The first day of the NFL's legal tampering is over, and although there were some big moves, it was a fairly quiet overall.
That is especially true for the Eagles, who didn't sign a single player, and lost two -- Jalen Mills and Rudy Ford.
The good news for the Eagles is that plenty of potentially low-cost, high-reward options are still on the board.
Entering Day 2 of the NFL's Legal Tampering period, here are 22 players still available they should try to target:
WIDE RECEIVERS
John Ross, Cincinnati Bengals: Ross has been linked to the Eagles for years, all the way back to the 2017 NFL Draft. Despite him sitting on the trade block for what seems like at least two seasons, the Eagles have passed. Ross has just 51 catches in his career, but he has in some ways been the big-play threat the NFL thought he could be. An impressive 10 of his 51 career catches have gone for touchdowns and he averaged 18.1 yards-per-catch in 2019, showing he does have the speed to get behind defenses.
Will Fuller, Houston Texans: It will be interesting to see what kind of deal Fuller gets as a free agent. Fuller has shown he can be a legitimate deep threat and impact how an opposing defense plays just by being on the field. He has also, however, never played 16 games in his five seasons. He has missed at least five games in four of those seasons due to a combination of injury issues and a PED suspension in 2020.
TY Hilton, Indianapolis Colts: Hilton, 5-foot-10, can be the deep threat the Eagles have lacked — and continue to look for — for years. He is averaging 15.4 yards-per-reception over his nine-year career, and has averaged over 16 yards-per-reception five times. Hilton had a solid, but not speculator, year last season with the Colts, pulling in 56 catches for 762 yards and five touchdowns. At 31-years old Hilton would be a bit of a win-now move, but could come in and help set the culture that Nick Sirianni wants while also helping the young receivers to learn the offense.
Rashard Higgins, Cleveland Browns: Higgins doesn't hit the free agency market as a receiver many will project to be an unquestioned starter, but he does have a nice track record of producing when given a chance. Higgins has three seasons where he has at least 50 targets, and in those seasons, he has totaled 1,483 yards and 10 touchdowns. Last season was a great example of what Higgins can do when he gets the chance to play, as he totaled 599 yards and four touchdowns taking over for an injured Odell Beckham Jr.
Keelan Cole, Jacksonville Jaguars: Cole, 28-years old, has had a very productive career considering he came into the league as an undrafted free agent. The 6-foot-1, 194 pound receiver has totaled 159 catches for 2,242 yards and 12 touchdowns in four seasons, mostly playing as the No. 3 receiver in a bad offense. It would be interesting to see how Cole would do on the outside as one of the top options.
Damiere Byrd, Carolina Panthers: Byrd got the most snaps of his career last season for the New England Patriots, taking advantage of being in a bad group of skill position players and turning in a solid season. Byrd finished with 47 catches or 604 yards and one touchdown, numbers that don't jump off the page, but were almost all career highs. Byrd could be a good very low-risk, high-reward option for the Eagles.
Dede Westbrook, Jacksonville Jaguars: Westbrook is a player that fans have had their eyes on for years, and this could be the offseason the Eagles finally take a chance on the former fourth-round pick. Westbrook has flashed potential at times, catching 132 passes for 1,377 yards and eight touchdowns from 2018 to 2019. His 2020 season, however, ended with a torn ACL in Week 7.
RUNNING BACKS
Marlon Mack, Indianapolis: The tie here is obvious — Mack played under Nick Sirianni and would presumably come in already having a good grasp of the offense. Mack had 1,091 yards and eight touchdowns in 2019, and was poised to have a breakout 2020 before a torn Achilles ended his season in Week 1. An Achilles injury is worrisome, especially for a running back, so Mack likely won't be getting anywhere close to a big deal in free agency. Mack could like the idea of coming to an offense he knows and trying to rebuild his career, especially on a one-year deal so he can take advantage of a huge spike in the salary cap next offseason.
Jamaal Williams, Green Bay: Williams has been a backup in Green Bay almost his entire career but has always played well when given the chance. The 25-year old averaged 4.0 yards-per-carry during his four years in Green Bay, scoring a total of 10 rushing touchdowns. He has proven he can be effective on both the ground and in the passing game, catching 50 first downs and averaging 7.9 yards per reception.
James White, New England Patriots: Miles Sanders will certainly get his chances in the passing game, but having a veteran that is a reliable pass catcher would be a major bonus for the rookie head coach. James White would certainly check that box. White, 29-years old, has caught 365 passes since becoming a full-time player for the Patriots, totaling 3,161 yards and 25 touchdowns. He averaged an impressive 8.6 yards-per-catch while also being effective on the ground, averaging 4.0 yards-per-attempt and finding the end zone 10 times.
Rex Burkhead, New England Patriots: If White lands elsewhere, Burkhead could be a cheaper backup plan for the Eagles if they want to add a veteran pass-catching back. Burkhead has 130 career receptions, but 113 of them came over the last five seasons when he started to get some real playing time. Burkhead's best year came in 2019 when he had 581 total yards on 92 touches, proving he can be an effective option when called upon. His stats dipped a little bit last season, going from 581 total yards to 466 despite getting the same number of touches.
Tevin Coleman, San Francisco: Coleman's 2020 season was severely hampered by a sprained ankle, as he went on injured reserve in Week 2 and didn't return until Week 7. As a result he never really got going or involved in the 49ers' offense, totaling only 87 yards on 32 touches. The poor season is going to impact his value, but at just 27-years old, there could still be at least 2-3 more seasons of quality football left in Coleman. Prior to a poor 2020, Coleman finished with 724 total yards on just 158 touches in 2019, and topped 1,000 total yards in 2018 on 199 touches.
LINEBACKER:
Anthony Walker Jr., Indianapolis Colts: Walker, only 25-years old, played 67% of the snaps last season for the Colts and has played at least 66% of the snaps since the start of the 2018 season. He totaled 343 tackles during his four seasons with the Colts, including 19 tackles for a loss and 3.5 sacks. In addition to the Eagles' coaching staff familiarity with him, Walker likely will not be getting a big-money deal in free agency, which will certainly bump him even higher up on the Eagles' list.
Eric Wilson, Minnesota Vikings: Wilson has just one season of full-time production under his belt, but it was certainly an impressive one as he totaled 122 tackles, three sacks, three interceptions and one forced fumble. Wilson, 6-foot-1, 230 pounds, is just 26-years old and could be a player the Eagles target early on while other teams are focused on more of the-big name free agents.
Denzel Perryman, Los Angeles Chargers: Perryman has has a productive six-year career so far for the Chargers, totaling 349 tackles, 26 tackles for a loss, five sacks and three interceptions despite being mostly a part-time player. The 28-year old has never played more than 50% of the snaps in a season in his career, and could come to the Eagles as a veteran starter that would be an high-level backup if a younger linebacker steps up and plays better than expected.
CORNERBACKS:
Sidney Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars: The idea of bringing Jones back might not sit well with fans, and there is a chance Jones himself wouldn't jump at the chance to come back to the Eagles. Now that Jim Schwartz is gone and Jones played well for the Jaguars, however, it is possible Roseman takes a run at bringing back the former second-round pick.
Kevin King, Green Bay Packers: The Eagles were high on King prior to the 2017 NFL Draft due to his size and position versatility coming out of Washington. His career in Green Bay has not gone as either side would have hoped, especially last season when King really struggled. He is especially bad in zone coverage, which the Eagles are expected to play plenty of in 2021. In 2019, however, King showed some of the playmaking ability he has with five interceptions. It might be worth the Eagles taking a chance on King and seeing if he would benefit from a change of scenery.
Gareon Conley, Houston Texans: Like King, the Eagles were big on Conley heading into the 2017 NFL Draft. Also like King, they passed on Conley — and it was probably the right call considering how his career has played out. It is very possible the last three seasons have soured the Eagles on Conley, but he is unlikely to have much of a market as a free agent, and is one of the more likely low-risk signings the Eagles could make.
Xavier Rhodes, Indianapolis Colts: The addition of Jonathan Gannon as their defensive coordinator will almost certainly lead to the Eagles targeting some of his former defensive players as well. Rhodes very well could be at the top of that list on the defensive side of the ball. Rhodes has been with Gannon in both Indianapolis and Minnesota, and turned in a strong season with the Colts, picking off two passes, deflecting 12 more and allowing only 52% of the passes thrown his way to be completed.
SAFETIES:
Malik Hooker, Indianapolis Colts: Hooker is coming off of a season-ending Achillies injury, which will certainly impact his value, and could put him within the Eagles' price range for a starting safety, if they do indeed decide to move on from either Jalen Mills or Rodney McLeod. Hooker, 24, has seven interceptions in 36 career games to go along with 81 tackles and 11 pass deflections. Like Rhodes, Hooker could be a valuable leadership voice for Gannon.
Damontae Kazee, Atlanta Falcons: Kazee was on one of the top playmaking safeties in the NFL prior to going down with an Achilles injury last season, totaling 10 interceptions and five forced fumbles in his first four seasons. The question will be what kind of interest Kazee gets in free agency and how ready he will be for the start of the regular season. It is very possible Kazee looks to a one-year deal to show he is healthy and cash in next offseason. If he does, the Eagles would be wise to take a chance on the 27-year old.
Tavon Wilson, Indianapolis Colts: If the Eagles can't fit Hooker or Rhodes into the salary cap, Wilson could be the player they target. Wilson played 21% of the snaps with the Colts last season in 15 games, but has plenty of experience getting meaningful snaps, as he played 840 snaps in 2019.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
