NFL free agency is just around the corner, and the Philadelphia Eagles are probably going to lose a few players in free agency, as many Super Bowl champions do. They'll also add players in free agency, of course, but they'll likely be looking for value players. Here we'll seek to identify a few of those types of guys.
We went heavy on the D-line in version 1.0.
Khalil Mack (34), EDGE, Chargers (6'3, 269)
The Eagles have repeatedly been linked to Browns superstar pass rusher Myles Garrett, but if the cost to acquire him is too expensive, how about Khalil Mack?
Mack has played 11 NFL seasons with three different teams (Raiders, Bears, Chargers), and he has 107.5 career sacks with 32 career forced fumbles. He has 6 All-Pro nods and has been named to 9 Pro Bowls. He was also the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2016, and was the No. 5 overall pick in 2014. I mean, you guys all know who Khalil Mack is, right?
In 2024, Mack had the lowest sack total of his career, aside from his rookie season. He had just 6 sacks, a year after he had 17 sacks in 2023. He did add 2 sacks in the Chargers' playoff loss to the Texans. There's a feeling that he is in decline because of his comparatively poor statistical season.
Eh. He still looks pretty explosive to me!
My perception is that Mack is thought of as a speed guy. While he can certainly win with speed, I've always thought of him as more of a power rusher. Speed guys play the speed-to-power game in that they'll get offensive tackles to over-respect their ability to turn the corner on the edge, and then, boom, they get bull rushed back into the quarterback's lap.
Mack's approach has typically been to win with power first, and then when tackles over-commit to anchoring, he runs inside them or around them. He has also been an outstanding run defender over the course of his career. As Bryce Huff learned, if you can't play the run, you won't play for Vic Fangio.
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In a way, Mack's game kind of mirrors Brandon Graham's, but with all due respect to BG, Mack was gifted with more explosiveness.
Even after a down year, Mack won't be cheap. Most projections have him making over $20 million per year. But maybe he'd take a discount to play for the Eagles? There are a few reasons why that wouldn't be so crazy.
• Mack has already made over $169 million over his NFL career, he has never won a playoff game. His teams have gone 0-5 in the playoffs. The Eagles will be Super Bowl contenders once again in 2025. What's more important to Mack? A little extra money (relatively speaking, of course), or the chance to play meaningful football?
• He played for Fangio for a year in Chicago in 2018. Mack seemed to like playing for Fangio, and Fangio certainly liked Mack. Video via Lindsay Joy:
• The Eagles have light training camp practices that are only like an hour and 15 minutes long that are designed to keep their players healthy, and they give their veterans rest days during the season.
Mack would give the Eagles a power rushing element to complement the speed of Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt.
Payton Turner (26), EDGE, Saints (6'6, 270)
The Saints selected Turner in the first round of the 2021 draft out of Houston, because of his blend of length and athleticism.
Turner has been a pretty big bust for the Saints. In his first three seasons, he played in just 15 games, logging just 339 defensive snaps. However, in 2024 he mostly stayed healthy and contributed as a rotational edge defender, registering 21 tackles, 2 sacks (both of which were strip sacks), and 4 batted passes in 335 snaps. He also played 231 special teams snaps.
Both of his sacks came against the Falcons. Here he beats Jake Matthews:
And here he gets a gimme sack because the RT trips, but you have to like the violent finish at the quarterback.
Turner checks a lot of boxes on the types of high upside lottery tickets that Howie Roseman hunts for in the bargain bin:
- Former high pick
- Career stalled due to injury or some other circumstance
- Flashes of production when healthy
The Saints didn't know what they had in Zack Baun, who clearly had talent. Turner has talent, too, but injuries stalled his early progress, and the Saints were a dysfunctional mess in 2024. He may still have some untapped ceiling, and should be cheap.
Larry Borom (25), OL, Bears (6'5, 333)
I'll bet you didn't wake up this morning thinking, "I'm gonna read up on Larry Borom today." Just judging him by his name, he sounds like the 60-year-old guy who lives next door who never waves hi and whose mail occasionally ends up in your mailbox. Honestly, I wavered on subjecting my readers to 7-8 paragraphs on Borom because I didn't want to bore 'em. OK, sorry about that.
But the more I dug in on Borom, the more I think he'd be a good fit. He's a 25-year-old (26 in March) offensive tackle for the Bears, who has good size and athleticism, and who has probably been playing out of position in Chicago for the last four years.
Borom played RT, LG, and LT in college at Missouri, and was thought of by most draft analysts as probably a better fit at guard in the pros. After being selected in the fifth round of the 2021 draft by Chicago, Borom has mainly played at OT, appearing in 47 games, with 27 starts. His snap counts, by position:
| Year | LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
| 2021 | 85 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 546 |
| 2022 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 20 | 466 |
| 2023 | 408 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 295 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 |
| TOTAL | 788 | 42 | 0 | 20 | 1045 |
If you search Larry Borom on Twitter and go to the video section, there are some pretty funny lowlights of sacks that he allowed. My personal favorite is this:
Lol. So, you know, he ain't Lane Johnson. In fairness, the Bears have had some atrocious coaching staffs, and their O-line play has been very bad, just generally speaking.
Borom's better fit could be at guard, where he could give Tyler Steen competition for the starting role if Mekhi Becton leaves in free agency. In the past, Jeff Stoutland has said that Brandon Brooks fit his idea of the prototypical RG. The Eagles listed Brooks at 6'5, 335. Borom is 6'5, 333, and has decent athleticism.
He could also simply serve as a versatile backup at four positions. He's still a young player with starting experience who can likely be had very cheaply. Maybe let Stoutland see what he has, and figure out his best role in Philly?
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