The Philadelphia Eagles have done a brilliant job at retaining homegrown talent over the last few seasons. All you have to do is look at their star-studded offense and just how many of those players are going to be suiting up in midnight green for the next 3+ years to fully see Howie Roseman’s vision. But a GM’s work is never done, and with some cap room opened up following the Bryce Huff trade, now might be a good time to take care of some more business.
Here are 5 players whose contracts could well be next on Howie Roseman’s to-do list.
Reed Blankenship
The former undrafted free agent has blossomed into a reliable starter for the Eagles. Blankenship broke out in 2023 to secure his starting role and has never really looked back, amassing 78 tackles, 6 pass breakups, and a career-high 4 picks in 2024.
He’s now in his contract year, however, and the Eagles added rookie Safety Andrew Mukuba to their ranks during the offseason. Then, there’s Sydney Brown, who has battled injuries early on in his NFL career but has flashed solid play when healthy.
As things stand, Blankenship is the only reliable player the team has at the position (not counting a versatile Cooper DeJean who could play a role in the upcoming campaign) and could be poised to become a leader in the defensive backfield.
Penning him to an extension early before another potential breakout could be a wise move from the Philadelphia brass, and failing to do so could lead to him collecting a bigger payday elsewhere next offseason, leaving Philadelphia with a lot of young and unproven talent at a position that already lost Chauncey Gardner-Johnson in free agency.
Jalen Carter
A Jalen Carter contract extension feels inevitable, but how quick will Roseman be to pull the trigger? We know he tends to get in front of the curve rather than waiting for other All-Pro players at the position to get paid and then having to dish out an inflated value as a result. Of course, the team will have to wait until this coming offsason, but there’s no doubt that as soon as the green flag drops, Howie will be rushing to retain his prized pass-rusher.
Carter is coming off of a very impressive sophomore season in the City of Brotherly Love, and with the EDGE position now in a state of being rebuilt through the Draft (with the likes of Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt figuring to be long-term options), it’s imperative that the Eagles lock Carter down as soon as possible.
The Eagles exercised their fifth-year option on Jordan Davis and while this could be an interesting path to go down, Jordan’s stature in the team is a little less cemented than Carter’s, who has been invaluable since he first stepped on the field. Don’t be surprised to see a monstrous deal that will set the tone for all other defensive tackles eyeing a payday.
*Nolan Smith is also in a very similar spot to Carter. Both were first-round selections in the same Draft, and Smith had an explosive breakout in 2024. It will be very interesting to see if Howie can keep both Georgia Bulldogs around.
Nakobe Dean
Nakobe Dean is now in a very interesting spot. A heartbreaking injury against the Packers meant that Dean missed the remaining playoff games (and Super Bowl), and is likely set to miss a chunk of time this coming season.
The Eagles paid Zack Baun a huge new deal this past offseason and the addition of rookie Jihaad Campbell certainly puts a thorn in the side of Dean’s trajectory. When healthy, he’s been really promising, but healthy is the key word in that sentence.
However, as a depth piece, the Eagles might be willing to ‘buy the dip’ on a player who won’t really be in a position to command a King’s ransom, but can still provide starter level play if afforded the proper time to rehab…which with a renewed depth chart, the Eagles certainly do.
Tyler Steen
Tyler Steen is currently the only Eagles’ lineman not under contract for 3+ years following Cam Jurgens‘ recent payday. He still has two years left on his deal, but spent most off 2024 behind Mekhi Becton, unable to win the starting LG role in the preluding Summer. His growth has been slower than expected, but that doesn’t mean it’s not visible.
The early word on the street is that Steen looked very good through mandatory minicamp. If he can sustain that through the Summer and show a real leap in ability under the coaching of Jeff Stoutland, then it’s only a matter of time before he’s locked down long-term too.
Grant Calcaterra
This is a rogue one, but the Eagles still have no reliable TE2 behind Dallas Goedert, who could well be entering his final year with the Birds. He was rumoured to be shopped around during the NFL Draft, but will indeed play one more season with the team that drafted him. However, durability has long been a concern and he’s not getting any younger.
Calcaterra went from playing 12% of offensive snaps in 2023 to a whopping 66% in 2024. This resulted in 298 yards and his first ever NFL touchdown.
The Eagles did bring in some interesting names at the position this offseason, but avoided drafting a potential replacement for Goedert. If they’re confident in Calcaterra and he enjoys an even bigger season than 2024, expect him to put pen to paper and potentially step into Goedert’s shoes for 2026.
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
