Step One

The commencement of the new league year began as it typically does, with much activity and a smattering of now-official transactions.

For the Super Bowl champion Eagles, who have instead worked diligently to shed hefty salary charges with a keen eye toward the future, the patient approach qualifies as a drastic departure from the NFL’s annual season of shopping sprees.

The show-stopping splash signings and masterstroke maneuvering of Eagles executive vice president and general manager Howie Roseman hasn’t yet manifested, but if you’ve been paying attention, an offseason of maintenance was always part of the plan.

Patience was encouraged.

The Eagles, mostly subtracting from a roster that just over a month ago dismantled Kansas City in Super Bowl LIX, reached agreements with two players Wednesday, retaining fullback Ben VanSumeren on a one-year deal while going outside the organization for the other, signing running back A.J. Dillon to a one-year contract.

GETTY IMAGES: The signing of RB A.J. Dillon to a 1-year deal illustrates the Eagles’ bargain shopping in free agency.

The VanSumeren signing was expected. An exclusive rights free agent, the multi-faceted 24-year-old has been a developmental story and has often made it known how much he enjoys playing for Philadelphia.

Helping matters is that his return also isn’t accompanied by a hefty charge. Notably, VanSumeren was labeled as a fullback when the team officially announced the move.

The Eagles signed VanSumeren in 2023 as an undrafted linebacker and only last season started to tinker with him at fullback.

The Dillon addition occurs on the heels of losing dependable, durable reserve Kenny Gainwell to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Gainwell, a player who the Eagles wholly entrusted, was widely viewed as under-appreciated from an outside perspective. He’s positioned to carve out a larger role for the Steelers given the bareness of their depth chart.

Dillon, however, is an interesting replacement, if not only from a physical standpoint.

A 2020 second-round pick of the Green Bay Packers, Dillon joins an Eagles running back room that includes Saquon Barkley and Will Shipley.

A punishing runner prone to absorbing contact, the 6-foot, 247-pound downhill bruiser provides more punch behind Barkley, at least on paper.

For the Eagles to have two players who can wear down a defense with their respective running styles, and not have to change their offensive scheme, illustrates the physical nature on which they’ve prided themselves being.

Dillon, 26, has cleared the 600-yard rushing mark three times in his career, but another area of his game that probably hasn’t garnered proper recognition is his receiving acumen, where he owns a career average of almost nine yards per catch.

At the moment, Dillon also has an advantage over the second-year pro Shipley in pass protection.

It’s hard not to imagine a smashmouth package that includes Dillon and the 245-pound VanSumeren paving the way for the 235-pound Barkley.

The move isn’t without risk, however, as Dillon missed the entire 2024 season due to a neck injury. An injury with that kind of severity bears watching, as Dillon’s play-style invites contact and can at times leave him vulnerable to violent shots.

Another storyline, though hardly as concerning, is that Dillon spent a year away from football and could have some natural rust to shake off – which likely explains the one-year deal.

It also shouldn’t be assumed that he automatically leapfrogs Shipley in the pecking order, as Dillon simply won’t be able to match Shipley’s change-of-pace acumen and explosion, two traits that complement well with Barkley.

Shipley during locker cleanout mentioned pass protection as an area that he’ll continue to fixate on this offseason. A 2024 fourth-round pick, Shipley should still be the early favorite to secure the No. 2 role behind Barkley.

Roseman spoke about the reliance of developing and building around younger players and doing everything possible to ensure its home-grown nucleus remains intact. The way free agency has unfolded so far reflects that.

But there’s always a clear plan, tough as it might be to see at times from the outside. Roseman never goes into any off-season with the mindset of merely trying to have a few “fine” additions.

Dillon, for now, appears to be part of that plan as the Eagles take the steps to retool a winning roster.

– Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com.