Top 5 Eagles free agents whose exits could hamstring Philly in 2024 feat. Jason Kelce, D'Andre Swift and more

Jason Kelce, D'Andre Swift and their Philadelphia Eagles teammates lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round of the 2023 season, which brought an end to Philadelphia's exploits this term. For a team that began the season 10-1 and reached last year's Super Bowl, this must be considered a major disappointment.

There will also be concern that the core of the team that was supposed to fight for the championship this year has a lot of veteran players who are going to become unrestricted free agents in 2024. Here is a list of the top five players from Philadelphia who are hitting the market:

#1 - Jason Kelce, C

Jason Kelce has represented the Philadelphia Eagles with distinction ever since he was drafted by the franchise in 2011. He is 36 years old and out of contract at the end of this year. Despite his advanced years, he is still performing at an elite level. He is the unquestioned starter and was named to the First Team All-Pro this year for his position. That adds to the five other nods he has in that category, along with seven Pro Bowl nominations.

One assumes that the Eagles would like to bring back someone like him given his elite play and unswerving loyalty. However, whether Jason Kelce himself would like to return remains to be seen. He was extremely emotional after the loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which seemed to point that he might be contemplating retirement. If he does so, Jason Kelce will do so as an Eagles legend.

#2 - D'Andre Swift, RB

D'Andre Swift was acquired from the Detroit Lions last offseason to add to the rushing threat for the Philadelphia Eagles. Among a season of disappointments, he was one of the few players who distinguished himself. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards in the regular season and came away with his first Pro Bowl nomination this year.

However, he is out of contract this year and it remains to be seen if he will be brought back. Running backs generally can be replenished with a fresh draft recruit on a rookie contract and the Eagles might need to save some money to bring in other pending free agents.

#3 - Fletcher Cox, DT

Fletcher Cox has spent his entire career with the Philadelphia Eagles, much like Jason Kelce. He was there with the center when they won Super Bowl LII in a thrilling victory over the New England Patriots. He has made it to six Pro Bowls and is a starter for the team.

Unlike Jason Kelce, though, he has been a First Team All-Pro only once in his career. That came back in 2018 and he has not made a Pro Bowl since 2020. He is 33 years old and the Eagles will have to decide if they want to spend big bucks on a defensive player, given they were the third-worst regular-season defense in the league in terms of points allowed.

#4 - Brandon Graham, DE

Brandon Graham is also another Philadelphia veteran in his thirties. He too was drafted by the Eagles and has won a Super Bowl with them. He is a former first round pick from the 2010 NFL draft. Another defensive player, he too last made the Pro Bowl in 2020 like Fletcher Cox.

He has said he would like to come back and play for one more season. Whether that will materialize or not remains to be seen. But given his forced fumble of Tom Brady that effectively sealed their maiden Super Bowl, he will forever be a Philly legend.

#5 - Zach Cunningham, LB

Linebacker Zach Cunningham is the only player on this list, other than D'Andre Swfit, who was not drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles. He signed earlier this year after previously spending time with the Houston Texans and the Tennessee Titans. He was given the starting spot on the depth chart but the 2020 NFL tackles leader could not prevent the Eagles defense from stuttering.

He has never made a Pro Bowl in his career and general manager Howie Roseman has an eye for drafting good young defensive players in the draft. He could be one and done in Philadelphia.

Full list of Eagles free agents in 2024

Apart from the players given above, the full list of free agents is as follows.

WR Quez Watkins
G Iosua Opeta
LB Nicholas Morrow
LB Shaquille Leonard
CB Bradley Roby
WR Olamide Zaccheaus
RB Boston Scott
QB Marcus Mariota
WR Julio Jones
G Jack Driscoll
RB Rashaad Penny
S Justin Evans
TE Albert Okwuegbunam
P Braden Mann
LB Shaun Bradley
TE Jack Stoll

There might be quite a rebuild on general manager Howie Roseman's hands with the likes of Jason Kelce and D'Andre Swift becoming free agents. But given how badly this season ended, starting over might not be a bad idea.