Ranking the Eagles' 7 Most Important Pending Free Agents
1. Jason Kelce
Who else? There's a reason that the "will he, won't he" conversation around Jason Kelce's retirement has been the biggest storyline to begin the Eagles' offseason.
The question isn't whether he signs elsewhere, obviously, but he is indeed a pending free agent so he earns a spot on the list.
You can take most of what I said about Cox and Graham's importance and apply it to Kelce (though he may not be quite the pass-rusher those two are).
Kelce remains one of hte best offensive linemen in football, grading out as PFF's No. 6 center despite it being what they considered a down year from the future Hall-of-Famer. Kelce more than passed the eye test at 36 years old, not looking like he's lost a step in terms of athleticism, and his 1,108 offensive snaps played show that he's as durable as ever.
He's an anchor of the offensive line (not to mention the entire team), and O-line also tends to be a unit where continuity is crucially important. Replacing Kelce could have impacts that would ripple out through the entire offense.
If anyone's departure could single-handedly sink the team's efforts to bounce back and return to the Super Bowl in 2024, it's Kelce's.
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