and the preseason.
Here’s a look at some safeties the Eagles could look to add.
Draft: Xavier Watts, Notre Dame, Pick 32
It’s well documented the stockpile of drafts General Manager Howie Roseman has been accumulating. With the cache in picks, this could allow Roseman to move up and snag the top-rated safety in this draft in Georgia’s Malaki Starks, but for this scenario, we will need the Eagles stay at No. 32 and assume Starks is picked inside the top 15.
With that said, the Eagles have the ability to draft a safety like Watts in the first round, making him the first safety the team has ever drafted in the opening round of a draft if they chose this route.
Watts possesses arguably the best ball skills among the 2025 safeties class and led the country with 7 interceptions in 2023 which would be a perfect fit alongside Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. At 6’0 and 205 pounds, the former wide receiver wasn’t a household name for the Fighting Irish until exploding onto the NCAA scene his junior year. He has struggled making tackles at the college level.
Draft: Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina, Pick 32
Watts and Emmanwori could be interchangeable at No. 32 or if you’re buying stock on the former Gamecock after his impressive NFL Combine showing, he would leapfrog Watts. Standing at 6-foot-3 and 223 pounds, he showed off his freakish athleticism in Indianapolis, posting a perfect 10.00 on the Relative Athletic Score.
Like Watts, he will need to become a better tackler, but the Eagles are one of the best teams at developing young talent over the last few years. Emmanwori could be a significant starter in the making with Vic Fangio and Defensive Backs Coach Christian Parker.
In 2024, he played in 12 games making 83 tackles to go along with 4 interceptions and 6 pass breakups
Sign Julian Blackmon, Indianapolis Colts
The Eagles were in on the Justin Reid sweepstakes last week who signed with New Orleans. Reid said on the Up & Adams Show it came down to the wire with Philadelphia. There are still some solid names in free agency that could be a more cost-effective solution than Reid’s 3-year, $31.5 million contract. Enter Julian Blackmon.
Just 26 years old, Blackmon could be a fantastic fit in the secondary. A durable playmaker, the former third round pick out of Utah put together a solid season racking up 86 tackles with three interceptions along with four passes defended. Spending his first five years with the Colts, Blackmon is coming off a one-year, $3.7 million contract after his rookie contract expired which was worth $4.6 million.
Roseman could use his negotiation tactics to dangle a short-term deal to the safety serving as a prove it deal playing for the defending Super Bowl champs while joining an environment with familiar faces as a handful of members of the Eagles’ coaching staff was in Indianapolis the year the team drafted Blackmon.
Sign Justin Simmons, Atlanta Falcons
Simmons is on the wish list for some Eagles fans and the former Falcon has made it known that he would like to bring his talents to Philadelphia. The 2-time Pro Bowler has publicly made it know he would like a chance to play for the Eagles, explaining his reasoning on “Talkin’ Ball” podcast:
“There’s a lot of good things about Philly,” Simmons said. “Their offense is clearly one of the most talented in the league, that offensive line is unbelievable. But what the defense did this past season to go win that Super Bowl is crazy. You can tell the leadership there, top down, is by far one of the best in the league. To have an opportunity to go play in Philly, especially reuniting with Vic and (Christian Parker), is high on the list.”
Whenever a player is as passionate as Simmons seems to join your franchise, it makes sense that this could be a potential pairing. The Boston College product who was drafted in the third round in 2016 would go against the grain in terms of being an older free agent signing for the Eagles this offseason. However, his experience could be a positive addition. He has played in 134 total games making 124 starts. He has 32 career interceptions to go along with 71 passes defended, making him an easy plug-and-play starter for the Eagles.
He would come at a higher price tag than Blackmon as Simmons will look to get a more substantial agreement in place after playing on a one-year $7.50 million contract in 2024. This was signed following his departure from Denver in 2023 to save the team $14.5 million. Nonetheless, he would be a nice addition and provide a veteran presence in the defensive backs room.
You can follow Cory on X at @Cory_Nidoh to read more of his articles for Philly Sports Network.
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