This offseason is going to be particularly trickier for the Philadelphia Eagles to make some moves with the roster and save up money.
There isn't going to be much they can do to save money, since they have locked up all their important players on long-term contracts and need to set aside the rest for the young talent on defense. The NFL did give the Eagles a big hand by increasing the salary cap by about $20 million, giving them an extra $20 million to work with.
Bleacher Report writer Alex Ballentine went through all 32 NFL teams' top three likely cap casualties and how much money they could save by making some cuts. Ballentine had the top three for the Eagles that could save them a total of $11.7 million by releasing them.
Michael Carter II, CB ($8.7 Million Savings)
After getting traded midway through the regular season, Carter really didn't have that much of an impact on defense, as he was more on special teams. He finished the year with 10 tackles in eight games.
If Cooper DeJean was going to be considered for the CB2 role on the outside, it would make sense to keep Carter, as he could fill the starting slot corner. Instead, it would be too expensive to keep him on the roster as a back, so the Eagles would get more value from just cutting him and moving on with a cheaper backup.
Sydney Brown, S ($1.5 Million Savings)
Brown lost his starting job at the beginning of this past year to rookie second-round pick Andrew Mukuba, and that proved to be the right call. In 17 games, Brown has 34 tackles.
There's really nothing special about Brown's defense, but he is a very good special teams player. The Eagles are better off releasing him and using that roster spot on a special teamer or a defensive rookie who can do the same work for less.
Byron Young, DT ($1.5 Million Savings)
Young would be a shame to lose, as he was an impact player late in the season when Jalen Carter got hurt. In 17 games, Young racked up 37 tackles, 11 pressures, six hurries, four quarterback hits, three tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and one fumble recovery.
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After his 2025 season, Young proved he can be a rotational defensive tackle for any NFL team. The Eagles need all the cap room they can get, though, so it makes more sense to cut him and replace him with a cheaper Day 3 draft pick they can develop, similar to what they did with Moro Ojomo.