The 2025 season is complete after a thrilling Super Bowl. Now the work begins for all 32 teams to retool their roster and prepare for a potential playoff appearance next season. After an offensive coordinator and passing game coordinator change, the Eagles‘ roster will likely undergo further changes. The Birds have 21 players who’ll test the restricted or unrestricted free-agent market during the 2026 NFL offseason. Several key factors include a pending contract extension for Jalen Carter and the contract status for star tight end Dallas Goedert.
With the NFL off-season fast approaching, we’re looking at ten free agents who could be short-term solutions for the Eagles.
Chidobe Awuzie, CB
In 2025, Awuzie achieved a PFF coverage grade of 75.3 with the Ravens, ranking 15th among cornerbacks. The 30-year-old recorded seven pass breakups on 408 coverage snaps and remains capable of being an NFL starter.
Ar’Darius Washington, DB
Washington is undersized at 5-foot-8, and he missed most of the 2025 season with an Achilles injury suffered before the season. In 2024, Washington appeared in 12 games and played a significant role in the Baltimore secondary, performing like one of the NFL’s best after a dismal first seven to eight weeks. In 2024, Washington finished with a career-high 64 tackles, two interceptions, one sack, one forced fumble, and five tackles for loss in 10 starts playing in the slot, in the box, and as a deep safety and ranked fifth among safeties with an 86.1 PFF coverage grade.
Kevin Zeitler, G, Titans
Zeitler remained efficient for the Titans at age 35. Last season, Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 11th-best guard in the NFL. Even more impressive, Zeitler has played at least 15 games every season since 2015. He is sturdy in pass protection, and joining the Eagles could provide insurance for Landon Dickerson and Tyler Steen.
Damar Hamlin, DB
Hamlin missed 13 games last season and was placed on IR in early October after seeing just 12 defensive snaps in the first five weeks of the season.
Quinton Bell, Edge Rusher
Bell has appeared in 30 career games with three starts in five seasons with Tampa Bay (2020), Atlanta (2022), and Miami (2023-25). He has recorded 38 tackles (15 solo), 1.0 sack, one pass defensed, and one forced fumble in his career, in addition to four special teams tackles.
Braxton Jones, T, Bears
A potential short-term swing tackle solution who could become long-term, Jones had ankle surgery in the 2025 offseason and struggled at times last season. Still, Jones is just 26, and he has significant starting experience at left tackle.
Malcolm Koonce, EDGE, Raiders
A talented pass rusher who won’t require a ton of snaps, Koonce registered eight sacks and an impressive 15.7% pressure rate in 2023 before missing the entire 2024 season with a torn ACL. He was a part-time player for the Raiders last year and logged 3.5 sacks and a solid 14% pressure rate from Week 11 to 18. Still only 27, Koonce could be a solid depth piece.
Dennis Gardeck, EDGE, Jaguars
A part-time player in Jacksonville, Gardeck was second behind Will Anderson Jr. (21%) among edge defenders in pressure rate in 2025 (min. 100 pass-rush snaps). Gardeck is a relentless pass rusher who had three sacks in just seven games in 2024 and six sacks in 2023 (when he had an 18.3% pressure rate). The 31-year-old could be a short-term addition.
Roger McCreary, CB, Rams
Back in October, the Titans acquired a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft from the Rams in exchange for McCreary and the Titans’ 2026 conditional sixth-round pick.
McCreary’s rookie contract is set to expire at the end of this season, at which point he will become a free agent. A 2022 second-round pick, McCreary’s 69.2 PFF grade was 28th in the NFL.
Greg Newsome II, CB, Jaguars
A midseason trade acquisition for the Jaguars from the Browns, Newsome has only four career interceptions, but he has 33 pass breakups over five seasons.
Andre Cisco, S, Jets
The former third-round draft selection out of Syracuse sustained a season-ending pectoral injury during a Week 8 win over Cincinnati and underwent surgery the following week. Before the injury, Cisco had played all but 1 defensive snap, and his 41 tackles were the second most on the team through 8 contests.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: 10 free agents who could be short-term solutions for the Eagles
