Penn State G Vega Ioane Visits Eagles
Although left guard Landon Dickerson and right tackle Lane Johnson are putting off retirement for at least another year, it would behoove the Eagles to have succession plans in place. Cognizant that Dickerson and/or Johnson could be gone by 2027, the Eagles may address the offensive line as early as the first round of April’s draft, according to Zach Berman of The Athletic.
Penn State guard Vega Ioane, among the premier prospects in this year’s class, may be a solution for the Eagles. The team hosted Ioane at its facility on Monday, Berman reports. The Eagles are set to pick 23rd overall. Ioane looks like a logical candidate for their top selection, though he could be off the board by then. With that in mind, general manager Howie Roseman might have to trade up.
Notably, Roseman has not drafted an offensive lineman in the first round since the ill-fated decision to take Andre Dillard 22nd overall in 2019. Dillard, a former tackle, made just nine starts in three years with the Eagles.
While Dillard was an obvious misfire, Roseman was at the helm for the eminently successful selections of the Eagles’ current starting line. Dickerson (second round, 2021), Johnson (first round, 2013), left tackle Jordan Mailata (seventh round, 2018) and center Cam Jurgens (second round, 2022) have all been hits. Roseman also spent a 2023 third-rounder on right guard Tyler Steen, a 17-game starter last year.
If Ioane ends up in Philadelphia, he could either push Steen for a starting job or begin as depth behind him and Dickerson. Although Dickerson is just 27, the three-time Pro Bowler has grown weary of a long line of injuries and surgeries dating to his college career. The Eagles removed a year from Dickerson’s contract earlier this month, giving them two more seasons of control. Dickerson may not last that long, though, given how seriously he considered retirement this winter.
A potential long-term successor to Dickerson, the 6-foot-4, 330-pound Ioane was a full-time starter at left guard for the past two years. After earning a second-team All-Big Ten nod in 2024, Ioane took home first-team all-conference and first-team All-America honors last season. He went back-to-back years without allowing a sack, per Pro Football Focus. In ranking Ioane the 13th-best prospect in the 2026 class, Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com contends that he will “be an impact starter from Day 1.” Perhaps that prediction will come true in Philadelphia.
Eagles Still In Market For Edge Rusher
The Eagles worked to re-sign Jaelan Phillips in free agency, but they were ultimately outbid by the Panthers. A much, much, cheaper pivot to Arnold Ebiketie followed, but he alone will struggled to replace Phillips’ pass rushing production in 2026.
As a result, Philadelphia is still looking to add to their edge rushing room this offseason, according to Zach Berman of The Athletic. Currently slated to start are 2023 first-rounder Nolan Smith and 2024 third-rounder Jalyx Hunt, who both broke out with 6.5 sacks in their second seasons, with Ebiketie and Jose Ramirez providing depth. Brandon Graham has also signaled his intention to return for a 17th NFL season, though his playing time and production has waned in the last two years.
Smith, Hunt, and Ebiketie are a solid, but perhaps not game-changing, trio of edge rushers, and Ramirez, a 2023 sixth-round pick by the Buccaneers, has only played in four career games, all in 2024 in Tampa Bay. The unit could certainly use an infusion of talent, and Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is known to go big-game hunting.
Among the potential additions is Vikings edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, per Berman. Philadelphia has interest in the 2024 Pro Bowler, though it would take both draft picks and a new contract. Neither has typically been an issue for Roseman, who has been willing to move aggressively in trade and contract negotiations to secure his desired talents. The Eagles currently have $32.58MM in cap space (via OverTheCap), and can clear another $7.04MM with an A.J. Brown trade after June 1. Such a deal should net enough draft capital to acquire Greenard, too.
Even if Roseman declines to go after Greenard, the losses of Joshua Uche and Azeez Ojulari in free agency will encourage him to add some veteran edge depth. His predilection for brand names could point him towards Cameron Jordan or Joey Bosa, both multi-time Pro Bowlers who has remained effective in rushing the passer in the last few years.
Coaching Notes: Wink, Jets, Bisaccia, Broncos, Eagles, Martin
Former NFL defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale was a strong candidate to take the same role with the Jets this offseason. Martindale was the only coach to fly in for an interview and meet with the Jets twice, but talks fell apart after head coach Aaron Glenn decided he would rather call the plays than allow someone else to do it for the second straight year. Glenn wound up hiring first-time coordinator Brian Duker, the ninth and final candidate to interview for the position. Addressing the Jets’ DC choice with Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News, Martindale implied it was not Glenn’s call.
“I think it was close. I’ve always respected and I like Aaron Glenn. He’s a good dude, and we think a lot alike on a lot of similar things defensively,” Martindale said. “But just to be honest with you, I think it was one of those decisions that was out of his hands, and we’ll just leave it at that. But that’s OK. Wherever you’re at is where you’re supposed to be.”
It would be easy to infer from Martindale’s comments that owner Woody Johnson meddled in the hiring process. Regardless, it will primarily be up to Glenn to turn the Jets’ defense around in 2026. With Steve Wilks and then Chris Harris in charge last year, the unit ranked 31st in scoring and somehow failed to intercept a single pass.
In other coaching news…
- Clemson hired longtime NFL special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia for the same job earlier this month. Bisaccia has previous experience at Clemson, where he coached special teams and running backs from 1994-98. The 65-year-old spent the past four seasons running the Packers’ special teams unit, leaving them surprised when he stepped down in February. Bisaccia has also been an ST coordinator with the Raiders, Chargers and Cowboys. After Jon Gruden‘s resignation in 2021, Bisaccia took over as the Raiders’ interim head coach and led them to a 7-5 record. The Raiders earned their most recent playoff berth under Bisaccia, but they did not promote him to the full-time post after the season. They instead hired Josh McDaniels, who stumbled to a 9-16 mark during his year and a half in Las Vegas.
- As part of an NFL career that spanned from 2014-24, former receiver Willie Snead spent three seasons playing for Sean Payton in New Orleans. The two are reuniting in Denver in 2026. Payton, now the Broncos’ head coach, hired Snead in an offensive quality control role, per Mike Klis of 9News. Payton also promoted Chris Morgan from assistant offensive line coach to O-line coach and added former NFL linebacker Zaviar Gooden as an assistant strength and conditioning coach (via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network and Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2).
- Briefly an Eagles quarterback in 2011, Jerrod Johnson interviewed twice for their offensive coordinator vacancy in January. The job went to Sean Mannion, but the Eagles still added Johnson to their staff earlier this month (via Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia). After a three-year run as the Texans’ QBs coach, Johnson will serve as senior offensive assistant/special projects for the head coach in Philadelphia.
- Tee Martin was on the Ravens’ staff for the past half-decade, working as John Harbaugh‘s wide receivers coach for two years and then his quarterbacks coach for three. New head coach Jesse Minter did not retain Martin, who is now joining Lane Kiffin‘s LSU staff as an offensive analyst, insider Jordan Schultz reports. Martin, a former national title-winning QB at Tennessee, garnered over a decade of experience coaching at the college level before he moved to Baltimore.
Falcons To Acquire S Sydney Brown
The Eagles and Falcons have agreed on a trade that will send safety Sydney Brown from Philadelphia to Atlanta, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. The teams will also swap fourth- and sixth-round picks. The Eagles will receive the 114th and 197th choices, while the Falcons will get the 122nd and 215th selections.
The Eagles spent a third-rounder on Brown in 2023, but the Illinois product did not pan out as hoped during his three years in their uniform. Brown totaled a personal-best six starts in 14 games as a rookie, but a Week 18 ACL tear threw his career off course. He returned to play 11 games in 2024, though with Reed Blankenship and C.J. Gardner-Johnson entrenched at safety, Brown did not make any starts during a Super Bowl-winning campaign.
Although Gardner-Johnson was gone last year, second-round rookie Andrew Mukuba ended up as the primary starter opposite Blankenship. Brown did, however, play his first 17-game season and make three starts in place of an injured Mukuba. He will end his Eagles tenure with 86 tackles and two interceptions in 42 games.
While the 25-year-old Brown did not carve out a major defensive role as an Eagle, they are now dangerously thin at safety in the wake of his exit. Blankenship joined the Texans in free agency, leaving Mukuba, Andre’ Sam and Brandon Johnson as the only safeties on the Eagles’ roster. They are also losing a core special teamer in Brown, who posted ST snap shares ranging from 59% to to 76% in each season in Philadelphia.
The Falcons will return their impressive Jessie Bates–Xavier Watts safety duo in 2026, but Brown will provide cheap depth behind them. He is due to count just $1.58MM against the cap in the last year of his rookie contract. Brown also carries some experience at slot corner, where the Falcons lost Dee Alford to the Bills in free agency. Billy Bowman could factor in heavily there as a second-year player next season, but that will depend on how well he bounces back from the Achilles tear he suffered last November.
Eagles To Sign Marcus Epps, J.T. Gray
Shortly after trading Sydney Brown to the Falcons on Friday, the Eagles are replenishing their safety depth. The team has agreed to one-year deals with Marcus Epps and J.T. Gray, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic.
Philadelphia has plenty of familiarity with Epps, an Eagle from 2019-22 and again last season. Epps was a full-time starter in 2022, an NFC-winning campaign that ended with a loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII. He then left for the Raiders’ two-year, $12MM offer in free agency. While Epps put together his second straight 17-start season to begin the contract, a torn ACL limited him to four games in 2024.
Just a week before the Eagles’ season opener last year, they brought back Epps in free agency. The 30-year-old went on to play 12 games and start in four. Epps finished with 369 snaps (250 on defense, 119 on special teams) and 21 tackles.
Having played in 103 games over eight seasons, Gray has seen a good amount of action, though he has never picked up a start. Gray signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent from Mississippi State in 2018, and he stayed in New Orleans for his first seven seasons. Although Gray totaled a meager 153 defensive snaps during that span, he was an integral special teamer throughout his Saints tenure. Gray earned a first-team All-Pro selection and a Pro Bowl nod in 2021. He was also a second-team All-Pro in 2019 and ’24.
The Saints released Gray last September, leading him to short stints with the Ravens, Broncos and Buccaneers. The 30-year-old got into five games between Denver and Tampa Bay. Gray did not play any defensive snaps last season. If he cracks the Eagles’ roster in 2026, Gray could help make up for Brown’s departure on special teams.
Having lost Brown and Reed Blankenship, Philadelphia now has Epps, Gray, Andrew Mukuba, Andre Sam and Brandon Johnson as safety options. Slot corners Cooper DeJean and Michael Carter could also see time there, though Zach Berman of The Athletic expects further safety additions.
Former Eagles RB Boston Scott Retires
Running back Boston Scott spent almost two full seasons out of football after the Steelers waived him with an injury settlement in September 2024. Set to turn 31 in April, Scott announced his retirement on X on Wednesday.
“I’m thankful for everything the game has given me and my family,” Scott wrote. “I’m thankful for the coaches, teammates, and staff throughout my career that believed in me even when it wasn’t popular.”
Fresh off his lone 1,000-yard rushing season at Louisiana Tech, Scott entered the NFL as a Saints sixth-round pick in 2018. However, the Baton Rouge, La., native never played a meaningful snap for his local team.
The Saints cut Scott before his rookie season. He wound up spending a couple months on their practice squad before they waived him again in December 2018. Scott quickly landed on the Eagles’ taxi squad and went on to log two appearances in his first year. While the 5-foot-6, 204-pounder did not touch the ball on offense, he returned four kicks for 96 yards.
Scott became much more involved in the Eagles’ offense in his second season, the beginning of a five-year run in which he combined for 373 touches (302 carries, 71 receptions). He set career highs in carries (87) and rushing touchdowns (seven) in 2021. Over 75 games and 12 starts with the Eagles, Scott ran for 1,295 yards and 16 TDs on 4.3 YPC. As a pass catcher, Scott added 566 yards and another score. He chipped in a 22.8-yard average on 66 kick returns.
Scott’s tenure in Philadelphia ended when he signed with the Rams in the spring of 2024, but he did not make their roster. Although Scott worked out for the Ravens and Colts last summer, he was unable to land another contract.
Eagles LB Jihaad Campbell To Miss Most Of Offseason
The Eagles let Nakobe Dean walk in free agency, positioning 2025 first-rounder Jihaad Campbell to take over his starting linebacker job next to Zack Baun.
Campbell, however, is expected to miss most of the offseason after undergoing shoulder surgery, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio recently revealed.
“He is dealing with a shoulder injury,” Fangio said last week (via Reuben Frank of NBC Sports Philadelphia). “He’s gonna miss probably most of the offseason.”
That will leave Campbell with less time to get comfortable in Philadelphia’s 2026 defense, though much of the unit will be the same as last year. He appeared in every game as a rookie with 10 starts and a 63% snap share, so he should already be plenty familiar with Fangio’s scheme and the players in it.
The former Alabama star was a full-time starter at the beginning of the year with Dean still recovering from the previous season’s knee injury. Campbell slid to the bench when Dean returned, but another injury later in the season put the first-round pick back in a starting role for the last two games of the regular season.
Campbell finished his rookie year with 80 tackles (two for loss), two tackles for loss, three passes defended, one forced fumble, and one interception. He also earned a 76.2 grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required), which ranked 17th among all linebackers with at least 50 snaps (and led all rookies).
Though he was seen as a hybrid linebacker/edge rusher, Campbell only lined up along the defensive line 150 times as a rookie with just 57 pass rushing snaps. Fangio’s comments and the Eagles’ offseason moves indicate he will primarily remain in an off-ball linebacker role moving forward,
Eagles Sign RB Dameon Pierce
The Eagles signed running back Dameon Pierce, per a team announcement, adding depth to a backfield that lost AJ Dillon in free agency earlier this week.
Pierce, 26, appeared in four games for the Texans and one for the Chiefs in 2025 with just 28 total snaps on offense. Originally a fourth-round pick in 2022, the Florida product emerged as Houston’s lead back and ranked eighth in the NFL with 72.2 rushing yards per game.
Pierce’s rookie season ended in Week 13 due to an ankle injury, and he lost his starting job after a rough start to his sophomore campaign. He finished the year with just 2.9 yards per carry and was seen as an afterthought in 2024 after the Texans’ acquisition of Joe Mixon. But Pierce bounced back in a rotational role in the backfield. Even taking out his season-long rush of 92 yards, he averaged 5.2 yards per carry, but injuries again limited him to 11 games.
It was clear in 2025 that the Texans were finished with Pierce. Even with Mixon sidelined, he had virtually no role in the offense. He was active for four games with all 23 of his offensive snaps and 10 of his carries in Weeks 1 and 5. He later had kick return duties in Weeks 8 and 10 before being waived.
The Chiefs added Pierce to their practice squad and played him in Week 18. He will now look to carve out a role in Philadelphia behind Saquon Barkley. Tank Bigsby ran well when called upon in 2025, so he is likely the favorite for the No. 2 role, but 2024 fourth-rounder Will Shipley has yet to distinguish himself in the NFL. All three also have experience returning kicks, which will likely factor into the competition for roster spots and playing time.
The Eagles are also signing tight end Stone Smartt, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The former college quarterback appeared in 15 games for the Jets last season after three years with the Chargers. Smartt flashed some pass-catching ability in Los Angeles, but has primarily been a special teams contributor in his career and will likely continue in a similar role in Philadelphia.
Eagles, K Jake Elliott Agree To Revised Contract
Eagles kicker Jake Elliott accepted a revised contract, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, which reduces his 2026 pay by $1MM but ensures he will remain on the roster this season.
Elliott, 31, signed a four-year extension with the Eagles in 2024 worth $6MM per year with $9.7MM in guaranteed money. This year he was set to earn $6MM, but none of it was guaranteed.
The reworked contract includes a $1.3MM veteran-minimum salary and a $3.65MM signing bonus, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson – all guaranteed money. The Eagles also added three void years to the deal to fully prorate Elliott’s signing bonus (and option bonuses in 2027 and 2028).
As a result, Elliott’s cap hit was reduced by about $240k, and he can be safely removed from Philadelphia’s list of potential cut candidates.
Elliott’s pay cut comes after two down seasons for the veteran kicker. Originally a Bengals fifth-round pick in 2017, he signed with the Eagles early in his rookie year after not making the roster in Cincinnati. He quickly proved himself to be a reliable kicker and converted 86.2% of his field goal attempts in the first seven years of his career with just one season below 80%. Elliott also made 26 of his 37 attempts from over 50 yards, good for a 70% conversion rate from distance, and received a Pro Bowl nod in 2021 and a second-team All-Pro selection in 2023. He also won a Super Bowl in his rookie year and in 2024.
But in the last two years, Elliott has made just 76.2% of his field goals and just five of 15 from beyond 50 yards. The Eagles understandably did not want to pay him at the very top of the kicker market, but they felt that his history of consistency and reliability was still worth keeping in Philadelphia.
Eagles To Acquire QB Andy Dalton From Panthers
The Eagles are trading a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Panthers in exchange for quarterback Andy Dalton, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Dalton, 38, served as the backup to Bryce Young in Carolina for the last three years. He started one game in 2023 but drew five starts in 2024 with the Panthers having some doubts about their former No. 1 pick. This past season, though, he started only one game with Young putting up the best numbers of his career and establishing himself as the team’s unquestioned starter heading into 2026.
The Panthers signed Kenny Pickett as Young’s new backup last week, making Dalton surplus to requirements in Carolina. The Eagles have their own backup for Jalen Hurts in 2023 sixth-round Tanner McKee, who has impressed when asked to play in the last two years. He has only made two starts with a total of 88 passing attempts in the regular season, though he graded out as one of the NFL’s best passers during the 2025 preseason, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Philadelphia’s move for Dalton could mean that the team is open to trading McKee, who drew interest during roster cut-downs last summer and was mentioned as a potential trade chip this offseason. Teams seeking a young backup they could work to develop into a future starter could inquire after the Stanford product.
In that case, Dalton would take over as Hurts’ backup in the Eagles offense. Hurts has generally been healthy in his career with his absences typically coming as a result of the team locking in its playoff seeding early.
The official terms of the deal have yet to be announced, so the Panthers could be eating some of Dalton’s remaining salary to facilitate the trade. Assuming that is not the case, the Eagles will inherit the final year of the two-year, $8MM extension he signed last February. Dalton is owed $3.9MM in salary ($2MM of which is guaranteed) with a $100K workout bonus and a $4MM cap hit, per OverTheCap.
The Eagles will be Dalton’s sixth NFL team. The longtime Bengals starter enjoyed one-and-done stints with the Cowboys, Bears and Saints. The Panthers gave him a two-year, $10MM deal in 2023 to mentor a to-be-determined rookie — which became Young weeks later — and re-signed him in 2025 (two years, $8MM) despite an awkward changeover involving a car accident. Dalton suffering minor injuries in the accident led to Young’s second chance, and the diminutive QB has kept the Carolina reins since.
One season remains on McKee’s rookie contract. This marks the third straight year the Eagles have traded for a backup. They acquired Pickett from the Steelers in 2024 and made a late-summer Sam Howell acquisition in 2025. It will now be Dalton in place in the Hurts-McKee QB room, as the 16th-year quarterback is setting up to play an age-39 season.