The Philadelphia Eagles suffered a couple of huge losses on their defensive line this offseason, which they expected, given their star-studded performance in Super Bowl 59 against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Milton Williams and Josh Sweat both got paid in free agency, respectively, by the New England Patriots and the Arizona Cardinals to be anchors on their new teams' defensive lines. The Eagles also saw Brandon Graham hang up his cleats from professional football, making this offseason truly a season of change.
However, the Eagles were prepared for their losses as they still have Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith Jr., Jordan Davis, and Jalyx Hunt. Despite having those great young players, Philly still needs to have quality depth, especially on the edge.
The Eagles took a couple of flyers on free agents Josh Uche and Azeez Ojulari, who they hope can outperform their one-year deals, but it's not guaranteed based on their careers thus far.
Eagles Should Consider Bringing In DeMarcus Walker Who Has Ties to Vic Fangio
Therefore, it would be in Philadelphia’s best interest to inquire, or at least put out an invitation for training camp to free agent defensive end DeMarcus Walker.
The 30-year-old Walker is surprisingly still sitting in free agency after the Chicago Bears parted ways with him in February, as he was entering the last year of a three-year, $21 million deal.
The veteran defensive lineman reportedly had visits with the Detroit Lions and New York Giants in April, but nothing came from it. Since then, Walker has not visited with any other team, and training camp is right around the corner.
In his two years with the Bears, Walker racked up 32 quarterback hits, 16 tackles for loss, and seven sacks. Most Eagles fans won’t be super impressed with the sack numbers, but it's also important to note that he had 45 quarterback pressures over that span.
If he isn’t bringing the quarterback down, at least he’s creating pressure and moving the pocket, which is half the battle. Walker also has ties to Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. He was in Denver with Fangio during the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
During that time, the 6-foot-4, 280-pound defensive lineman had 15 quarterback pressures, 10 quarterback hits, 8.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss, and a forced fumble across 23 games.
If the Eagles were to sign Walker, he wouldn’t be asked to be a starter, as they have Smith and Hunt. But he could give them meaningful snaps in the rotation and would be more of an impact player than Bryce Huff last year.