This requires patience, a comprehensive plan and approach accounting for many, many scenarios, and it requires vision.

This is what building a roster looks like for the Philadelphia Eagles early in the 2026 offseason as General Manager/Executive Vice President Howie Roseman and his team are placing the pieces of the puzzle together. As we have learned over these many years, the puzzle is not complete now, nor will it be in May, or August (very close!). Not until November and the NFL trade deadline has passed can we say the roster is complete. And even then …

Anyway, this thing is just starting. So, let's step back and take an under-the-hood look at what the Eagles have accomplished as free agency continues. We are not even two weeks in. There is still a lot more to transpire before kickoff of the 2026 regular season …

1. The first addition was cornerback Riq Woolen, a talented cornerback with rare size (he's 6-4 with long arms) and big-time speed, along with experience and the understanding of being part of a championship culture. He plays fast, he plays with passion, and he has a chance to team with Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean to give the Eagles a cornerback room that is as good as any in the NFL. Woolen signed a one-year contract, and we're going to see how it all works out. Nothing is guaranteed here. There are high hopes, of course, as the Eagles have familiarity with all of what Woolen brings to the table — Senior Defensive Assistant/Defensive Line/Associate Head Coach Clint Hurtt and Cornerbacks Coach Roy Anderson coached Woolen in Seattle — and the Eagles are going to start working with him when the offseason program begins in late April. The hope is that Woolen provides a significant upside to the room.

2. Signing Dallas Goedert to a one-year deal really solidifies the tight end position. He's been great when healthy, as he was in 2025 with a franchise-record 11 touchdown catches. He is third in the NFL since 2021 in average yards after the catch. He is a good in-line blocker and a very tough matchup for defenses. There were many questions heading into free agency about Goedert's chances of returning, but no more. The rest of the room? Looking good! The Eagles added veteran Johnny Mundt, one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL (of the 88 tight ends with at least 100 blocking snaps in the 2025 season, Mundt had the seventh-highest pass blocking grade and ninth-highest run blocking grade, per Pro Football Focus). This is a necessary and pivotal role, and Mundt and new Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion spent time together in Minnesota when Mannion was a backup quarterback there, so the familiarity is real.

Having the blocking tight end in place, the Eagles also are bringing back Grant Calcaterra, and he has proven to be a strong receiver and run-after-the-catch player at the position. Calcaterra worked hard and improved his in-line blocking through the years, but his strength is playing in space and winning on his routes, and clearly Mannion believes he can work to Calcaterra's strengths.

The team also added Stone Smartt, who has played with the Chargers and the Jets, and in four seasons with those teams he caught 38 passes for 432 yards and a touchdown. What does this mean? We learn more and more about what Mannion is looking for, and in Smartt he has an athletic player with pass-catching ability who is relatively raw to the position, having converted from the quarterback position.

Is the position complete? We shall see. Roseman is always looking to improve every corner of the roster.

3. It is vitally important to have a combination of youth and experience at quarterback, so adding Andy Dalton to the room means a lot. He is a stable, experienced hand, and Dalton will be able to come in during an emergency and guide the offense. He knows what he is seeing, he will know where to go with the football, and he is going to be a trusted eye and voice of experience for Mannion and quarterbacks Jalen Hurts and Tanner McKee. The Eagles have a great situation at quarterback.

4. In the course of a 17-game season, teams need all the depth they can find, so consider what the Eagles have done here for the defense: three veterans to the mix who could provide just that. Cornerback Jonathan Jones is an 11-year veteran who can play inside and outside, who won two Super Bowls with New England, and who plays tough and fearless football. The Eagles also added an intriguing young veteran in Arnold Ebiketie, a former second-round draft pick in 2022 who has some pass-rush punch. Ebiketie recorded six quarterback sacks in back-to-back seasons (2023 and 2024) with the Falcons and his skills off the edge are apparent and real. He will work with coach Jeremiah Washburn, and the Eagles will see how he can help the defense the more they work with him. Interesting talent, interesting career trajectory. Bringing back the very solid Marcus Epps, who moved into a starting job last season and who knows the defense, helps the deep secondary. J.T. Gray, who has been a star special teamer in his career, provides more safety depth after Sydney Brown was traded to the Falcons.

5. Signing punter/holder/backup kickoff man Braden Mann to a four-year contract is a key move. The market for punters in this free-agency period has been hot, and Mann's three-year performance with the Eagles has been as good as any in the league. He's been outstanding, and Mann is coming off a season in which he averaged 49.9 yard per punt (best in franchise history), with a 43.1-yard net. He does it in every kind of crazy weather — and the 2025 season was, yes, as crazy as it gets weather wise — and he is just now reaching the peak of his career. Mann is a standout punter and in a week-long period of big contracts for punters, signing him for the next four seasons was a very important move for the special teams.

6. Philadelphia's running back room was already loaded with Saquon Barkley, Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley, but why not take a look at Dameon Pierce, a well-built, aggressive running back who is looking to recapture the outstanding rookie season he had in 2022? Pierce is healthy and will have a chance to show what he can do in his new-look running scheme behind a terrific offensive line. Depth, depth, depth.

7. Hollywood Brown oozes speed, and he's also been a productive wide receiver in this league when healthy. He can play inside and outside, and he is a player who defenses have to respect with his vertical speed and suddenness. He is here on a one-year deal, with only upside on the agenda.

8. There is work to be done, for sure. The Eagles lost some valued members, including linebacker Nakobe Dean, safety Reed Blankenship, wide receiver Jahan Dotson, and EDGE player Jaelan Phillips.

The Eagles are working on more additions, more depth, and more players to fit the puzzle. Roseman has nine picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, including four picks among the first 100 selections. That is serious NFL Draft capital.

The Eagles have a complete understanding of the roster they want to put in place, and they've identified the areas to address. Understand that Roseman wants to challenge every part of this roster. Every … single … part and position room.

This is just the beginning. There are going to be a lot of twists and turns along the way, but that's the way the process works. That's the genius of Roseman and the Eagles: They have the vision, and they know the blueprint isn't going to be executed without some challenges. That's the challenge every team faces. The Eagles are off to the start they anticipated, and there are still some valuable moves to be made.

Strap in, sit tight, and enjoy watching it all come into place as the Eagles build for another deep playoff run in 2026.