Eagles’ free-agency shopping list: Defensive targets who could fit

The Eagles will take in the new league year with a resolution to rebuild a dilapidated defense.

New defensive coordinator Vic Fangio will bring some credibility to the group that finished 30th in scoring and 31st in red-zone defense last season, but addressing the personnel needs will make the true difference. General manager Howie Roseman will get his first chance to add some building blocks starting Monday when the league allows teams to begin negotiations with unrestricted free agents’ representatives ahead of the league year turning over on Wednesday.

» READ MORE: Breaking down the Eagles’ priorities among their 20 pending free agents: Who’s most likely to return?

Here are nine free agents — and one alternative target — available to the Eagles going into next week:

Xavier McKinney

McKinney, 24, would be an ideal fit in Fangio’s scheme as a chess-piece safety capable of handling a multitude of assignments on the back end of the defense. The former Alabama standout has 46 career starts with the New York Giants, and there’s reason to believe his best football could still be ahead of him.

With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers using the franchise tag on star safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and the New England Patriots using the transition tag on Kyle Dugger, McKinney is the best safety set to test the market unrestricted. Especially considering his versatility and durability, it’s easy to see him commanding a contract similar to Jessie Bates’ four-year, $64 million deal with the Falcons last offseason or Marcus Williams’ five-year, $70 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens two years ago. Bates was 25 when he hit free agency and Williams was 26, for comparison’s sake.

Eddie Jackson

Another Alabama safety, Jackson is a veteran defensive back who was released by the Chicago Bears last month. The 30-year-old was an All-Pro in 2018 but has struggled with injuries the last few years. He was limited to 12 starts each of the last two seasons because of recurring foot injuries and last played 16 or more games in 2020. Still, it’s important to note that Jackson’s best years came at the start of his career with Fangio as his defensive coordinator from 2017-18.

Considering Jackson’s age and injury history, he won’t command the same market as some of the top safeties testing free agency, although those reasons would make him less of an ideal fit for an Eagles team trying to identify young, ascending players on defense.

» READ MORE: At the NFL combine, Eagles building connections with safeties and versatile defensive backs

Kamren Curl

Curl is another versatile safety. According to Pro Football Focus, he played 400-plus snaps as a post safety and a box defender last season for the Washington Commanders. The 25-year-old has played 16 or more games in three of his first four seasons and had 115 total tackles last year.

Curl won’t be as sought after as someone like McKinney or Dugger, but he should also command a multiyear deal worth meaningful money. PFF, which ranks Curl as the No. 1 safety entering free agency, projects him to sign a long-term deal worth $12.5 million per year.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson

Could a reunion be possible? Gardner-Johnson’s departure last offseason became somewhat messy, but the brash defensive back could be an intriguing value proposition 12 months later. He signed a one-year, “prove-it” deal with the Detroit Lions but suffered a pectoral injury in Week 2 that held him out until the final week of the regular season. After logging six interceptions with the Eagles in 2022, tied for most in the league, Gardner-Johnson this season had one in the regular season and another in the playoffs.

The Eagles valued Gardner-Johnson enough last March to offer him a multiyear extension, but the 26-year-old waited out the market instead. A few feisty social media posts and soured negotiations shouldn’t be enough to deter the two sides from coming back to the table if there is indeed genuine interest, especially if the rest of the league is still cool on Gardner-Johnson. He could be an upside play on a deal that doesn’t threaten the top of the market and has multipositional value as a safety/slot hybrid.

» READ MORE: ‘Can’t stand this heat, get out of my way’: Trash-talking C.J. Gardner-Johnson remade himself with the Eagles

Justin Simmons

Simmons was a surprise addition to an already deep class of free-agent safeties on Thursday, when the Denver Broncos released the decorated defensive back for salary-cap relief. Simmons has been named second-team All-Pro in four of the last five seasons and has experience playing in Fangio’s system dating to their shared time in Denver when Fangio was head coach from 2019-21. Given that experience, it should come as no surprise Simmons is an ideal fit for Fangio’s scheme as a versatile safety with enough experience and instincts to disguise coverages and manipulate quarterbacks before the snap.

Simmons, 30, may not fit the bill as a young cornerstone to build a defense around, but he’s the most proven safety hitting the market still in his prime. He had three interceptions and eight pass breakups last season. The year before, he had six picks and seven pass breakups. His age should keep his market from reaching the levels of someone like McKinney, though, and could make him an ideal option for the Eagles to get an impact player in the short term, especially if they view Sydney Brown as the long-term answer alongside Reed Blankenship on the back end.

» READ MORE: Justin Simmons lauds Eagles DC Vic Fangio amid criticism out of Miami: ‘Philadelphia’s got a great one’

Josey Jewell

We wrote about Jewell as a potential fit earlier this offseason because of his track record both playing in and calling Fangio’s defense in Denver. The 29-year-old has 58 career starts, including 21 under Fangio, eventually becoming the green-dot player. Jewell had 108 total tackles, two forced fumbles, and three pass breakups last season. He’s also been a factor in Denver’s pass rush each of the last two years, logging 5½ sacks over that time.

Jewell isn’t one of the top off-ball linebackers on the market, which should put him in the space the Eagles have typically operated out of when targeting free-agent linebackers in the past.

» READ MORE: Three personnel needs for rebuilding the Eagles defense under Vic Fangio

Blake Cashman

Cashman is coming off a career year playing in DeMeco Ryans’ Houston defense, starting 13 games and recording five pass breakups, one interception, and 106 tackles, including nine tackles for losses. The 27-year-old spent most of his career as a depth linebacker for the New York Jets before getting traded to the Texans in 2022 and emerging under Ryans, so he doesn’t have the same sample size as others. He’s a productive off-ball linebacker who can hold up both in pass coverage and against the run.

Because of his limited starting experience, Cashman is another linebacker who could be in the affordable range the Eagles have targeted in the past. PFF projects him to get a two-year deal with an average annual value of $4.25 million.

Andrew Van Ginkel

Van Ginkel is more of an edge rusher than an off-ball linebacker, but he is the type of edge player who contributes the ability to rush the passer and drop into coverage comfortably. The 28-year-old had eight pass breakups and six sacks playing for Fangio with the Miami Dolphins last season. His role as a rusher grew when starting edge rusher Jaelan Phillips suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Considering Fangio’s track record of dropping his edge rushers into coverage and the lack of Eagles edge players who have done much of that in the past, Van Ginkel could be an interesting bridge. As a seemingly ascending player, he could also help replace Haason Reddick if the Eagles find a trade partner for the star edge rusher at some point before free agency.

Van Ginkel’s versatility to play multiple roles could cause his market to swell more than some of the more heralded off-ball linebackers or edge rushers, but he’s still not one of the most sought-after edges/linebackers available. PFF projects him to get about $6.5 million per year on a shorter-term deal.

» READ MORE: Eagles’ Howie Roseman defends his team-building philosophy at linebacker and has belief in Nakobe Dean

Darious Williams

Williams is a starting-quality cornerback hitting the market a few days before the league year turns over after a surprising release from the Jacksonville Jaguars on Tuesday. The soon-to-be 31-year-old started 17 games for the Jags last season and compiled four interceptions and 19 pass breakups, which ranked second in the NFL. According to PFF, opposing quarterbacks averaged a passer rating of 69.6 on 86 targets against him last season, which ranked 11th in the league among qualifying cornerbacks.

The top of the cornerbacks market was suppressed some by the franchise tag (more on that in a moment), but Williams’ age would suggest he’d be in line for a shorter deal. Still, he’s one of the best corners available along with Commanders defensive back Kendall Fuller and Bengals corner Chidobe Awuzie.

Honorable mention: L’Jarius Sneed

Sneed is technically available, but not via free agency like the rest of the players on this list. The Kansas City Chiefs used the franchise tag on the 27-year-old and will reportedly try to trade him after a career year as an outside cornerback. Sneed spent the first three years of his career primarily as a slot cornerback but showed he is more than capable of holding up in press coverage against No. 1 wide receivers on the outside, making him an ideal fit for Fangio’s scheme.

Because he has been tagged, Sneed’s price is more complicated than the others on this list with trade compensation involved. If the Eagles are willing to expend a premium pick — it’s worth noting they have two second-rounders in this year’s draft (Nos. 50 and 53) — and sign him to a lucrative long-term deal, he’s the best corner available.