We’re almost a month into the new league year in the NFL and the 2023 Philadelphia Eagles roster is beginning to take shape. It’ll look a lot different this season – primarily on the defensive side of the ball – but Howie Roseman has done a nice job supplementing his losses with adequate replacements.

Nevertheless, we still have four months until training camp gets underway. And if we’ve learned anything about Howie’s offseason regiment, it’s that he’ll continue building his team all the way up until the start of the regular season. There are still plenty of moves on the table for the Eagles, both in free agency and through the NFL Draft in April.

With the first wave of free agency behind us, let’s take a look at the most pressing needs facing the Eagles as we enter April.

Interior Offensive Line

On paper, the Eagles offensive line is still in great shape despite losing starting guard Isaac Seumalo and former first-round pick Andre Dillard to free agency. Though the Eagles offensive line is still a clear strength, they could use a couple extra bodies there to help fill-out the depth chart.

As far as the starting five is concerned, it seems like the most plausible scenario would see last year’s second-round selection, Cam Jurgens, slide over to right guard to fill Seumalo’s vacancy. The rest of the starting lineup is still in-tact.

When asked about that possibility during the NFL owners meetings this past week, Nick Sirianni was a little hesitant to proclaim Jurgens as a starter.

“We’ll see,” Sirianni said in regards to Jurgens starting. “We’ll see where we go with him but excited he’s on our team and excited that he adds major depth to our team.”

Kind of a non-answer from Sirianni there, which leads me to believe the front office may be eyeing a starting guard on the market or on day one of the NFL Draft. We know Howie will always look to add to his offensive line, no matter who the projected starters are.

The case for Jurgens to start is pretty straight forward. He played some guard at the collegiate level and it wouldn’t be ideal to have a second-round pick have two redshirt seasons. That all checks out from a team-building standpoint.

Just to play a little devil’s advocate, let’s say Jason Kelce gets injured and misses half the season. Then what? Does the team then move Jurgens back to center and play either Jack Driscoll or Sua Opeta at guard? It feels like that could disrupt the chemistry of the line too much, especially if an injury occurs midseason.

At the very least, I expect the team to add depth along the interior of the offensive line before the season gets underway. And, if I’m being fully transparent, I’ve come around to the idea of drafting the best offensive lineman on the board at tenth overall. The offensive line is the lifeblood of the Eagles offense and I want it to be fully equipped to handle any setback that could happen throughout the season. Give me all the big boys.

Again, this isn’t the most pressing need facing the team right now, but it’s something the team should look to address before September.

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Interior Defensive Line

The Eagles are lacking a true difference maker along the interior of their defensive line. After losing Javon Hargrave during free agency, the team is left with an old Fletcher Cox, two unproven talents in Jordan Davis and Milton Williams, and a good-not-great free agent signing in Kentavius Street.

The hope is that Davis and Williams develop into great starters. If even one of those two becomes a standout player this season, defensive tackle is hardly a need. While that is certainly a possibility, it’s not a guarantee. Howie Roseman isn’t one to bank purely on potential.

Looking ahead to the NFL Draft, taking the best interior defensive lineman available at ten is one of the most likely scenarios. If Georgia’s Jalen Carter slides to ten and the Eagles feel comfortable about his off-field issues, they’ll run up to the podium to announce the pick. Even if Howie decides to trade down from ten, guys like Pitt’s Calijah Kancey or Clemson’s Bryan Breese should be there for the taking.

They already have great depth at the position. Adding a bonafide difference maker would elevate the defensive line to elite status once again.

Safety

Even after adding former Steelers safety Terrell Edmunds, the team still has some work to do at the safety position.

As it stands, Edmunds and Reed Blankenship appear to be the starters. Edmunds is on a one-year deal, so his long-term future with the team is up in the air. Blankenship was solid as an undrafted rookie in 2022, but we don’t know if he’s ready to step into a starting role just yet. Behind the starters, we have free agent acquisition Justin Evans, along with K’Von Wallace and Andre Chachere.

Similar to defensive tackle, the Eagles have a bunch of guys in the safety room, but none of them pop as a true difference maker. Maybe Blankenship develops into a great safety or Edmunds finally becomes the star first-round pick some believed he would be in Pittsburgh. Not impossible, but that’s far from the most likely scenario entering next season.

At this point in the offseason, I’m not sure the Eagles will be able to find a bonafide starter on the free agency market. If Howie decides to address safety through the NFL Draft, it probably won’t be until the second-round at the earliest. There’s always a chance they somehow manage to make another CJGJ type of trade right before the season starts, but we can’t bank on that.

They may have to make due with Edmunds and Blankenship as the starters entering the season. Which, to be clear, is not a terrible starting safety duo. It could just be better.

Linebacker

You could probably categorize linebacker as the ‘biggest’ need the Eagles have right now – depending on how you feel about Nakobe Dean.

I for one am ecstatic to watch Dean in a starting role next year. Based off everything we saw him do at Georgia, along with the limited exposure he got as a rookie, I’m confident Dean can become a difference maker for this Eagles defense.

Aside from Dean, however, the Eagles don’t have much to work with at the linebacker position.

Former Bears’ backer Nicholas Morrow is penciled in as the second starter right now. He’s a solid placeholder for the position, but if he or Dean go down with an injury, I’m really not sure what the team will do. Davion Taylor never developed into the versatile backer some of us hoped for and Shaun Bradley is really just a special teams guy.

Unless the coaching staff truly believes Taylor or Bradley can develop into suitable depth pieces, they’re going to address the position in the draft. Howie notoriously devalues the linebacker position, but I can’t imagine he’ll neglect adding another backer after losing both starters this offseason.

Now, if Dean fails to live up to expectations, then the Eagles will have a glaring need on their hands. As of right now, I’m willing to put my faith in Dean and I assume the team feels the same way.

Depending on how this season plays out, linebacker could either be the biggest need facing the team next season, or a clear strength. Only time will tell.

Mandatory Credit: The Athletic