Philadelphia

Eagles

Carter is participating in individual drills. He sat out for a month of the 2025 season after undergoing procedures on both shoulders last year. Late in May, Eagles DC Vic Fangio said Carter “had a good offseason of lifting” and that Carter’s shoulders “are fine,” so Carter’s limited participation is unlikely to be health-related. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni gave a non-answer when asked if this was injury-related or perhaps contract-related. We suspect it is the latter. The front office picked up Carter’s fifth-year option last year, keeping him under contract through 2027. He has a $3.7 million salary this year and a $27.1million salary next year. He is likely seeking a rich, long-term investment from the team. It remains to be seen how this will pan out, but GM Howie Roseman is a very savvy salary cap manager.

Wilson’s first two years in the NFL were riddled with injuries. A summer concussion and in-season hamstring injury slowed his rookie season development, and he was robbed of his second season after being rolled up on in an August practice. He underwent season-ending ankle and knee injuries and was replaced in the lineup by Cooper, who uninspiringly caught nine passes for 92 yards all year. Wilson, an oversized slot receiver, is unlikely to be fantasy-relevant, but it sounds like he has a chance to at least contribute this season.

Epenesa nearly signed with the Browns earlier this offseason, but they reportedly declined to make the deal final after reviewing Epenesa’s physical. Apparently, whatever ailed him is no longer an issue. Epenesa, 27, totaled 28 quarterback pressures, three sacks, 23 tackles and two interceptions last year.

Smith announced his retirement in the middle of the 2025 season after signing a one-year deal with Philly just ahead of Week 1. His release makes him a free agent and is an indication that he plans to return to football this year. Smith totaled 1.5 sacks in five games with the Eagles last year. He is likely a part-time player at this point in his career, but Smith still has enough left in the tank to contribute on a playoff-caliber roster.

Johnson is returning for a 14th NFL season after struggling with a lingering foot issue in 2025, one that cost him seven regular season games. Philadelphia’s offense — especially their run game — fell apart with Johnson sidelined. The Eagles finished the season 13th in EPA per rush after leading the NFL in that metric in 2024. PFF graded the Eagles offensive line as last year’s 12th best run blocking unit. Berman said Johnson has always wanted to play in the kind of Shanahan-style offense new OC Sean Mannion has brought with him to Philly this season. If the grizzled veteran can stay healthy, look for the Eagles rushing attack to rebound in a big way in 2026.

Proche is a sixth-year vet who spent last season with the Titans. The former sixth-round pick has caught 34 passes for 364 scoreless yards in his career and also has 68 punt returns to his name. The veteran receiver could catch on to the Eagles’ roster as a special teams contributor, but given the current depth of the Eagles’ receiver room, it’s hard to imagine him having any role in the passing game if he were to earn a spot.

Berman notes that Barkley had 136 targets in his final two seasons with the Giants compared to just 93 with the Eagles over the past two years, and adds that new OC Sean Mannion was teammates with Todd Gurley when Gurley averaged 84 targets in 2017 and 2018 with “a similar offensive scheme.” A.J. Brown’s absence will absolutely leave a target vacuum that Barkley could step into. If so, that would be a major boon for his fantasy prospects in 2026.

Mosher notes that Bigsby’s one-cut running style is a great fit for new OC Sean Mannion’s scheme, saying “there’s no question he excels at planting one foot in the ground to getting downhill quickly.” He believes Mannion would be “smart” to get Bigsby involved in short-yardage situations to give starting RB Saquon Barkley’s body some rest. We see the logic here, although adding another short-yardage ball carrier to the rotation could muddy up fantasy projections a tad. Regardless, Bigsby is looking like a high-end bench stash this season.

No major cause for concern just yet, but it’s worth monitoring how he rebounds from a hamstring injury. With A.J. Brown now officially on the Patriots, Lemon is ticketed for a fairly big role in Philadelphia’s new offense in his rookie season. We’d be surprised if it had major breakout potential, but a WR3 season is probably in the range of outcomes if everything goes right.

Mitchell now gets to be the “other” player who has been on New England and Philadelphia’s rosters this offseason. Released by the Patriots after the draft, Mitchell will try to catch on as a depth back behind Saquon Barkley.