In less than two weeks (March 9 at 4 p.m. ET), each NFL team will have made their decisions on which potential Free Agents they want to re-sign. Seven clubs have opted to use the franchise tag and buy some extra time to work out a long-term deal with their star players. While teams like the Arizona Cardinals (outside linebacker Chandler Jones) and Washington Redskins (quarterback Kirk Cousins) chose to play tag, the Philadelphia Eagles did not. But that doesn’t mean general manager Howie Roseman and head coach Doug Pederson don’t have some decisions to make.
So which Eagles’ veteran performer will the organization bring back and which performer will become an unrestricted free agent?
Bring him back
The Philadelphia Eagles are in pretty good shape when it comes to free agency. What that means is that the franchise has all of its offensive players under contract. And on the other side of the football, the Birds have only a half-dozen defenders that can become unrestricted free agents on the afternoon of March 9. The most important of those six performers is defensive tackle Bennie Logan.
The 2013 third-round draft choice played and started just 13 games as the Eagles made the transition from the 3-4 to the 4-3 defense. He finished the season with 24 stops, 2.5 sacks, a pair of forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
He’s much more of a factor when it comes to stopping the run but comes off a so-so showing in ’16. Paired inside with star Fletcher Cox, expect Logan to have a better year as the former nose tackle has another offseason to adjust to Jim Schwartz’s system. Provided the Birds can re-sign the four-year pro.
Let him go
Sure, veteran middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch is a player well-versed with Schwartz’s defense.
But the 11-year pro has seen much better days. He played in only 10 games and made one start for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016. The former Tennessee Titans and Detroit Lions stalwart totaled seven solo tackles and zero impact plays in limited duty with the club. Don't be surprised if he opts for retirement.
