Four Veteran Defenders the Eagles Should Acquire Now

Since Brandon Graham retired from the Philadelphia Eagles back in March, the team has been waiting until June for his roster hold to expire and for Graham to officially be shifted to the NFL's Retirement list.

With the open roster spot, the Eagles have the opportunity to add another player for the 2025 NFL season. For a team with a plethora of young players, it would make sense to add a veteran to the locker room.

Remember, the Eagles lost six defensive contributors from the 2024 team that won Super Bowl 59. Without Graham, Darius Slay, Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, CJ Gardner-Johnson, and Oren Burks on the roster, there is a major void of experienced players for the upcoming season.

So what are Philadelphia's options to fill the open roster spot for the 2025 NFL season?

Here are the top 4 veteran defensive players who would be available for the Eagles to add before Training Camp:

*Cornerback Jaire Alexander

The two-time AP Second Team All-Pro Selection was considered one of the best Cornerbacks in the NFL during his first five seasons. But Alexander has missed a total of 20 games over the last two seasons, and the injuries led the Green Bay Packers to release him.

The 28 year old was the 18th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Jaire Alexander has first-round draft pick pedigree but his health issues make him a major gamble for any NFL team, especially the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles.

*Safety Justin Simmons

The five-time AP Second Team All-Pro Safety is coming off an underwhelming 2024 season with the Atlanta Falcons. Simmons has played in at least 12 games every year of his nine-year NFL Career, and he has only missed eight games over the last five years.

While Justin Simmons has been very vocal about his desire to reunite with current Eagles Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio, this is the second straight NFL offseason that the Eagles have not brought the soon-to-be 32-year-old Safety for a visit.

Heading into Mandatory Mini-Camp, the Eagles currently have the following guys competing for the Starting Safety Spot: Rookie Drew Makuba, 24-year-old Sydney Brown, and Veteran with two NFL starts Tristin McCollum. It would make sense for the Eagles to bring in Justin Simmons to compete with the inexperienced young guys.

*Defensive End Trey Hendrickson

Entering the final year of his contract, the soon-to-be 31-year-old Pass Rusher has been very frustrated with the Cincinnati Bengals lack of interest in re-signing him to a contract extension. Hendrickson has played almost every game during his four seasons with the Bengals, compiling 57 Sacks.

Hendrickson is well-known for being a great locker room guy and a hard-working player whose personality would fit in with the Eagles. But the Bengals spent tens of millions of dollars to re-sign Wide Receivers Jamarr Chase and Tee Higgins. If the Eagles could put together a reasonable trade package, they could land Trey Hendrickson to pair with third-year Edge Rusher Nolan Smith and the Pass Rush could be electric in the 2025 season.

*Edge Rusher Von Miller

A less-expensive option than trading for Trey Hendrickson would be to sign this 36-year-old Pass Rusher who is a Free Agent. Miller is not a full-time starter anymore but he had six sacks last season and eight QB Hits while playing just 25 percent of the Buffalo Bills Defensive Snaps in 2024.

Von Miller is a future Hall of Famer, with 129.5 Career Sacks, and he is a two-time Super Bowl Champion. His veteran leadership would be a great addition to the Eagles Locker Room, which has almost 50 players coming to Training Camp who are 25 years old or younger.

Speaking of young players, five Eagles players made our list of best Philadelphia Sports Athletes who are 25 years old or younger: