4 free agents the Eagles could sign from the 49ers 2023 roster
Is there a better way for 49ers players to avoid a Super Bowl hangover than to just get out of town?
By Jake Beckman
Key free-agent signings can be found by raiding any NFL roster. Sometimes that means we analyze teams we don't like and players we spend our time cheering against. Ever since the Philadelphia Eagles whomped the San Francisco 49ers in the 2022 NFC Championship Game, the Birds and Niners have been at each other's throats, but in truth, they have some talent in that locker room.
Luckily for us, most of the unlikeable players on the 49ers are on offense and the Eagles' positional holes are on defense. Here’s a handful of free agents from the San Fran that could be a good fit on Philly's 2024 roster.
The Eagles need to rebuild a defense and the 49ers have good players to draw from.
The Niners stole Javon Hargrave from Philly. Might the Birds pull off a similar theft? Here are a few options that make sense.
1. Chase Young - Defensive End
Chase Young is 24 years old and entering his fifth season in the NFL. We're more familiar with his game given that he spent the first three and half years of his career with the team in Washington (though he was often injured and never lived up to his potential boogeyman hype).
He's now a free agent who will be paid a good chunk of money with no real justification other than his draft pedigree and a Defensive Rookie of the Year award from the 2020 season.
If the market for Young isn’t where we think it will be and the Eagles can get him for cheaper than expected, he’ll be worth trying to sign, but he’s not worth a bidding war just for a ‘prove it’ deal.
2. Randy Gregory - Edge
Randy Gregory is 31 years old and entering his sixth NFL season. Last year, he was traded from the Denver Broncos to the 49ers for a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. That’s essentially what he is worth at this point.
He’s not some young gun player that a team is willing to try to develop, he’s a player that can provide relatively consistent depth. That’s why the 49ers grabbed him to play behind Nick Bosa.
3. Oren Burks - Linebacker
Oren Burks is 28 years old and entering his seventh NFL season. He’s never been a consistent starter, but he’s been a good backup. That means he’d be good for what's a weak position group on the Eagles' defense.
There’s no way the Birds can run it back with the same plan (or even a similar plan) at linebacker in 2024. You’d rather an Oren Burks be a potential position plug than Shaquille Leonard. Trust us on that.
4. Sebastian Joseph-Day - Defensive Tackle
Joseph-Day is 28 years old and entering his sixth season. He was cut from the Los Angeles Chargers in December but that was largely due to financials and their season effectively being over.
He moved to the 49ers less than a week after that and left the Chargers to provide depth along the defensive line. When he was with the Chargers, he was a defensive captain and was second on the team in quarterback hits.
Depending on how many veterans leave in the offseason (and, specifically if Fletcher Cox is one of them), Joseph-Day could be a decent enough, low-cost piece for the Eagles defensive line. He's someone to watch in free agency.