Philadelphia Eagles free-agent acquisitions who will start this season

The Philadelphia Eagles made three acquisitions who will contribute immediately.

If you’re looking for reasons as to why the Philadelphia Eagles went from the NFL’s penthouse in February of 2018 to its outhouse a little over three years later (not to mention a last-place finish in the league’s worst division), look no further than this as one of the key reasons. This team had a ton of money tied up in older players that they weren’t getting anything out of.

That happens on every NFL roster, but there’s typically one surefire way to fix it. Get younger in the NFL Draft.

Well, you know how that’s been working out. The Philadelphia Eagles took eight players in the draft that preceded their Super Bowl-winning season. The only one that’s still on the team is Derek Barnett (and he’s hanging on by a thread).

Year after year, Philly has swung and missed on draft picks, and they’ve had to cover for the roster holes that have been created by signing expensive talent. Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas not working out led us eventually to Darius Slay. Concerns about Shelton Gibson and Mack Hollins are why DeSean Jackson was brought back for a second, and aside from the season opener in 2019, unsuccessful return.

Eventually, this team must win in the draft, but there must be a healthy mix of veteran talent as well. It might sound like it’s being mentioned as a death sentence here, but free agency definitely has its advantages. Find a few of the right cogs, and that can help a team in the outhouse back to the penthouse. That’s what Philly is hoping three of their recent offseason additions can do.

They’ve brought some optimism back to Birds fans. Here are three of the Philadelphia Eagles’ acquisitions that should start for its defense come Week 1 in Atlanta.