Eagles Free Agency Target Board: Secondary

The Philadelphia Eagles have two of the best young cornerbacks in football locked in for the foreseeable future. Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean were both All-Pro selections in 2025, and they're heading into Year 3 as still-ascending talents. That's the good news.

The bad news? Everything around them in the secondary is up in the air.

Adoree' Jackson, Reed Blankenship, and Marcus Epps are all pending unrestricted free agents. That's two starters and a key reserve walking out the door if Howie Roseman doesn't act — and with roughly $13 million in projected cap space, he can't keep everyone. The Eagles need to be surgical about which secondary pieces they bring in and which they develop internally.

Here's where the target board stands.

Cornerback: The CB2 Hole

Mitchell plays boundary. DeJean slides between outside and nickel depending on scheme. That leaves the second outside cornerback spot vacant with Jackson likely heading elsewhere. Multiple reports indicate the Eagles aren't planning to bring the 30-year-old back after his one-year deal.

The internal options exist but carry risk. Kelee Ringo has the physical tools — 6-foot-2, 4.36 speed — and the Eagles invested a Day 3 pick in him back in 2023. He competed for the CB2 job in camp last summer and lost out to Jackson. Year 3 is usually the make-or-break for developmental corners, so this offseason will tell the Eagles everything they need to know. Mac McWilliams cross-trained at both outside and nickel corner throughout 2025 and offers versatility, but asking either of these guys to be a full-time starter opposite Mitchell is a gamble the Eagles might not want to take after reaching a Super Bowl.

The external targets make more sense for a team built to win now.

Riq Woolen stands out as the top target. The 26-year-old Seahawks corner was a key part of Seattle's Super Bowl-winning defense and put up elite coverage numbers in 2025, allowing the fewest yards per snap among outside cornerbacks with at least 250 coverage snaps. Woolen is primarily a man coverage specialist, and while Vic Fangio's scheme leans zone, the Eagles ran man coverage at the 12th-highest rate in the NFL last season (24.5%). His length and physicality fit the NFC East, where you're going against CeeDee Lamb, Terry McLaurin, and Malik Nabers twice a year each.

Eric Stokes checks every Howie Roseman box: first-round pedigree (No. 29 overall in 2021), Georgia ties, and a bounce-back trajectory. Stokes' early career with the Packers was derailed by injuries, but he stayed healthy as a starter with the Raiders in 2025 and played at a solid level. At 27, he's young enough to be a multi-year solution at a potentially cheaper price point than Woolen.

Jonathan Jones is the veteran fallback — an experienced corner who could fill the Jackson role at a similar price point. Not flashy, but reliable.

The smart money says Roseman goes after one mid-tier corner in free agency and lets Ringo compete in camp. If Ringo wins the job, great — you've got cost-controlled depth. If not, you've got insurance already in place.

Safety: The Blankenship Dilemma

This one hurts. Reed Blankenship went from undrafted free agent in 2022 to full-time starter in 2023 to defensive leader by 2025. He's the kind of homegrown success story the Eagles love to tout. But the market might price him out.

Reports have linked Blankenship to the Cowboys, where former Eagles positional coach Christian Parker could push Dallas to make an offer. In a thin safety market, Blankenship's combination of leadership, tackling, and coverage ability makes him one of the top options available. Contract projections sit in the $10-15 million per year range — real money for a team with limited cap flexibility.

The Eagles are banking on Andrew Mukuba as the future. The 2025 fourth-round pick played 11 games as a rookie and flashed the instincts and ball skills that made him a steal on draft day. The front office is clearly excited about his trajectory, and safety is a position they could also address in the 2026 draft to pair alongside Mukuba long-term.

But if Blankenship walks, the Eagles need a bridge — someone to start alongside Mukuba while a drafted safety develops.

Jaquan Brisker is the name generating the most buzz. The Bears safety got healthy again in 2025 and racked up 93 tackles in a much-improved Chicago defense. At 26, he's entering his prime, and his physical, tone-setting style would fit perfectly in Fangio's scheme. Brisker's projected contract sits in the same $10-15 million range as Blankenship, which raises the obvious question: if you're spending the same money, why not keep the guy who already knows the system?

The answer might be upside. Brisker is a more dynamic playmaker than Blankenship and two years younger. If the Eagles can't get Blankenship at a discount, pivoting to Brisker could actually be an upgrade.

Kam Curl is the high-end option the Eagles probably can't afford. The former Commanders safety is one of the best in this free agent class, but his price tag will likely exceed what Philly can justify at the position given their other needs.

Sydney Brown remains under contract and provides depth, though his return from injury needs monitoring.

The Bottom Line

The Eagles' secondary strategy comes down to a simple calculation: protect the foundation (Mitchell and DeJean), fill the CB2 gap affordably, and decide whether Blankenship's leadership is worth the market price or whether Mukuba plus a cheaper veteran gets the job done.

The ideal outcome? Sign a mid-level corner like Stokes or Woolen, retain Blankenship on a team-friendly deal, and draft a safety on Day 2 as long-term insurance. The realistic outcome? One significant external addition, one internal promotion, and a draft pick to round it out.

Either way, the Eagles aren't rebuilding the secondary — they're reinforcing it. Mitchell and DeJean are the cornerstones. Everything else is about making sure the supporting cast doesn't hold them back.