2021 Philadelphia Eagles offseason defensive roster outlook

Will the Philadelphia Eagles finally invest in difference-makers at linebacker?

Projections for the linebackers: The only three Eagles linebackers that are under contract going into the 2021 NFL season are Shaun Bradley, Davion Taylor, and T.J. Edwards. Conversely, Nathan Gerry, Alex Singleton, and Duke Riley are all scheduled to hit the free-agent market when the upcoming offseason rolls around. Philly’s linebackers have been a huge talking point this season, and no one understands why Nathan Gerry got so many snaps before he got injured.

Let’s be honest, the Eagles haven’t had a solid linebacking corps for a long time. They just refuse to put a lot of resources into the position. Heck, even the Birds’ general manager, Howie Roseman, has been on record stating that the linebacking corps is not a priority. Jim Schwartz has used safeties as hybrid players (think Malcolm Jenkins), but now that Jenkins is gone, the second level of Philly’s defense continues to get exposed on a weekly basis.

It’s hard to believe that the Eagles will make the second level of the defense a priority in the offseason when no one has seen them do that since before Andy Reid was in town. Here’s some context. The Eagles have only drafted two linebackers before the third round since 2005, and they haven’t taken a linebacker in the first round of any draft since 1979. If you’re a Birds fan, you have to hope that they learn from their mistakes in 2021.

Prediction: The Eagles will resign Singleton and Riley but will let Nate Gerry go to free agency. The ‘Birds’ will continue their trend and draft a linebacker in the third round.