Wild Week

Over the past week, the Philadelphia Eagles have seen major exits and surprising returns.

On the latest “Inside The Birds” podcast, Adam Caplan and Geoff Mosher provided intel from the wild first few days of free agency.

Eagles CB James Bradberry declined other offers to return to the team on a three-year deal

Darius Slay

Geoff Mosher: “He was not released. There was a chance he could come back, it just had to be worked out.”

Adam Caplan: “At what point over the next couple hours did they either have second thoughts or did both sides say, ‘Wait a minute, we’re going to give 48 hours to get your best deal. If you can’t get something that’s close to what Darius is making here, we would like to have him back…'”

Mosher: “It’s hard to ask a guy to make less money coming off of that many Pro Bowls. Regardless of whether you think he’s that good or not, there really aren’t that many good corners in the league and the Eagles went so long without having one.”

Fletcher Cox

Caplan: “They were not going to go in in without a veteran defensive tackle next to Jordan Davis. I’m not saying Fletcher is a great player anymore, but they wanted to have a veteran. The deal is up to $10 million.”

Mosher: “I was told Sean Desai has not yet communicated any specific preferences for linemen. They knew what he had in Chicago, and he did have a lot of those bigger, stout, long-arm guys who can push the pocket. I’m not sure if they would see Milton Williams as a starter in that role. If he brings the same philosophy from Chicago, they would probably want a defensive tackle like Cox.”

James Bradberry

Mosher: “The Eagles wanted to make it work with Bradberry. They knew there was going to be a market for him but they wanted to see what the number was. He said he had better offers out there but he took the Eagles. It sounded like he wanted to be an Eagle and the Eagles made it happen with a respectable enough offer.”

Caplan: “He was their top guy. I didn’t think he would be coming back. I’m surprised they went this high at $12.6 million. He’s 30, and talking to other teams, he’s not for everybody. He has to be in the match, carry, and deliver scheme.”

Rashaad Penny

Caplan: “He’s been on injured reserve in 2019 and 2022. He had an ACL injury, then scar tissue cleanup. He’s not a power player, he’s a finesse player. Not a volume carry guy, so you have to be careful, he has missed time in games where he gets hurt and doesn’t come back. He’s never played a full season. They certainly could cut him if he doesn’t play well. Obviously they want him to be their lead back, 10-12 carries.”

– Benjamin Paul is a staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.

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