After a week at the NFL Combine, teams have a better idea of their approach to roster building over the coming months. As for the Eagles, while A.J. Brown was the main talking point, it looks like Howie Roseman is currently focusing his efforts on keeping Jaelan Phillips, and others, in Philadelphia. The Eagles are prioritizing internal options over looking elsewhere this offseason, according to a report by Jeremy Fowler.
“The Eagles could look in-house for free agent splashes. They will attempt to
re-sign Jaelan Phillips, who proved an ideal fit for the defense. They could also extend the contracts of defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter.’
Roseman admitted ahead of the combine that the Eagles might not be as flashy in free agency as they’ve been in the past, and that their exciting moves will likely come from bringing back players that they drafted or already had in-house. That would line up with making moves to re-sign Phillips, who will assuredly be in high demand this offseason.
The Eagles have already picked up Jordan Davis’ fifth-year option, which will cost the team $12.9 million in 2026. Davis has done everything the team has asked of him, especially the past two seasons, as he committed to his health and fitness. He dropped over 26 pounds between the 2024 and 2025 seasons, and he was able to stay on the field for considerably more snaps last year as a result.
As for Jalen Carter, the team would without question pick up his fifth-year option for 2027. He’s set to play under the final year of his rookie contract in 2026, which would cost the team $1.145 million with a $6.9 million cap hit. Should the team have Carter play on the fifth-year option in 2027, he would earn $27.127 million guaranteed based on the latest franchise tag figures. Signing Carter now, will almost assuredly save the Eagles money when factoring in how the cost of the position grows every year — plus it creates a good relationship with a player the team will want to stick around for the long term.
Davis and Carter have continued the dominant dynamic they established together at Georgia, and have become two of the league’s most elite defensive tackles. Not only are they hugely impactful on defense, but both stepped up in big moments on special teams and each earned an NFC Special Team Player of the Week honor in 2025. There’s little doubt that when Howie Roseman talks about the defense getting expensive over the next couple of years, he’s including Davis and Carter in that group.
Getting all these contracts sorted out this year will allow the team to figure things out for their edge rushers and secondary players coming up for new deals in the next couple of years.
