The legal tampering period opened up on Monday at Noon ET, and players around the NFL have struck new deals. As of this writing, the Eagles haven't made any additions and watched Jaelan Phillips agree to a four-year, $120 million deal, including $80 million guaranteed, with the Carolina Panthers, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
And while they lost a key contributor, who they acquired right before the trade deadline, the Cowboys made a signing that immediately upgrades their safety room. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that Dallas is signing safety Jalen Thompson on a three-year, max $36 million contract. And considering how bad the Cowboys' secondary was in 2025, this isn't a welcome sign in Philly.
Jalen Thompson Lands Inside Eagles' Division After Joining Cowboys
Dallas had Donovan Wilson and Malik Hooker as its starting safety duo for the majority of last season. And, as Eagles fans know, the results weren't good. The Cowboys were 32nd in the league in pass defense (251.5). All of those problems shouldn't fall solely on that safety combo, but neither player did their team any favors with their play.
Both players graded out fairly badly on Pro Football Focus. Wilson had an overall grade of 50.8 (88th among 98 graded safeties) and a 38.8 coverage grade (93rd among 98 graded safeties) in 2025. Meanwhile, Hooker earned an overall grade of 60.8 (67th among 98 graded safeties) and a 51.8 coverage grade (75th among 98 graded safeties).
The numbers paint a picture of how ineffective they were, which is why Thompson's joining them has to be irritating. He's a clear upgrade for them, logging a 68.7 overall grade (34th among 98 graded safeties) and a 69.2 coverage grade (28th among 98 graded safeties) from PFF last season.
The Eagles watched as former passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Christian Parker left to become the Cowboys' defensive coordinator this offseason, and now he's getting a new chess piece for his secondary.
These teams split their matchups last season 1-1, and in those outings, Philadelphia racked up 420 passing yards and a passing touchdown. While the Eagles had their own issues with the passing attack under Kevin Patullo, they hope that can change after hiring Sean Mannion as the OC.
With a new scheme and play caller rolling into town, the Eagles look for better production offensively, but now their games against the Cowboys have gotten a little more difficult.
Thompson has amassed 578 total tackles, 37 pass deflections, and nine interceptions in 99 career games. He was stable during his tenure in Arizona and now cashed in with the Cowboys. In the process, he improved their safety room, and that can't make anyone in Philly's building happy.