A look back at Eagles 2023 NFL free agent class
Coming off of their Super Bowl LVII loss to the Chiefs, the Philadelphia Eagles lost several starting players to free agency — C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Marcus Epps, T.J. Edwards, and Kyzir White.
Howie Roseman helped alleviate some of that loss by adding six veterans on one-year deals to help the Eagles return to the postseason in 2023.
Philadelphia started 10-1, before losing six of their final seven games including a wild card loss to the Buccaneers.
One big reason for the collapse was the lack of production from each of those veteran additions.
Kansas City repeated as Super Bowl champions, and with all the attention now focused on 2024 NFL free agency, we’re looking back at the 2023 class.
CB Greedy Williams
Akr 6 19 Browns Minicamp 8
Williams was released by the Eagles last August and never played in a regular season game for the Birds.
Williams, a 2019 second-round selection by the Browns, spent his first four years in Cleveland but saw his production decline significantly in 2022. He was looking for a fresh start in Philadelphia, but fell behind Eli Ricks, Zech McPhearson and Kelee Ringo at cornerback before the team ultimately opted to make this move.
Williams spent 2023 out of the NFL.
S Terrell Edmunds
Edmunds was a first-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2018 NFL Draft and played from 2018-2022 with the Steelers before joining the Eagles this offseason.
With Philadelphia, Edmunds saw action in seven games this season, with two starts, logging 28 tackles before getting traded to the Titans for Kevin Byard.
Edmunds recorded 48 tackles, including 2.5 sacks, two passes defensed (one interception), and one forced fumble across 16 regular-season games with the Eagles and Titans in 2023.
Edmunds tallied career lows in defensive snaps (451) and total tackles.
linebacker Nicholas Morrow
Morrow played 15 regular-season games (12 starts) and finished second on the Eagles in both tackles (95) and solo tackles (66) as well as fumble recoveries (two).
Morrow couldn’t match his 116 tackles and 83 solo efforts from his previous season in Chicago, and he became a liability in the passing game.
safety Justin Evans
Signed as a free agent from the Saints, Evans earned a starting role, He ultimately recorded 15 tackles (nine solo), two passes deflected and one forced fumble in four games.
Evans finished the season on IR after injuring his knee in Week 5 versus the Rams.
quarterback Marcus Mariota
Marcus Mariota appeared in just three regular-season games as the Eagles’ backup quarterback this season, completing 15 of 23 passes for 164 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
All but three of Mariota’s passes came in Week 18.
RB Rashaad Penny
Penny signed with the Eagles after he averaged 5.7 yards per attempt during his five seasons in Seattle.
The idea was that if he can stay healthy, a 1,300-yard, 14-touchdown season wasn’t impossible.
Instead, it was a disaster, as Penny finished the season with 11 carries for 33 yards in three regular-season games, adding one catch for five yards.
Penny spent the year as the Eagles’ fourth running back and was a healthy scratch in all but three games.
TE Dan Arnold
Arnold was competing for a depth-tight-end role in Philadelphia but was ultimately released. The 28-year-old journeyman had spent time in his career with the Saints, Cardinals, Panthers, and Jaguars.
DT Kentavius Street
Street (pectoral) was placed on injured reserve in December after getting traded from Philadelphia to Atlanta.
Street had seen his role along Atlanta’s interior defensive line increase as the season has progressed, topping out at 63 percent of defensive snaps in Week 9.
Street had four tackles in eight games last season with the Eagles.
WR Olamide Zaccheaus
Zaccheaus finished the year with 10 catches for 164 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 17 regular-season games.
Zaccheaus was targeted 53 and 61 times in his final two seasons in Atlanta, but that number dropped all the way to 20 after his move to Philadelphia. He went without a target in six games and without a catch nine times.
