4 free agents the Eagles should happily let leave

2. CB C.J. Gardner-Johnson

This one hurts because the Eagles would likely love to keep C.J. Gardner Johnson on the team. They traded for the cornerback prior to the trade deadline from the New Orleans Saints, and he fit right into the team scheme immediately. Unfortunately, Gardner-Johnson played so well that he earned himself a payday this offseason.

The Eagles just paid Darius Slay a ton of money, and James Bradbury is the other free-agent cornerback the Eagles have to ponder. Bradbury is slightly more important to the Eagles’ defense, and he will likely last a little longer with his play style. When the Giants cut Bradbury, it was clear he would really help a contender.

The Eagles have to make hard decisions this offseason. Only the 2021 Tampa Bay Buccaneers were able to bring back the entire Super Bowl-winning team, and we’re still not sure how they pulled it off. The Eagles will want new blood in there, anyway. Cornerbacks are plentiful in this year’s NFL Draft.

Maybe the Eagles could make a Gardner-Johnson contract work with Bradbury also sticking around, but it seems like to do that they’d have to cut from one of their weaker positions. The Eagles have the luxury to be really good at extremely desirable positions. However, it eventually becomes too much money to keep those lockdown players.