Eagles Projected to Earn 2nd-Most Compensatory Picks in 2024 NFL Draft
The Philadelphia Eagles faced an issue just about every Super Bowl competitor faces on a yearly basis as they watched multiple free agents depart for other teams.
While the Eagles certainly did a bang-up job making up for some of those losses, they'll get some further help down the road in the form of compensatory picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.
In fact, they'll get four of them according to a recent projection from NFL.com.
"The Eagles played the compensatory pick game perfectly," says NFL.com. "They knew they would have a large number of players depart in free agency, and they didn't add any projected qualifying free agents to the team. Philadelphia should receive the maximum number of picks, including a third-rounder for (defensive tackle Javon) Hargrave."
With Hargrave signing with the San Francisco 49ers this offseason, he headlines a group that also includes offensive linemen Andre Dillard (Tennessee Titans) and Isaac Seumalo (Pittsburgh Steelers), safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson (Detroit Lions), and running back Miles Sanders (Carolina Panthers).
The league's formula for dealing out compensatory picks isn't publicly known, but what is known is that it weighs snaps lost from the previous season and the average pay in new contracts for lost and added players.
If there is a deficiency when comparing the players lost to the players gained, then a team can be awarded compensatory picks to try and make up for it. It's just one mechanism that helps the NFL maintain parity and remain the most competitive league in professional sports today.
But some teams have figured out how to weaponize it, including Philadelphia.
For example, as Sanders heads to Carolina, he takes 673 snaps with him from last year and will earn an average of $6.35 million with his new deal.
To replace him the Eagles signed former Seattle Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny who is unlikely to match Sanders' snap count and is making $5 million less.
Former Lions back D'Andre Swift will likely have a bigger role than Penny, but since he was acquired in a trade his impact doesn't impact the compensatory formula.
Additionally, any players signed after May 1st will not factor into compensatory award consideration. And it's just one more example of how Philadelphia general manager Howie Roseman has set his team up for prolonged success.
Find David on Twitter @DHarrison82
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