Predicting five necessary moves the Eagles must make after the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine
![DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3774,h_2122,x_0,y_147/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/57/01hqr5me9zg1w1gh43mz.jpg)
Releasing Kevin Byard after June 1st
This one's been discussed on this platform and several others. Releasing Kevin Byard after June 1st keeps the Eagles from being hampered by the $14 million-plus salary that he commands. His exit would also save Philly some coin as they'd only be on the hook for $346,000 in dead-cap money. Cutting or trading him only saves the Eagles $14 million while putting them on the hook for $1.3 million.
We've seen nothing from Byard that leads us to believe the Eagles are a better team because he's on the roster, nor would we see any dropoff in defensive production if he isn't allowed to hang around. Let Howie Roseman find a defensive back late in the draft or the deep in the offseason as he always does, but a little addition by subtraction is needed here.
Extending Landon Dickerson
Well, this one's easy. If Howie doesn't do anything else well, he identifies the key young contributors and locks them up to multi-year extensions sooner rather than doing so too late.
Landon Dckerson, after being drafted 37th-overall during Round 2 of the NFL Draft, has found his way onto the two most recent Pro Bowl rosters, but now, he's in a contract season. Waiting to extend only makes his price tag more expensive. The extension saves the Eagles $3 million. You do the math.
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