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The futures of Eagles Malcolm Jenkins, Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson: To be determined

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman had little to say Tuesday about the futures of safety Malcolm Jenkins and wide receivers Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson.

Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman meets with reporters at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.
Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman meets with reporters at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.Read morePaul Domowitch / Staff

INDIANAPOLIS — Eagles general manager Howie Roseman didn’t have a lot to say Tuesday about the team’s interest in its 16 unrestricted free agents-to-be.

That also went for some players with contracts who may or may not be back with the team in 2020, including wide receivers Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson and safety Malcolm Jenkins.

The 30-year-old Jeffery is recovering from surgery to repair a Lisfranc injury in his foot that is expected to keep him sidelined until August or September. The 33-year-old Jackson missed 13 games this season with a core injury.

Jenkins, 32, is entering the final year of his contract, and has said he won’t play next season without a new deal.

“Malcolm’s been a great player, a great person for us,’’ Roseman told reporters at the NFL scouting combine. “But as it relates to all of our players, those are things we’re going to keep in-house and will have honest conversations with all of our players.’’

Jenkins, who has played six seasons for the Eagles and is one of their defensive leaders, skipped all of the team’s voluntary OTAs last spring when he didn’t get a contract extension from the team. But he played every regular-season snap for the second straight season.

It was assumed the Eagles would give him a one-year extension during the season to appease him. But that never happened. The Eagles’ other starting safety, Rodney McLeod, is a free agent. So, it’s possible the Eagles could have two new starting safeties next season.

Jeffery and Jackson’s futures with the team also are uncertain, but both have contracts that make it difficult for the Eagles to trade or release them.

Jeffery averaged a career-low 11.4 yards per catch this season. A WIP-FM report identified Jeffery as the anonymous player who was critical of quarterback Carson Wentz in an October ESPN report.

The Eagles traded for the speedy Jackson last March. But he injured his hamstring in the team’s second game.

Roseman has said the Eagles want to get younger and faster and healthier. Jackson fits only one of those three criteria.

“We’re trying to balance,’’ the Eagles GM said Tuesday. “We have good players who are not 23 and 24 years old. When you look at who’s winning, and even when we won [in 2017], you’re going to have players that are still in their prime that are 29 or 30 or 30-plus that can still contribute.

“When you talk about the wide receiver position as a whole, we’re always going to look for playmakers. We’re always going to look for guys that can help coach [Doug Pederson] and can help Carson. And we’ll figure out how we’re going to fit everything into the puzzle.’’

The Eagles are expected to select a wide receiver early in the April draft, possibly even in the first round.

Asked Tuesday about a timetable regarding Jeffery’s recovery, Roseman said. “We’re not going to get into timetables on injuries. But when you talk about Alshon, the most important thing for Alshon is getting him healthy as quickly as possible.’’

Whether that’s so he can make a contribution to the offense next season or so that the Eagles can trade him remains to be seen.