The Philadelphia Eagles are not likely to be one of the NFL’s most active teams in free agency, but some key decisions will need to be made if they want to think about repeating as Super Bowl champions.

This week, ESPN released its list of the top 50 free agents and, three Eagles free agents appeared on the list.

Here’s where author Kevin Seifert ranked the Eagles’ free agents:

21 – TE, Trey Burton

32 -LB,  Nigel Bradham

47 – CB, Patrick Robinson

One name to watch would be Burton, the athletic tight end filled in well when called on to replace Zach Ertz.

The understudy to starter Zach Ertz has enough versatility as a blocker and as a receiver -- he has caught 60 passes in the past two seasons -- to merit a starting job elsewhere. During the 2017 regular season, one out of every five of his receptions went for a touchdown.

With both John DeFilippo and Frank Reich now in Minnesota and Indianapolis, the Vikings and Colts could be landing spots for Burton.  But depending on what happens with Brent Celek, Burton could return as insurance for Ertz.

Many expect the team to retain Bradham, who is about to enter his age 29 season, and is viewed as one of the leaders of the defense, racking up 88 tackles. The Eagles really don't have an in-house replacement for Bradham, who took over calling the defense once Jordan Hicks went out with injury.

Bradham's age will lead some teams to make him a secondary target. But he has been productive in Jim Schwartz's defense in Philadelphia, totaling nearly 200 tackles in 31 starts.

Finally there is Robinson, who might be the toughest decision, he played brilliantly in the slot, but with the return of Sidney Jones, is there enough room for Robinson next season?

Although he is older than most desirable free agents, Robinson put together a strong season as the Eagles' slot cornerback and should have several more productive years remaining. In 16 games, including eight starts and 673 total plays, he intercepted four passes and defended a total of 18.

The issue might be, with Jones returning, Ronald Darby, Jalen Mills and Rasul Douglas already in the fold, which one of those guys would replace Robinson in the slot?

None of those guys are tradition slot corners, and Robinson played about as well as you can expect this season in that role.

 

 

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