The Philadelphia Eagles won a Super Bowl but it came at a cost during free agency. The Eagles entered the new league year with a quartet of premium free agents. While they were able to keep Zack Baun, they lost the other three with Milton Williams signing with the New England Patriots, Josh Sweat signing with the Arizona Cardinals, and Mekhi Becton signing with the Los Angeles Chargers.
All three signings will leave a massive hole in the Eagles’ lineup but they’ll also leave something else. With the NFL’s compensatory pick program, Philadelphia was able to cash in and will have plenty of opportunities to replace their departing free agents in next year’s draft.
Eagles Projected to Receive Three Draft Picks for Departed Free Agents
According to NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, the Eagles are projected to receive three compensatory picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. The picks are the result of the league’s compensatory picks program, which rewards teams for departing free agents and minority coaching hires.
According to Over The Cap’s explanation, contracts are ranked via a final numerical value on the sum of points awarded as an inverse ranking of the contract’s average per year, percentage of snaps played on offense or defense (min. 25%), and whether the player was honored on the AP All-Pro or PFWA On Field Awards lists.
The round for each contract is assigned on a percentile basis with third round picks awarded in the top five percentile of contracts, fourth-round picks awarded from the fifth to tenth percentile, fifth-round picks awarded from the 10th to 15th percentile, sixth round picks awarded from the 15th to 25 percentile and seventh-round picks from the 25th to 35th percentile.
Each player who qualifies factors into the compensatory picks formula if they leave and the team doesn’t sign a similar player to replace them before April 28. The Eagles did not sign a qualifying free agent in this case, so they are projected to receive a third-round pick for Williams, a fourth-round pick for Sweat and a fifth-round pick for Becton in 2026 according to Over The Cap’s compensatory pick tracker.
While these picks are also projected on playing time, it’s a great development for the Eagles. General manager Howie Roseman has already stockpiled nine picks for the 2026 draft, and that total could move to 12 if all three departing free agents reach their playing time.
This should give Roseman plenty of flexibility if he sees a player he likes, and give him a greater chance of replacing what the Eagles lost this spring.