NFL free agency is just around the corner, and the Philadelphia Eagles are probably going to lose a few good players, 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 or players who will not count toward the compensatory pick formula. Here we'll seek to identify a few of those types of guys.
Dre'Mont Jones (28), iDL, Seahawks (6'3, 281)
Jones was a Broncos third-round pick in 2019, the first year of Vic Fangio's tenure as the head coach in Denver. His snap counts during the three seasons he and Fangio overlapped in Denver:
• 2019: 284 (31%)
• 2020: 560 (63%)
• 2021: 616 (59%)
He played sparingly as a rookie, but became more of a staple of the D-line rotation in Years 2 and 3. He has juice as a pass rusher:
In his three seasons with Fangio, Jones had good production. He had 86 tackles (19 for loss), 15.5 sacks, 28 QB hits, one INT, one forced fumble, and six batted passes. That equates to 29 tackles (6 for loss), and five sacks on a "per year" basis.
Those per year stats more or less match up with Milton Williams' stats in 2024, the best year of his career. Williams had 24 tackles (seven for loss), one batted pass, and five sacks while benefitting from favorable matchups because he played next to Jalen Carter, who typically drew double teams from opposing offensive lines.
Jones had his best season in 2022, when he had 47 tackles and 6.5 sacks. The Seahawks then signed him to a three-year deal worth a little over $51 million. After two seasons (combined 77 tackles and 8.5 sacks), Jones was released by the Seahawks.
Assuming Williams leaves in free agency, Carter will continue to play a high number of snaps, with Moro Ojomo and Jordan Davis poised to pick up some of the snaps left by Williams. Jones is undersized, and is a better pass rusher than he is a run stopper, which in a way makes him a good complement to Davis, who is a better run stopper than pass rusher.
Because the Seahawks released Jones, he would not count toward the compensatory pick formula.
Jesse Luketa (26), EDGE, Cardinals (6'3, 252)
Luketa was a Cardinals seventh-round pick out of Penn State in 2022, and he is scheduled to be a restricted free agent this offseason. In order for Luketa to remain a restricted free agent, the Cardinals must extend a one-year tender offer to him at any one of three levels prior to the start of the new league year on March 12. The restricted free agent tenders look like this in 2025:
• First round tender: $7,458,000
• Second-round tender: $5,346,000
• Right of first refusal: $3,263,000
The Cardinals are not expected to tender Luketa at any of those three levels, and if not, he will become an unrestricted free agent free to sign with any team.
Luketa hasn't played much through his first three NFL seasons:
| Jesse Luketa | Defensive snaps | Special teams snaps |
| 2022 | 47 | 82 |
| 2023 | 132 | 295 |
| 2024 | 188 | 169 |
| TOTAL | 367 | 546 |
However, in limited action in 2024, he showed legitimate promise. He is a good run defender, but he also had three sacks on just 74 pass rush snaps. Here he is beating Tyron Smith for a sack:
The Eagles have a pair of young, promising edge rushers in Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt. They're also probably stuck with Bryce Huff for one more season. Assuming Josh Sweat leaves in free agency and Brandon Graham retires, the Eagles will need to add to their depth in addition to addressing the position in the draft.
If he signs with another team after being non-tendered as a restricted free agent, Luketa would not count toward the compensatory pick formula. It's also worth noting that Luketa had an in-person visit with the Eagles prior to the 2022 NFL Draft.
Javon Hargrave (32), iDL, 49ers (6'2, 305)
Hargrave signed a three-year deal with the Eagles back in 2020, and after one shaky season he turned into a beast, racking up 123 tackles and 18.5 sacks between 2021 and 2022.
The Eagles couldn't afford him when he became a free agent again in 2023, and he signed a four-year deal with the 49ers worth $81 million. He had a Pro Bowl season in 2023, when he had 44 tackles and seven sacks, but he missed all but three games in 2024 after suffering a torn triceps.
The 49ers have reportedly told Hargrave that he will be released on the first day of the new league year.
49ers have informed defensive tackle Javon Hargrave that he will be released on the first day of the league year next week, per source. Hargrave will be a free agent. pic.twitter.com/7d3LFBTrhq
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 6, 2025
Obviously, Hargrave is a player the Eagles know well, and assuming he is fully recovered from his triceps injury, should still have another good year or two left in the tank.
And again, Hargrave would not count against the comp pick formula as a released player.
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