Culture Wars: Eagles Early Free-Agency Losses Were Tone Setters On Defense

The Eagles lost high-IQ leaders and productive starters on Day 1.

Nov 16, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean (17) reacts against the Detroit Lions during the second half at Lincoln Financial Field. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

To the prisoners of the moment, the kickoff to the NFL’s Legal Negotiating Period was a bloodletting in Philadelphia, where the Eagles lost three starters on defense – one on each level - along with their WR3.

Peel back the onion, and the only thing that went astray from GM Howie Roseman’s perspective was losing out on edge defender Jaelan Phillips, who hit an open market where the supply didn’t meet the demand, resulting in a $30 million payday from the Carolina Panthers.

On the Phillips' deal, the Eagles always had a walkaway number, likely in the $25M range that perhaps could have been pushed another million or so, but Carolina paid the tax for the rare young pass rusher who stumbled into true unrestricted free agency.

Philadelphia expected to lose linebacker Nakobe Dean, safety Reed Blankenship, and WR Jahan Dotson as well, although the Eagles believed both Dean and Blankenship were going to be eight-figure players and only Dean hit that landmark with a three-year, $36M deal from the Las Vegas Raiders.

Blankenship, a team captain, got three years and $24.75M from the Houston Texans, only an $8.25M average annual value and one you could argue the Eagles should have detoured for, especially because the heir apparent to Dean is already in-house with that talented Jihaad Campbell, while there is no obvious Blankenship replacement.

The only offensive player to leave so far is Dotson for a two-year, $15M deal with the Atlanta Falcons. His exit was a mere formality, however.

Roseman literally prepared his fan base for the early exits, understanding what a host of big-money extensions that began with Jordan Davis would do to the “middle-class” defenders like Dean and Blankenship.

Even though Phillips was the priority, few would quibble with walking away from $30M, and Dotson wasn’t even on the radar for a return.

So that perceived bloodletting is hardly what happened on Monday.

How Roseman fills the holes will be the ultimate arbiter for the emotions of losing familiar favorites.

There were real losses on Monday, though, and they are intangible, with the three defensive starters being the definition of a culture the Eagles often brag about.

Dean and Blankenship are physical, high-IQ players who lead in the locker room and often set the tone as the on-field leaders in the back seven. 

Although only in Philadelphia for half a season, Phillips replicated that as much as anyone could in nine games.

A trade for Minnesota’s Jonathan Greenard could result in a better pass rusher that Phillips, Campbell is more gifted than Dean, and Blankenship’s coverage liabilities could foreshadow a replacement looking like an improvement on film.

Finding better fits for Nick Sirianni’s core values is the tougher hurdle.