The Philadelphia Eagles have critical decisions to make this offseason as they are coming off their second Super Bowl championship in franchise history.
Three key defensive pieces are entering free agency: All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun, one-time Pro Bowl defensive end Josh Sweat, and young defensive tackle Milton Williams. All three excelled under Vic Fangio’s top-ranked defense in 2024, and the Birds won’t be able to keep all three.
That’s not including defensive end Brandon Graham, who said 2024 would be his last season but has backed off retirement talk.
Out of the three, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane reports the Eagles are making Baun a priority. To call Baun a surprise is an understatement. After four seasons with the New Orleans Saints where he primarily played EDGE rusher and was used on special teams, Fangio decided to move Baun to outside linebacker and it paid off. Baun had 3.5 sacks, four pass deflections, one interception, five forced fumbles, and 151 total tackles. On top of that, he had two INTs in the playoffs, including one in the Super Bowl.
Baun is expected to make $15 million a year, which would most likely cost the Eagles Sweat and Williams. However, one NFL insider predicts the Birds could offset their losses by signing this nine-time Pro Bowl EDGE rusher.
NFL insider predicts Philadelphia Eagles will sign three-time All-Pro
ESPN’s Aaron Schatz believes the Eagles will end up signing Khalil Mack, a three-time All-Pro and 2016 Defensive Player of the Year.
“If Josh Sweat leaves and Brandon Graham retires, the Eagles are going to need some pass rush help. This seems like the perfect place for a well-regarded veteran to chase a championship ring, so let’s put the 34-year-old Mack here,” noted Schatz.
Mack was voted to his ninth Pro Bowl in 2024, but his numbers declined across the board from the year prior with the Los Angeles Chargers.
“He dropped from 17.0 to 6.0 sacks, and his pass rush win rate dropped slightly from 13.8% to 13.0%. He had 53 pressures in 2023 but 41 pressures in 2024. Despite these drops, there’s still a lot of pass-rushing talent here, and the Eagles can use Mack as more of a rotational, targeted player,” Schatz added.
With the way the Eagles rotate their defensive line personnel, Mack wouldn’t be overused and would still have gas left in the tank.
The Eagles have been linked to defensive stalwart Myles Garrett, but the Cleveland Browns keep insisting they won’t be trading Garrett despite his demand.
If the Birds can’t land Garrett, Mack wouldn’t be a bad consolation prize. Over 11 NFL seasons, the future Hall of Famer has recorded 107.5 sacks, 142 tackles for loss, and 185 QB hits.
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