Tough Calls

The Philadelphia Eagles now have an offensive coordinator in place, and there’s expected to be some tweaks on the offensive staff, but their busy offseason has only just begun. The NFL Scouting Combine awaits in a matter of weeks, and free agency looms shortly thereafter.

As it pertains to the latter, the Eagles will undoubtedly have some difficult decisions to make, with a surplus of in-house talent set to hit the open market in March.

Here’s a look at the collection of defensive personnel set to hit free agency:

Will the Eagles re-sign S Reed Blankenship or get outbid in free agency?

S Reed Blankenship

Blankenship, one of three Eagles defenders last season to log over 1,000 snaps, is a bit of a polarizing player. He lacks for range and athleticism on the backend but atones with intelligence, toughness and being fundamentally sound. The ability to double as a traffic cop in the secondary and major in communication are invaluable qualities to coordinator Vic Fangio, who has repeatedly lauded Blankenship’s contributions.

The Eagles’ depth at the position is thin, and Blankenship — a team captain in 2025 — isn’t coming off his best season, perhaps making negotiations more palatable. But, in a pass-happy league, it’s also fair to wonder whether the Eagles could instead opt for a replacement who covers more ground to pair opposite second-year pro Drew Mukuba in 2026.

LB Nakobe Dean

The heartbeat of the Eagles’ defense, Dean provides toughness, tenacity and a high-level understanding of the intricacies of the game. The Georgia product was just as impactful off the field in giving back to the community. A trusted mainstay for Fangio, Dean thrived as a downhill thumper and blitzer and developed nicely from a coverage perspective. Returning in October from a torn patellar tendon, Dean last season appeared in 10 games (eight starts), collecting 55 tackles, four sacks and a pair of forced fumbles across 403 snaps. His chemistry and communication with fellow off-ball linebacker Zack Baun comprised the glue to the defense.

But the Eagles last season selected Jihaad Campbell in the first round, and having three starting caliber off-ball linebackers is a luxury, not a necessity. The business side — the 25-year-old Dean figures to draw plenty of interest on the open market — makes a reunion difficult to fathom. If Dean does in fact depart this offseason, it will be a significant loss for the organization.

OLB Jaelan Phillips

It’s no coincidence that the Eagles’ defense turned a corner once Phillips was acquired ahead of the NFL trade deadline. Second-year pro Jalyx Hunt, for example, was an individual beneficiary from Phillips’ presence, collecting 5.5 sacks from Nov. 10 through the end of the regular season. Phillips, every bit of his listed 6-foot-5, 266-pounds, offered ranginess and set the edge with violence and authority while capably handling a hefty amount of snaps and alleviating some burden from the shoulders of Hunt and third-year pro Nolan Smith.

To fully appreciate Phillips’ impact, one must look beyond the sack column in the box score, as his run support and amplified pressure rate were critical in unlocking the defense’s full potential. He has sustained major injuries in his young career, which shouldn’t be discounted – and a sizeable pay day awaits – but if the asking price falls within reason, Phillips should be the priority. For what it’s worth, he expressed a desire to remain in Philadelphia.

GETTY IMAGES: Will veteran EDGE Brandon Graham, who un-retired to play in 2025, come back for 2026?

DE Brandon Graham

Graham, 37, returned to the Eagles following a brief retirement stint to aid an ailing pass rush contingent. Graham, in nine regular season games, notched three sacks across 199 snaps. He logged seven snaps in the home playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Graham, third in franchise history in sacks (79.5), contributed more in his return than anyone could have anticipated, and the thin landscape at defensive tackle during the back stretch necessitated Graham moonlight more inside, where he filled in admirably. Still, it took a shortage at the position to lure Graham back, and as of this moment, his playing future is undetermined.

OLB Josh Uche

The Eagles last offseason inked Uche to a modest one-year deal with the intent of the 27-year-old contributing to their pass rush rotation as a fastball off the edge. The former Patriots and Chiefs defender strung together a fairly consistent camp and factored into the rotation for the first half the season, logging 244 defensive snaps across 12 games. His lone sack came in the team’s 28-22 win over the Minnesota Vikings. Uche, who often emphasized a focus on his power rushes, performed well with the snaps he was given, but was essentially bumped from the rotation in light of Graham’s arrival. Fangio doesn’t typically dress an abundance of edge rushers, and Uche was the odd man out, though it warrants mentioning the veteran remained a consummate professional throughout. As an aside, Uche was also an incredibly engaging interview.

Uche has shown an ability to help a defense in a complementary role, and I’m not so sure he’d have as big of an opportunity to contribute in Philadelphia as he would elsewhere.

ITB PHOTO: That blur you see is both Azeez Ojulari and his stint as a rotational edge rusher for the Eagles.

OLB Azeez Ojulari

Like Uche, Ojulari qualified as another potential upside dart throw last spring in free agency, signing a one-year deal. On the surface, it was a shrewd move by the Eagles, betting on pedigree – Ojulari was a 2021 second-round pick – and their track record of player development. Ojulari, however, was unable to separate himself with an uneven camp and slipped behind Uche in the pecking order. He would ultimately appear in three regular season games, accounting for 67 snaps, before landing on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. He’d have his 21-day practice window opened ahead of the postseason, but his final snaps for the 2025 Eagles came against the Vikings, on Oct. 19. Ojulari, 25, has youth and theoretical upside working in his favor. Keeping in mind the razor-thin nature at the position, Ojulari, in my estimation, is worth retaining on a team-friendly contract for another look this summer.

OLB Ogbo Okoronkwo

Signed the day before the first training camp practice, Okoronkwo flashed last summer, enough so to crack the Eagles’ 53-man roster. The seasoned veteran appeared in just one game, the team’s 31-25 Week 4 win in Tampa, but suffered a torn triceps after only four snaps, ending his season. While Okoronkwo was largely out-of-sight, out-of-mind the remainder of the Eagles’ season, catching up with him during locker cleanout, it was learned that within the past month or so, he had been back to feeling normal. Given the familiarity with the injury, Okoronkwo also mentioned leaning on fellow pass rushers Nolan Smith and Brandon Graham for recovery insight. Though lean at the position, one can presume Okoronkwo, 30, will be playing elsewhere next season.

— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is the Eagles reporter for InsideTheBirds.com