As the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles may not have as many urgent needs as some of their peers. However, this team has either lost or parted ways with a few of their starters from last year’s Eagles Super Bowl roster, including safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, who was traded to the Houston Texans.
Sydney Brown, the Eagles’ third-round pick in 2023, is set to replace CGJ, but there’s a reason he went from starting six games as a rookie to zero in 2024. In other words, the Eagles may be able to do better than the unproven potential Brown offers.
Recently, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer suggested the Eagles could be the perfect landing spot for two-time Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons, who somehow remains unsigned in free agency.
“He’s still a good player who can serve in a real role for whoever signs him. Atlanta’s safety tandem of Simmons and Jessie Bates III was seen as the strength of its roster. So even if you’re accounting for a natural step back because of age, you still have a really good player.
SI’s Albert Breer .
After that, you have to consider that the market for older players can take a little longer to develop, and this time of year teams want to get an extended look at players they’re developing or they just drafted.
It would make sense, in time, to go to another Vic Fangio-influenced defense. Maybe even the one coached by Fangio himself.”
Simmons spent last season with the Atlanta Falcons after eight years with the Denver Broncos, where he was coached by new Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio for three seasons. If Fangio gets to training camp and doesn’t like what he sees from Philadelphia’s safeties, he could very well go to Howie Roseman and put in a strong word for signing Simmons.
But that’s only if another team doesn’t swoop in and sign the 31-year-old first.
Related: Philadelphia Eagles close to reaching decision on Dallas Goedert’s future
