The Eagles expected a lot of good players to go undrafted this year. And they spent like it after the seventh round concluded
After the 2022 draft ended, the Eagles signed 12 players. Those 12 contracts include an incredible $1.747 million in guaranteed money. While teams are limited with how much they can give out in signing bonuses to their UDFA class, they are not limited in guaranteed money and the Eagles took full advantage of that this year.
Because of the larger crop of draft eligible players this year, the Eagles expected there to be great value when the draft ended.
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Generally, the money can tell you how much the Eagles like these individual undrafted players. Last year, Jack Stoll and Kayode Awosika got the most guaranteed money from the Eagles. Stoll was a big part of the team in 2021 and Awosika is still with them as a developmental prospect. A few years ago, the money told us that the Eagles liked T.J. Edwards, Nate Herbig and Sua Opeta. Follow the money.
Last year, Stoll had the most guaranteed money of the Eagles’ 2021 class with $122,500. This year, nine Eagles UDFAs got more guaranteed money from the Eagles and four topped $200,000.
Here’s a look at the total guaranteed money handed out to Eagles UDFAs in each of the last three years:
2022: $1,747,000 (12 players)
NFL
2021: $480,000 (7 players)
2020: $764,000 (13 players)
Leading the way in this crop is Nevada’s Carson Strong, who got a signing bonus of $20,000 and has $320,000 guaranteed on his contract. That’s a huge amount of guaranteed money for a UDFA. DT Noah Elliss, RB Kennedy Brooks and CB Mario Goodrich are the other players who got contracts including over $200,000 in guaranteed money.
All of these contracts are three-year deals that come with minimum base salaries of $705K, $870K and $985K over the next three seasons. If any of these UDFAs plays out their contract, they would become a restricted free agent after the 2024 season. These are all standard deals. What separates them is the guaranteed money and signing bonuses.
Here’s a look at this initial UDFA class, from most guaranteed money to least:
Carson Strong, QB, Nevada
Guarantee: $320,000
Signing bonus: $20,000
Noah Elliss, DT, Idaho
Guarantee: $250,000
Signing bonus: $10,000
Kennedy Brooks, RB, Oklahoma
Guarantee: $240,000
Signing bonus: $10,000
Mario Goodrich, CB, Clemson
Guarantee: $217,000
Signing bonus: $10,000
Jarrid Williams, OL, Miami
Guarantee: $145,000
Signing bonus: $10,000
Josh Blackwell, CB, Duke
Guarantee: $137,500
Signing bonus: $12,500
Britain Covey, WR, Utah
Guarantee: $137,500
Signing bonus: $12,500
Josh Jobe, CB, Alabama
Guarantee: $135,000
Signing bonus: $10,000
Josh Sills, OG, Oklahoma State
Guarantee: $135,000
Signing bonus: $10,000
William Dunkle, OL, San Diego State
Guarantee: $110,000
Signing bonus: $10,000
Reed Blankenship, S, Middle Tennessee State
Guarantee: $55,000
Signing bonus: $5,000
Ali Fayad, LB, Western Michigan
Guarantee: $0
Signing bonus: $0
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