The Philadelphia Eagles have a lot of offseason decisions to make, but aside from the free agents available from their team, general manager Howie Roseman has to see if other teams' free agents make sense for them.
One name that has seemed like a long-shot free agent but could help the Eagles is Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens. There were talks about Pickens becoming one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL this offseason after having a career season with 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns.
If Philly thought they were going to have a slim shot at Pickens, well, that's no longer an option, as ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that the Cowboys are planning on giving Pickens the franchise tag. That would keep him in Dallas for at least one season, give him top-receiver dollars, and could lead to him landing a long-term deal later in the offseason.
Dallas Cowboys to franchise tag George Pickens
The top option at wide receiver in free agency is now out the door. What's worse is that it's a good move for the Cowboys as they bring back a great pass target for Dak Prescott and sidekick in CeeDee Lamb.
It certainly won't change too much about the Eagles' offseason strategy, but it does bring some things to light for them. They still have to make a decision on star receiver A.J. Brown and whether they should trade him away or keep him in 2026. From Brown's most recent comments, he might be okay staying with the team next season.
At least this will prevent Roseman from going overboard with signing a player when there are other needs. Every Eagles fan wants him to re-sign edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and try to bring back linebacker Nakobe Dean and safety Reed Blankenship.
Read more: Eagles defender's one word perfectly captures Jalen Hurts in a nutshell
Brown's replacement won't be Pickens, which is fine, but it doesn't clear up any more offseason questions the team already has.