The first day of the NFL's legal tampering period has ended with the Philadelphia Eagles coming out of it with way more questions than answers.
Philly took an absolute beating on their free agent front with multiple players departing from the Eagles, and many of them were fan favorites. That list includes Jaelan Phillips to the Carolina Panthers, Reed Blankenship to the Houston Texans, Nakobe Dean to the Las Vegas Raiders, and Jahan Dotson to the Atlanta Falcons.
Many within the fan base questioned why Eagles general manager Howie Roseman was so inactive on the first day, as the team was one of five NFL teams that did not sign an outside free agent. While something could be cooking in the background for Philly, it still leaves the Eagles with a big gamble they are about to take after the first day.
Eagles' gamble with lack of activity on Day 1
With the players departing, the Eagles will at least be up for some compensatory picks, as the number of compensatory picks went up to four for the 2026 NFL Draft. The Phillips signing of his four-year, $120 million deal helped the Eagles get another pick, and more could be on the way as they load up on picks for April.
There is also the risk that they will lose some of their free agents. While many Eagles fans won't argue with Roseman on his passing on that Phillips contract, someone like Blankenship would have been cheaper, as he signed a three-year, $24.75 million contract with the Texans. At $8 million per year, that might have been one Roseman should have jumped on to keep some stability in the secondary.
Not jumping at any of the players on the first day is interesting, as they lost out on a lot of players. While many of them got massive contracts that the Eagles simply couldn't offer, even the ones that are considered on the lower end for money should be nabbed on Day 1, so as not to risk losing them right away.
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Roseman is clearly taking the approach that the Eagles are going to build through the draft and are willing to lose out on free agents to add draft picks. There is a plan in place that the Eagles fan base must trust to see what he brings to the table.