The Eagles are once again set to be one of the oldest teams in the NFL next season, something that top personnel executive Howie Roseman clearly doesn't mind.
Roseman has made one thing well known this offseason — the Eagles aren't going to get younger just to get younger, and that their goal is to simply bring in the best football players, regardless of age.
That mindset has played itself out in free agency both this offseason and the last two as well, with the Eagles bringing in plenty of veteran players on one-year deals. Now that the NFL Draft is over the Eagles can once again turn their focus to potential bargains on the free agency market, with a clearer picture of what their needs are and what spots they need to fill.
Tre Boston, S: The Eagles were expected to draft a safety, but that never ended up happening, as they focused on the offensive side of the ball with their first three picks. The result is a major need in the third safety spot. The Eagles found out just how important that role is last season when Rodney McLeod went down, and Corey Graham was unable to step up and play at a high level in McLeod's absence.
Boston checks off a lot of boxes for what the Eagles might be looking for in a backup safety. To start, Boston has plenty of game experience, playing 72 games in the NFL with 44 starts. He started 13 games last season for the Arizona Cardinals, totaling three interceptions and nine pass deflections with 79 tackles. He did allow nine touchdowns, however, per Sports Info Solutions. Boston has some experience in man coverage, lining up at nickel cornerback for 62 snaps last season, allowing just 11 catches.
Boston might be looking for a starting job, but at this point that chance might not be out there. With the Eagles, Boston could get a fairly large amount of snaps as the third safety behind Malcolm Jenkins and McLeod, while being ready to step right in if one were to go down.
Zach Brown, LB: The Eagles' need at linebacker has been overblown by many, as the team still has plenty of faith in Kamu Grugier-Hill and believe L.J. Fort can play a fairly significant role on the defense this season. Still, the Eagles' linebackers behind Nigel Bradham do lack experience, and that is one area where Brown would help.
Brown has played 94 games in the NFL with 74 starts, and has shown he can play at a high level. Brown totaled 12 starts for the Washington Redskins last season, finishing with 96 tackles, one pass deflection and one sack. Signing Brown would allow the Eagles to move Nigel Bradham back to the outside, his natural position and the one he played when Jordan Hicks was still here.
Andy Levitre, G: One of the Eagles' biggest needs is on the interior of the offensive line. They not only might need a starter in Week 1 to fill in for Brandon Brooks if he isn't fully recovered from his torn Achilles, but they also need someone to replace the vital role Stefen Wisniewski played last season for them. They should also plan ahead for the potential that Isaac Seumalo struggles, as his career has been very up-and-down so far.
The options at backup offensive line are not great this deep into free agency, but Levitre might be the best one of the bunch. Levitre didn't play much for the Atlanta Falcons last season, but he did play well when he was on the field, totaling only 3 blown blocks in 78 snaps of pass protection. Levitre has 143 games of experience in the NFL at guard, and 32-years old, would likely be interested in coming to a team that has a chance to win.
You can follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
