Philadelphia Eagles: Free agent targets from the AFC South

Sep 13, 2020; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack (25) runs with the ball during the first quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 13, 2020; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack (25) runs with the ball during the first quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports /
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The 2021 NFL offseason is right around the corner, and the Philadelphia Eagles have a ton of work to do to get back to being a good team. Unfortunately for them, they are strapped for money, and will most likely not be spending big on free agents.

Assuming they won’t spend relatively big on free agents (like they have in the past in players like Javon Hargrave or Malik Jackson), they could still be in play for lower priced free agents on one-year deals, like they did in 2017 with Patrick Robinson and LeGarrette Blount.

Who should the Philadelphia Eagles be targeting from the AFC South?

Even if it isn’t a big name, there’s an expectation the Philadelphia Eagles will be somewhat active with bringing free agents in. Here is one player from each team in the AFC South that the Eagles could look to bring in this offseason.

Indianapolis Colts: Marlon Mack, RB

We’ve talked previously on the idea of bringing in former Colts players due to the additions of head coach Nick Sirianni and defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. In this case, we’re going to focus on running back Marlon Mack.

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The former fourth round pick in the 2017 draft provided great value to the Colts offense through his first three years. An injury in 2020 basically sidelined Mack for the entire season and we weren’t able to see Mack perform in a contract year.

Mack’s first three years were very productive. He ran for over 1,000 yards in 2019 with the Colts, a year where they basically re-made their offense with a new quarterback leading the team. He’s shown that he can be productive as the lead guy or in a rotation, as he split carries at times with Jonathan Wilkins and Nyheim Hines.

Mack has the track record to be productive in Sirianni’s offense as well, as he spent 2018 and 2019 with the new Eagles head coach. His first year with Sirianni he ran for 908 yards and 9 touchdowns in just 12 games. He isn’t the biggest threat to catch the ball out of the backfield, but that’s something he can always add to his game.

The price probably won’t be that high for Mack since he is coming off of an injury, so if the Philadelphia Eagles wanted to add another running back to their core to pair with Miles Sanders, bringing in Marlon Mack would be a great route to go.