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Jalen Mills Tops Rankings of Eagles Unrestricted Free Agent list

The Eagles have 13 pending UFAs but none of them figure to be paramount to the team's transition phase

PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles will likely not have the ability to make a lot of major moves in free agency as the bill comes due for the so-called championship-window era, a three-year span defined by Howie Roseman and Jeffrey Lurie that actually should have been closed down after 18 months if you feel like being kind.

That bill is only made worse by the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moving on from high-priced veterans like Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson, and Malik Jackson is expected as Philadelphia enters what Lurie is calling a "transition period" with a new, inexperienced coaching staff.

As for the team's own actual pending unrestricted free-agents, however, there aren't a lot of Sophie's Choice-like decisions to be made.

The most obvious is finally waving goodbye to 39-year-old left tackle Jason Peters for real before figuring out how important a host of role players are to the new staff and its schemes.

With that in mind here's a ranking of the Eagles' 13 unrestricted free agents by order of importance:

1. DB Jalen Mills - A Jim Schwartz favorite, it will be interesting to see how much the Eagles value Mills, 27, coming off a one-year, prove-it deal and the move from cornerback to safety now that Schwartz is out of the picture and contemplating retirement.

Mills is a very versatile player who's made even more valuable by the fact Rodney McLeod tore an ACL late last season. That said, new defensive coordinator, Jonathan Gannon figures to play more two-high safety looks and that wouldn't necessarily utilize Mills' strengths as a player.

2. S/ST Gunner Rudy Ford - Whether you know it or not, Ford, 26, is an elite special teams-coverage player to the point when he was on the field during an injury-plagued season in 2020, the coverage units were actually top-tier.

The league as a whole doesn't value STs players all that much so Ford shouldn't cost much and keeping him with a new ST coordinator post-Dave Fipp should be a bigger priority than most realize. Keep an eye on the Lions if Fipp is asked about Ford, however.

3. DT Hassan Ridgeway - The old regime really liked Ridgeway, 27, as a fourth DT in the rotation but he's struggled with injuries that cut short his last two seasons, playing in only 14 of a possible 32 regular-season games with the Eagles. Go back another year and the same was true in Indy.

He's still young, though, so another one-year, prove-it deal will likely be proffered meaning a lot depends on what kind of interest Ridgeway, a former fourth-round pick by Indianapolis in 2016, gets elsewhere.

Gannon, by the way, was on the Colts’ defensive staff for Ridgeway’s final season there but the big man only played in five games.

4. LB Duke Riley - Another solid special-teams player who was OK as a starter in the base defense during the 2020 season Riley, 27, is a nice insurance policy to have but the Eagles would probably like the ramp up the development of 2020 draft picks Davion Taylor and Shaun Bradley with an eye on that youth movement.

5. - TE Richard Rodgers - Rodgers, 29, played exceptionally well last season when Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert were down with injuries, maybe well enough to generate some more interest on the open market. If Ertz is traded, which seems likely and certainly what Ertz would prefer at this point, Rodgers' value to the Eagles increases as a potential TE2 behind Goedert. If Ertz stays, the value drops significantly.

6. CB Cre'Von LeBlanc - A decent slot option, LeBlanc, 27, will likely be offered a one-year deal to compete under a new defensive regime. We'll see how much interest he generates elsewhere.

7. CB Nickell Robey-Coleman - NRC, 29, was a disappointment in 2020 but the Eagles need so much help at CB outside of Darius Slay, another veteran minimum deal could be in play. If Robey-Coleman gets more than that elsewhere, Philadelphia will likely let him walk.

8. LB Nate Gerry - With Schwartz and LB coach Ken Flajole gone, and Alex Singleton stepping up, Gerry, 26, will likely be headed for a new start far away from a fan base that turned him into a Lurie-level scapegoat for so many of the defensive problems.

9. DE Vinny Curry - At 33 Curry was still a very effective rotational player in 2020 and on a list of best football players he might still top this list but the time to turn over the roster is long overdue in Philly.

10. RB Corey Clement - The Eagles need to improve the depth in the backfield and the South Jersey native and former Super Bowl hero is likely an odd man out. Clement, 27, just hasn't been the same after a host of injuries.

11. TE Josh Perkins - A flex tight end who was once a WR in college, Perkins, 28, has always offered some interesting athletic traits but injuries have limited him.

12. QB Nate Sudfeld - Sudfeld, 28, was treated like a  has-been during the Eagles' Week 17 tanking scandal and likely wants a new start in another organization.

13. LT Jason Peters - The veteran LT would like to play another season but it won't be in Philadelphia. Jordan Mailata showed enough in the second half to be in the conversation with former first-round pick Andre Dillard, who missed his sophomore season with a torn biceps, for the starting job.

The Eagles also have three restricted free agents and will almost certainly tender punter Cam Johnston and RB Boston Scott. The same might not be true for TE Jason Croom, which would add him to the unrestricted list. Singleton and Greg Ward are exclusive rights free agents and aren't going anywhere.

John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Tuesday and Thursday on "The Middle" with Eytan Shander, Harry Mayes, and Barrett Brooks on SportsMap Radio and PhillyVoice.com. He’s also the host of Extending the Play on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

Ed Kracz is the publisher of EagleMaven. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.