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For the most part, the Philadelphia Eagles had themselves one heck of an offseason.
Entering the offseason with the burden of defending their second Lombardi Trophy of the last ten years, the Eagles had to say goodbye to some top free agents, make shrewd financial decisions, and draft at the end of each round.
And yet, through it all, Howie Roseman worked his magic, and the Eagles look like world beaters as a result. Roseman kept players whom many thought he could lose, added free agents few imagined would be in their price range, and most impressively of all, found a way to draft Jihaad Campbell at pick 31, headlining a 10-player draft class that could help the team for years to come.
Factor in a new deal for his head coach, Nick Sirianni, and the future is looking very bright for the Eagles, who look to remain on top of an NFC East that has gotten more interesting with each passing month.
With that being said, the offseason wasn't perfect. Philadelphia had to say goodbye to quality free agents like Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, and Mekhi Becton, who all chose to sign elsewhere. But there's one player the team actively chose to move on from, a player who has already been re-acquired after saying goodbye the season prior: CJ Gardner-Johnson.
Of all the moves the Eagles made in 2025, saying goodbye to CJGJ has the potential to hurt the team most of all because they simply didn't get enough back in the deal to make it worth pursuing, with the biggest asset acquired arguably being the cap relief he provides next spring. Sure, Andrew Mukuba could be the guy moving forward, but if he struggles and players like Sydney Brown aren't able to pick up the slack, fans will be up in arms over the decision.
The Eagles know they can win with CJ Gardner-Johnson
When the Eagles acquired CJ Gardner-Johnson from the New Orleans Saints, it helped to solidify the back of their defense in a major way.
After spending much of his time in the Big Easy moonlighting as a slot cornerback, CJGJ looked like a certified star at the back end of Jonathan Gannon's defense, intercepting an NFL-leading six balls to go with 67 tackles, five tackles for a loss, and two QB hits. CJGJ added some personality to a defense that really needed it while also producing at a high enough level to get his team to the Super Bowl, where one bad play by James Bradberry seemingly made the difference between an incredible win and a heartbreaking defeat.
In 2023, the Eagles decided to go in another direction, allowing Gardner-Johnson to sign with the Detroit Lions while allowing the combo of Reed Blankenship and Terrell Edmunds to start at safety with rookie Sydney Brown as their third option. This decision looked like a mistake for both sides, as Gardner-Johnson's numbers returned back to earth – in no small part due to the Lions drafting Bryan Branch – and the Eagles ended up trading Edmunds, a fifth round pick, and a sixth roung pick to the Tennessee Titans for Kevin Byard in order to try to save a season that was rapidly falling apart.
Gardner-Johnson returned to Philadelphia, again, picked off six passes, again, and took his team back to the Super Bowl, where they won it all thanks in no small part to the play of their do-it-all safety. With Darius Slay leaving in free agency, Gardner-Johnson was exected to fill an even bigger leadership role for the Birds in 2025, only for his own tenure to end for a first round guard who has been among the worst offensive linemen in football over the past few years and pick swap worth less than the Byard deal.
Will the Eagles be able to survive another year without CJ-GJ? Potentially so, especially if they end up signing Justin Simmons in free agency, but moving on from a 27-year-old in his prime in the middle of a Super Bowl window is an interesting decision indeed, especially when the team doesn't have a guaranteed replacement waiting in the wings.
Andrew Mukuba and Sydney Brown have a lot to prove
At the end of the day, the Eagles traded CJGJ more because of their cap sheet than his on-field play, as even the team had to understand that losing a plus starter for almost nothing is a tough pill to swallow.
The Eagles decided to make the deal anyway, though, because they felt good about their depth and the depth of 2025's draft class, which featured plenty of starting-caliber safeties in the Day 2 range.
One such player was Andrew Mukuba, the Texas Longhorns product who was widely compared to Gardner-Johnson coming out of college.
A slightly undersized defender who played at safety in Texas but in the slot at Clemson, Mukuba is a speedy defensive back who can hit with reckless abandon, even if he missed a few tackles along the way because of his style.
Now who does that sound like? Well, that would be Sydney Brown, Philly's 2023 third-round pick, who is coming off his first season back from an Achilles tear.
If either Brown or Mukuba put it all together and become full-time stars this fall, it will be incredible news for the Eagles, as both will be under contract for at least this season and next on very reasonable contracts, allowing Roseman to have his cake and eat it too, but what if neither can? What if Brown, Mukuba, and the rest of the depth – call in Simmons or Tristin McCollum – are unable to do what Gardner-Johnson did, and the Eagles have to look at the trade market once more, be that at the end of the summer or before the deadline?
For Philadelphia's sake, a player like Mukuba needs to step up and become a certified player, as otherwise, their plan really didn't work.
