Eagles Named Potential Fit For All-Pro Safety In Free Agency

The Philadelphia Eagles had problems with their secondary heading into 2023, and those issues still exist with the 2024 offseason underway.

The Eagles attempted to remedy the situation by swinging a trade for Tennessee Titans star safety Kevin Byard at the deadline back in October, but Byard proved to be a major disappointment in Philadelphia and was recently released by the club.

Now, Philly is entering free agency with a gaping hole in its defensive backfield, and Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox sees a potential solution: Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr.

Winfield is coming off of an absolutely brilliant season in which he racked up 122 tackles, six sacks, three interceptions, six forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and six passes defended.

Somehow, some way, Winfield did not make the Pro Bowl in spite of that monstrous stat line, but he did earn a First-Team All-Pro selection while finishing sixth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

The Buccaneers may ultimately slap a franchise tag on Winfield, which seems like the most probable outcome after they re-signed wide receiver Mike Evans and seem poised to retain Baker Mayfield, as well.

It would make sense for Tampa Bay—which is clearly trying to win in 2024—to keep Winfield if it also retains both Evans and Mayfield, but it’s also entirely possible that the Bucs will view him as too expensive and allow him to walk via free agency.

In that potential scenario, the Eagles should certainly jump all over Winfield.

Philadelphia has just under $40 million in cap room going into the offseason, so it will absolutely have the financial wherewithal to hand Winfield a big contract.

Plus, Philly finished 31st in the NFL in passing defense this past year. Obviously, it needs significant help in that area, and signing Winfield would be a great start.