The Philadelphia Eagles offseason was more about who was leaving than who was coming in and it leaves a shade of familiarity as they defend their Super Bowl title. While there was some action in free agency, the Eagles saved their big-money contracts to keep some of their current players such as Saquon Barkley, Lane Johnson and Cam Jurgens.
But even though the Eagles didn’t have a big foray, they could still wind up with a free agent bust that Philadelphia is relying upon as a key signing this season.
New Eagles RB A.J. Dillon Could Be Free Agent Bust in 2025
The Eagles made a low-risk signing when they signed running back A.J. Dillon to a one-year, $1.3 million contract. The deal makes sense after giving Barkley a whopping 378 touches last season on the way to a 2,000-yard season and losing Kenneth Gainwell in free agency to the Pittsburgh Steelers. But it also carries plenty of risk.
Dillon missed the entire 2024 season due to a neck injury, and the situation could play out similarly to how the Eagles' acquisition of Jordan Howard turned out in 2021. Howard was brought in for a similar role back in 2020, but he couldn’t get away from neck injuries that brought a premature ending to his time in Philadelphia. With Miles Sanders taking his job, Howard spent a final season with the New Orleans Saints in 2022 before retiring.
There’s also the downward trend Dillon has been on since he entered the league in 2020. He ran 46 times for 242 yards and two touchdowns during his rookie season and had a career season with 187 carries for 803 yards and five touchdowns in 2021. But his yards per carry declined from 5.3 in his rookie season to 3.4 in 2023, and his injury history gave the Packers another reason to move in a different direction.
Dillon’s playing style is also an issue. While he can be a serviceable pass-catcher, he’s far from the shifty third-down back that Gainwell was. That could leave Dillon mothballed in favor of Will Shipley or Keilan Robinson and more of an emergency player if Barkley wears down after his massive workload in 2024.
If adding Dillon doesn’t pan out, it won’t cost the Eagles much to move on. But it’s a signing that could take reps from the young players behind him and be one of the few moves Philadelphia regrets this season.