[jwplayer GIOfLbEu]
The Eagles are set for a two- or three-year rebuild and it’ll start on defense, where huge decisions will need to be made about an aging and expensive defensive line.
The Eagles defense will have $114,289,332 allocated to defensive salaries in 2021, and according to Over The Cap, 70% – or about $57 million – of that money is tied up in the core of the defensive line.
Fletcher Cox: A base salary of $15 million in 2021 and a cap hit of $23 million.
Brandon Graham: A base salary of $13 million in 2021 and a cap hit of $18 million.
Javon Hargrave: A base salary of $12.7 million in 2021 and a cap hit of $15 million.
Derek Barnett: A base salary of $10 million in 2021 and a cap hit of $10 million.
Only Hargrave’s $12.7 million is guaranteed and the Eagles will have a long-term decision to make on Barnett, while likely asking Graham and Cox to restructure their deals or face being traded or released at the start of the new league year.
With so much salary allocated to the defensive line, the Eagles’ defensive rebuild will start in the back seven.
Jonathan Gannon’s hire as defensive coordinator means the Eagles could start to value the linebacker position more, and Philadelphia could look to pair a talented linebacker with Alex Singleton if Davion Taylor, Shaun Bradley, or T.J. Edwards are not the answers.
In the secondary, the Eagles will need to use the draft or free agent to address the cornerback position opposite Darius Slay and players like Avonte Maddox, Cre’Von LeBlanc, Jalen Mills, and others could be better fits elsewhere.
[listicle id=646950]
[lawrence-related id=646962,646957,646954,646952,646924]