From the Delaware County Daily Times: https://tinyurl.com/f7wecwj2
The days leading up to free agency have been unkind to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Already gone are edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, strong safety Reed Blankenship, linebacker Nakobe Dean and wide receiver Jahan Dotson.
Poof! Up in smoke went four players in the span of a dark Monday.
Phillips: four years, $120 million, $80 million guaranteed. Blankenship: three years, $24.75 million, $16.5 million guaranteed. Dean: three years, $36 million, $20 million guaranteed. Dotson: two years, $15 million, $10 million guaranteed.
The last two were expected. But the Eagles anticipated re-signing Phillips and believed they at least had a shot at keeping Blankenship. No such luck. Both Phillips and Blankenship — still in their mid-to-late 20s — agreed to terms with other teams by Monday night.
Phillips is going to Carolina and Blankenship is bound for Houston.
Dean, 25, will be a Las Vegas Raider. (He reportedly opted over a similar offer from the Cowboys.) Dotson, also 25, will be an Atlanta Falcon.
The deals don’t become official until free agency begins Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, but they’re already worked out.
The Eagles were willing to part with Dotson and Dean. They weren’t going to overspend on a No. 3 receiver, and last year they invested a first-round pick in linebacker Jihaad Campbell — who had a promising rookie campaign — to replace Dean, whom they knew would garner big money when his contract expired.
But Phillips? Man, that hurt.
General manager Howie Roseman spent a third-round pick to acquire him from the Dolphins before the trade deadline last November, and he became a reliable force on the front line.
And Blankenship — not only was he a solid, B+/A- safety the Eagles rarely had to worry about, he was a sentimental favorite, a homegrown talent signed as an undrafted rookie out of Middle Tennessee State in 2022.
In four seasons here, Blankenship had 308 combined tackles, nine interceptions, 23 pass deflections, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. His agreement with Houston doesn’t seem like an exorbitant price.
Dean often struggled with injuries, but he was a team leader and productive when on the field, tallying 226 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, 18 QB pressures, five pass deflections, three forced fumbles and an interception in his four years with the Birds.
Campbell, in 17 games (10 starts), had a stat line that included 80 combined tackles, a pick, three pass deflections, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in a dynamic inaugural season. He won the starting job over Jeremiah Trotter Jr. in camp and only took on a rotational role after Dean returned from injured reserve.
Two years ago, Roseman hit a jackpot in the draft with cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the first and second rounds. This April, with his defense depleted, he needs to strike gold again.
He also still needs a tight end.
Free agent Dallas Goedert, as of publication, remains on the open market. The Eagles can’t just have no tight end — which is literally where they are right now, since backup Grant Calcaterra is likely gone.
Rosters are rapidly changing every day. Roseman could still pull a couple rabbits out of his hat, and the draft is next month. But right now, Eagles fans are worried. And rightly so.
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Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X at @the_defranc.