Philadelphia Eagles: 3 free agent safeties that could replace Jalen Mills
By David Esser
The Philadelphia Eagles safety depth was very bad last season, and it’s gotten even worse this offseason.
The team lost Jalen Mills by way of a four-year/$24 million contract with the New England Patriots, and core special teamer/backup safety Rudy Ford made his way to Jacksonville on a two-year/$4.2 million contract.
Losing Ford might actually make the Eagles a tad better in the long run, but the loss of Mills shouldn’t be understated. Whether you were a fan of the “Green Goblin” or not, he played 1,013 snaps for the Philly defense in 2020 – that’s hard to replace.
The Philadelphia Eagles need to bring in a new safety (or two) this offseason.
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With Howie Roseman continuing to free up cap space via restructured contracts, bringing in a new safety (or two) should be at the top of the team’s wishlist in free agency:
Karl Joseph
2020 Team: Cleveland Browns
A multi-year starter with the Raiders before making his way to Cleveland last season, Karl Joseph struggled with the Browns in 2020. He only managed to make the start in eight games, and recorded a career-worst 111.6 allowed passer rating when targeted.
Pro Football Focus wasn’t particularly kind to the former first-round pick, grading him as the 80th best safety in the league last season (out of 93).
With that said, Joseph is still just 27 years old, and has always proven serviceable in run defense. He would quite seamlessly slide into the role that Malcolm Jenkins and Mills played over the years – a hybrid linebacker/defensive back who plays all over the field.
Spotrac.com has Joseph’s market value set at four years/$32 million, which feels a little pricey given the Philadelphia Eagles cap situation. However, the Eagles were heavily linked to John Johnson prior to him signing with Cleveland, which shows the team isn’t afraid to at least consider handing out big money to a marquee safety.