Eagles Looking To Rebound After 2023 Collapse,

Very Active in 2024 Free Agency

The 2023 NFL Season started as what many expected to be a revenge tour for the
Philadelphia Eagles after narrowly losing to the Kansas City Chiefs 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII.
After another 10-1 start, it looked like they were well on their way to achieving that, however, an
epic collapse that included losing 6 of their final 7 games, including a 32-9 loss to the Tampa
Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Wildcard Round. This prompted Eagles GM Howie Roseman and
company to be very aggressive in the 2024 Free Agency period.
Saquon Barkley

The Eagles first order of business was to sign star running back Saquon Barkley to a 3
year contract worth up to $37.75 million, with $26 million in total guaranteed money. The Eagles
have familiarized themselves with Barkley after playing him twice a year in the NFC East while
he was a member of the New York Giants. Barkley stated multiple times over the previous two
seasons that he would have liked to stay with the Giants, but contract talks between the two
sides never really got anywhere. Last off-season, The Giants opted to extend QB Daniel Jones
to a 4 year, $160 million extension, which sparked some controversy after Barkley rushed for a
career high 1,312 yards in 2022. Meanwhile, on The Eagles side, spending premium money at
the RB position has not been a part of the organization’s philosophy for quite some time. The
previous two seasons Philadelphia allowed Miles Sanders and D’Andre Swift to hit the open
market, where they eventually signed long term deals elsewhere. The Eagles view the

acquisition of Barkley as more than just a mere RB, but more as a weapon. Barkley will join the
best group of skill position players he has ever played with which will include AJ Brown,
Devonta Smith, Dallas Goedert and of course, QB Jalen Hurts. While there are some injury
concerns, if Barkley does stay healthy he has the talent to make the Eagles offense one of the
most dynamic groups in the NFL come the 2024 NFL season.
Reunion With S CJ Gardner-Johnson

The Philadelphia Eagles also announced they were bringing back safety CJ Gardner-
Johnson on a 3 year contract worth up to $33 million. Gardner-Johnson was sorely missed by
the Eagles in 2023 after he spent last season with the Detroit Lions. Gardner-Johnson provided
something that the Eagles secondary just didn’t have last season, swagger, toughness, and
leadership. The Eagles defense was also historically bad on 3rd down and against the pass in
2023 after having one of the top defenses against the pass in 2022, when the team reached
Super Bowl LVII and Gardner-Johnson was tied for the league lead in interceptions with 5
despite missing several games due to injury. Gardner-Johnson always seems to be around the
football at the right time, creates turnovers, and sets the tone for the secondary. The Eagles will
be counting on Gardner-Johnson to pick up where he left off in 2022 when he was one of the
best players on the Eagles defense.

LB Devin White

You could argue that linebacker is the biggest position of need for the
Philadelphia Eagles going into the 2024 season and the addition of Devin White, who at one
point played at an All Pro level for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and was an integral part of their
Super Bowl winning defense in 2020, is very intriguing to say the least. White, 26, signed a 1
year deal that could be worth up to $7 million if all incentives are reached, but only $3.5 million
of that is fully guaranteed. White’s play tailed off considerably the last few years in Tampa Bay,
and he was even benched by head coach Todd Bowles at the end of last season, which could
cause concern for Philadelphia. However, the deal is such a low risk-high reward deal that you
have to be pretty excited about it. White has a chance to prove that he can still play at the All
Pro level he once reached, and if he does, he will put himself in a position to get a big pay day
next off-season. Knowing this can only mean one thing, a motivated Devin White will benefit the
Eagles defense, who have struggled to solidify the linebacker position for a number of years.

G/C Matt Hennessy

Longtime Eagles center Jason Kelce finally called it a career after 13 years in the
NFL and the The Eagles are looking to transition into the post Kelce era with 3rd year player
Cam Jurgens expected to take the reins as the Eagles center of the future. However, a little bit
of depth never hurt anyone and the addition of Matt Hennessy, who played his college football
at Lincoln Financial Field for the Temple Owls, could be a welcomed addition to the Eagles
offensive line. Hennessy, 26, has experience playing both guard and center and that versatility
could really play dividends for the Eagles if injuries occur on the o line. Additionally, Jeff
Stoutland has developed a number of young offensive lineman, including Jordan Mailata who
had never played American Football after coming to the NFL from Australia where he played
Professional Rugby. Now Mailata is one of the best left tackles in the NFL. The moral of the

story is Stoutland gets the absolute best out of his lineman, so Hennessy landing in Philadelphia
has the potential to take his career to new heights.

QB Kenny Pickett

The Eagles acquired Kenny Pickett in a deal with the Steelers, which was a puzzling
move to say the least. The Eagles acquired Pickett along with a 2024 4th round pick in
exchange for a 2024 3rd round pick and a pair of 2025 7th round picks. The Pittsburgh Steelers
signed Russell Wilson to a 1 year deal and later acquired Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears
after dealing Pickett to Philadelphia. Pickett in 25 career games for the Steelers passed for
4,474 yards, 13 TD passes and 13 interceptions. He is expected to compete for the backup job
and sit behind Jalen Hurts. Pickett reportedly displayed attitude problems while he was with the
Steelers, and at one point refused to dress as the team’s emergency QB after being benched
for Mason Rudolph according to Steelers insider Gerry Dulac. Dulac also pointed out that
Pickett poorly handled the team’s decision to bring in QB Russell Wilson. With all that being
said, if these reports are indeed the case, this isn’t something you want to bring into your locker
room. However, the Eagles have established a strong culture so perhaps a fresh start is what
Pickett needs.

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