The Linc – Milton Williams among “players who could be misvalued” in free agency

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Ten players who could be misvalued in NFL free agency – NFL.com

Players who could be overpriced: MILTON WILLIAMS. Williams’ play during the Eagles’ run to a Lombardi Trophy — including in Super Bowl LIX, when he logged two sacks, one of them a strip-sack — likely made him a heap of cash. At 25 years old with burgeoning potential, he’s the type of beef clubs will fight over on the open market. Williams owns the size and athleticism to push the pocket, as his 12.5 QB pressure percentage suggests. The hesitancy is whether he’s worth $21 million-plus per year. As a part of Philly’s rotation, he’s started just 19 games in four seasons, with 11.5 total sacks. Free agency is about projecting the future rather than paying for past production, and in that regard, I wouldn’t fault a team for falling in love with Williams’ potential. The former third-rounder has an outstanding skill set, but we’ve seen others wither after moving out of a rotation. Can Williams be a big-money anchor? Is he worth Dexter Lawrence or Quinnen Williams money? Playing next to Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis, Williams was double-teamed on just 36.3 percent of his pass rushes in 2024. How will he do if that figure jumps significantly?

2025 NFL free agency: Best players available on defense – ESPN+

Tier 2: Pro Bowl-caliber starters. Free agents: Milton Williams, Eagles. Last seen depositing Patrick Mahomes into the earth with a strip sack in the Super Bowl, Williams has gone from being a two-down run stuffer to a three-down player capable of serving as a 1-technique nose tackle or a 3-technique penetrator. He doesn’t have the silky pass-rushing ability of Jalen Carter, but he can blow up just about any offensive lineman he faces on any given snap. After a career-high five sacks and 10 knockdowns in the regular season, Williams added two sacks and three knockdowns during Philadelphia’s postseason run. He has been productive on about 48% of the snaps for the Eagles, splitting time with Jordan Davis and occasionally rotating in for Carter. He’ll have a larger role with his new team, and at 25, his best years should still be ahead of him. Williams is similar to Malik Jackson, who parlayed an excellent season and a dominant playoff run for the Broncos in 2015 into a six-year, $85.5 million deal with the Jaguars. Williams could get something close to that range, adjusted for inflation. Average annual salary projection: $20 million to $25 million. [BLG Note: ESPN projects Zack Baun to make between $16 million and $21 million annually.]

Eagles stay or go: Interior defensive line – PhillyVoice

Milton Williams has gotten a surprising amount of love this offseason from national folks in their free agency rankings. Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com has Williams third in his free agent rankings. The Athletic has him fourth. Sheil has him sixth. USA Today has him second among defensive players. My main takeaway from Williams’ placement on these free agency lists is that this isn’t a banger free agency class. Again, Williams is a good player, but he has not been a high impact player despite benefitting from Jalen Carter drawing constant double teams next to him on the D-line. #JimmyVerdict: Williams plays an important position and a lot of teams are desperate for D-line help, so I imagine that he will overpriced, and way out of the Eagles’ range. Go.

Eagles Stay or Go 2025: Should Eagles prioritize Milton Williams? – NBCSP

Dave: Williams is exactly the kind of player the Eagles want to prioritize and keep. He’s a homegrown 3rd-round pick, who plays a premium position and who hasn’t even turned 26 yet. The problem is that Zack Baun has to be the Eagles’ priority this offseason and I just don’t think they’ll be able to sign both of them this offseason. And Williams is about to get paid. Even before his 2-sack performance in the Super Bowl, Williams already had a career season in Year 4 with 5 sacks, 10 QB hits and 7 TFLs. He was a really good complement to Carter on the interior of the Eagles’ defensive line. Sure, he benefited from all the double-teams that Carter saw but it’s not like it’s easy to consistently win 1-on-1s in the NFL and Williams did that at a really high rate. Spotrac estimates Williams’ next contract to be three years, $36 million for an annual average of $12 million. That feels way too low. If that’s the deal, sure, do it. But Alim McNeill, who was drafted a spot ahead of Williams and who plays DT too, just got a four-year, $97 million contract. Even if Williams doesn’t touch that, I still think he’s going to end up out of the Eagles’ range. Verdict: Goes.

NFL mock draft 2025: 2-round projection after combine shakes up the board – SB Nation

32. Philadelphia Eagles: Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss. Eagles’ DT Milton Williams is entering free agency, so the Eagles replace him with almost the exact same style of player in Nolen. Nolen has some deficiencies against the run, but his violence as a pass rusher and ability to get vertical from the 3T spot make him a nice fit with the Birds.

2025 NFL mock draft: Giants trade up for No. 1, Shedeur Sanders slides – The Athletic

32. Philadelphia Eagles: Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss. With Milton Williams on his way out of Philadelphia, Nolen would be a nice fit on that defensive line. The Eagles have made a habit of scooping up trench players who fall a little further than they should in the draft.

What should the Eagles do at cornerback? – BGN

REVIEW: Despite turning 34 in January, Darius Slay was able to stave off decline and turn in another strong season. He did deal with some injury issues that led to him missing two starts and going in and out of the lineup within games at times. Ultimately, the three-time captain was a major contributor to the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX victory season. OUTLOOK: The Eagles are reportedly going to release Slay with a post-June 1 designation. As of me typing this sentence, they have not made that move official. It’s still possible he’ll return to Philly. But the feeling here is the Eagles should move on. Not because Slay can no longer play … but because counting on a 34-year-old to continue to play at a high level isn’t a great bet, especially when there’s a prime opportunity to move forward with younger and less expensive cornerback options. Slay will always be remembered fondly in Philly but it’s time to move on.

Discussion: Should the Detroit Lions try to sign Darius Slay? – Pride Of Detroit

Run defense is also not Slay’s strong suit. We know the Lions require their cornerbacks to be a big part of their run fits, and that level of physical play has just never been Slay’s calling card, and it certainly isn’t now as a 12-year veteran. Still, Slay has been around. He’s played in just about every scheme. Detroit’s style of play may not be Slay’s preference, but it’s not like he’d be a massive liability. Plus, the intangibles he’d provide to that room are undeniable. So, I’d be open to him returning to Detroit, but it should not come at the expense of adding another starting-level player who can provide some stability to the position beyond just 2025. In other words, if Slay can be had at a reasonable deal that won’t prevent the Lions from re-signing Carlton Davis, I’d be okay with it. But if Slay is their big move at cornerback and expected to start in 2025, that would not be a wise choice.

Depth Matters – Iggles Blitz

The Eagles have Kelee Ringo and could try him as a starter. He hasn’t played a lot at CB. Ringo did emerge as a key STer, which is a good sign. He embraced the role that was available. Ringo is only 22 years old so there is still plenty of room for him to improve. Bringing Rodgers back would give Ringo competition for the LCB position. If Ringo wins, then Rodgers is a KOR and dime back. If Rodgers wins, then Ringo is a STer and dime back. The money would have to be right for both sides, but it feels like Rodgers and the Eagles would be a good match in 2025. I will be interested to see how Howie addresses depth needs this offseason. He is always creative and has done a good job of finding a variety of solutions. He can bring back some players, but you know Howie will have a few unexpected moves along the way.

Philadelphia Eagles free agency 2025: Howie Roseman’s top 100 targets – PHLY

1. Linebacker Zack Baun (28). This is not to say Baun will have the Eagles’ highest projected contract. Rather, I think every decision they make over the next month will be some kind of consequence of what happens with Baun. Yes, we know the Eagles have never paid top dollar for an off-ball linebacker under Howie Roseman. But that Eagles roster-building truism focuses a little too much on position valuation and not enough on projection. The Eagles shy away from spending premium resources on the position not just because they believe it’s the most replaceable of the defensive positions, but also because the league is littered with surefire impact linebackers who turned out sparkless in new surroundings. With Baun, there is no guesswork. Roseman and Baun both know exactly what he looks like playing in the middle of Vic Fangio’s defense behind Jalen Carter with Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell flanking him. Beyond his gaudy, Defensive Player of the Year-caliber statistics (he became just the fifth player this century with over 150 tackles, five forced fumbles, three interceptions and three sacks, including the playoffs), Baun’s versatility also afforded Fangio the flexibility to flip between fronts without having to substitute. The skeptic to a big-money Baun contract would expect Fangio to draw out quality linebacker play from a lesser player, but that pliability will be difficult to replace. Given Baun’s slightly older age and the one-season track record, it’s possible his market will be tepid enough for the Eagles to bring him back on a relatively modest deal in the $15 million-per-year range. If so, expect them to stay away from high-priced free agents who would counteract the expected big deals for Milton Williams, Josh Sweat and, to a lesser extent, Mekhi Becton in the compensatory-pick formula. If Baun ends up out of their reach, there’s probably room for a bigger signing in response.

Assessing all 32 NFL teams’ ideal 2025 offseason plans – PFF

Philadelphia Eagles: Allow Howie Roseman to go to work again. The Eagles are in an envious position. They’re heading into the offseason after a dominant Super Bowl win and, even with a few key free agents departing, will likely have the strongest roster in the NFL ahead of the 2025 season. Now, it’s Howie Roseman’s time to shine. The Eagles’ general manager is arguably the best in the league and has done an excellent job at building this roster over the past few years. With the likes of Milton Williams, Josh Sweat and Zack Baun hitting free agency, the Eagles have to face the reality that they won’t be able to retain all of their key free agents, but Roseman has done an excellent job of drafting. Philadelphia picked up Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the first two rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft and snagged Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith the year before. The team has the 32nd pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and around $22 million in cap space. What can Roseman conjure up this offseason?

Greatest NFL Rushing Season Ever – Saquon Barkley – PE.com

He led the NFL with 2,005 rushing yards, breaking multiple records along the way to winning the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award. Take a look at the best plays from Saquon Barkley’s memorable debut season in Philadelphia from Week 1 in Brazil all the way to Super Bowl LIX.

Eagles’ Moro Ojomo celebrates Super Bowl win by meeting Nigerian president Bola Ahmed Tinubu – Inquirer

Eagles defensive tackle Moro Ojomo made a special stop after the Super Bowl LIX win — the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Nigeria. Ojomo, who was born and raised in Lagos before moving to the United States in 2009, returned to his home country to speak with Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the president of Nigeria, about the Super Bowl win and future of football in the country. He presented the president with a signed Eagles helmet and a Super Bowl champions hat.

Can second-year roster players fill some of Washington’s team needs? – Hogs Haven

Tight End – Many expect Zach Ertz to be re-signed this offseason, but Peters and Quinn could go with the in-house option in Ben Sinnott to be “the guy”. Sinnott is a good blocker and is a run-after-catch machine once he gets the ball in his hands. If they feel Ben is ready to get his shot, a lower-cost veteran can be added in free agency and Peters could use a late round pick on a developmental player. I can also see a case where Ertz is brought back for another season while Sinnott continues to see more playing time under the veteran mentor.

Jimmy Johnson retiring from TV career – Blogging The Boys

Jimmy Johnson is retiring from his television career as a studio analyst on FOX NFL Sunday. After nearly 30 years in media and winning numerous Emmys and other awards along with his FOX team, the 81-year-old Johnson says goodbye to yet another job where he left a legendary mark. Johnson has been a mainstay on FOX since 2002, having also worked for them briefly between his departure as coach of the Dallas Cowboys and joining the Miami Dolphins. He was part of the original lineup along with James Brown, Terry Bradshaw, and Howie Long that became the gold standard for NFL studio shows. Brown left FOX in 2005 to join CBS, but the analysts have all remained until today’s news.

Lance Zierlein mock draft 2.0: The Giants get their quarterback – Big Blue View

The Giants getting Ward without giving up any additional draft capital is an absolute dream scenario. Ward is the best quarterback prospect in the draft, and while his tendency to go big play hunting can get him in trouble, he has the traits and tools the Giants are looking for. The Giants made a number of concessions to Daniel Jones’ skill set that ultimately limited the offense as a whole from 2022 to 2024. Most notably, the passing offense was largely composed of quick-game concepts without significant progression reads (largely 2-man reads) or RPOs, and was read from shallow to deep. That allowed opposing defenses to play downhill and simplified their own reads so they could play faster.

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