Players Eagles Must Consider Cutting Ahead of 2023 NFL Free Agency

The Philadelphia Eagles climbed the mountain all the way to the Super Bowl in 2022, and now comes the difficulty that comes with trying to get back there.

On one hand, the Eagles have put together a young core that is going to make them dangerous for a long time. Jalen Hurts proved himself this season, while A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are a 1-2 punch that is under contract for the next several seasons.

There's going to be some serious salary-cap gymnastics to keep much of the roster intact this offseason, though.

The Eagles will start the offseason around $1.3 million over the salary cap. There are several teams who will be much deeper in the red, but the Eagles' free-agency class is loaded with the likes of Javon Hargrave, Jason Kelce, James Bradberry, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Miles Sanders.

So while they can create some room with restructures and trades, it's likely they are going to have to outright move on from some players to create cap room. These three should be on the chopping block.

RB Trey Sermon

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 02: Trey Sermon #34 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs the ball against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lincoln Financial Field on October 2, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

The truth is there aren't many options for the Eagles to cut to generate huge savings. They are going to have to do some extensions and restructures to free up most of the money.

However, cutting Trey Sermon would save the team just over $1 million against the cap. Based on his role this season, it's an obvious move.

When the San Francisco 49ers used a third-round pick on Sermon coming out of Ohio State in the 2021 draft, it looked like he might be a future star. Instead, he lost his potential role in San Francisco to Elijah Mitchell and went to the Eagles in hopes of a fresh start.

With Miles Sanders, Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott on the roster, Sermon did not crack the rotation. The second-year player only logged 12 total snaps, eight on offense and four on special teams.

Sanders and Scott are both set to be free agents. There's a good chance the Eagles backfield is going to look much different in 2022.

That being said, it doesn't look like Sermon will or should be a part of it.

WR Quez Watkins

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 08: Quez Watkins #16 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs with the ball against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field on January 8, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Outside of Jalen Hurts and Darius Slay, Quez Watkins provides the biggest amount of salary-cap relief if he gets cut. The Eagles would be saving $2.7 million by releasing him.

Obviously cutting the first two is out of the question. Hurts is in line for a massive extension, while Slay is too important to the defense to consider parting ways with him just to clear cap space.

Watkins is a talented player, but he hasn't done enough to take cutting him off the table. In fact, with A.J. Brown now leading the receiving corps, Watkins had fewer targets, receptions, yards and snaps than he did in 2021.

Entering his third year, he's proved that he can be a reliable third receiver. The problem is that his salary jumps from $895,000 in 2022 to $2.7 million in 2023.

The Eagles are just as likely to find a new wide receiver through the draft with the potential to replace the role Watkins played in 2023 for a fraction of the cost.

Considering the kind of players the Eagles are trying to retain, letting Watkins get paid elsewhere is a move that needs real consideration.

S K'Von Wallace

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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 08: K'Von Wallace #42 of the Philadelphia Eagles reacts after a play during the second quarter against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field on January 08, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

Again, the Eagles don't have great options to clear cap space by cutting players, so they are going to have to let go of some decent players to retain better talents.

K'Von Wallace has played a role on defense in each of his three NFL seasons, but it might be time for him to get a chance elsewhere.

Up until they traded for C.J. Gardner-Johnson this offseason, the safety position has been a question for the Eagles for years. Wallace has been given every chance to step into the role, but he hasn't shown he can be a starter.

He peaked at 22 percent of the defensive snaps last season before posting a career-low 15 percent of the snaps this season.

In that limited sample size, Wallace gave up a passer rating of 127.4, giving up eight completions on 12 attempts, 121 yards and a touchdown, per Pro Football Reference.

If the Eagles had any faith in Wallace, they wouldn't have made aggressive moves with their safety spots like trading for Gardner-Johnson or signing Anthony Smith in 2021.

The Eagles would only clear a little over $1 million by cutting him, but in their case, every dollar counts.