The Eagles keep doing what good teams do: blending young talent with veterans who still have real juice in their 30s. That formula helped carry them to a Super Bowl LIX championship, with Darius Slay still performing at a high level and Lane Johnson holding down right tackle like one of the game’s true elites. A couple years earlier, Jason Kelce was still the league’s best center and Brandon Graham was stacking double-digit sack seasons well into his 30s.
That brings the conversation to the current group of Eagles over 30, and there’s plenty to sort through. Some are here for depth, some for specialized roles, and a few still have major jobs waiting for them.
Lane Johnson sits at the top of the list, and it’s not close. When he’s healthy, he’s still the best right tackle in football.
He would have been an All-Pro last season if his year hadn’t ended in November. Over the past five years, Johnson hasn’t allowed a sack in a season in four of them, and his pressure rate allowed per drop back over the last two seasons is 1.6%.
Last season, he gave up no sacks in 251 pass-blocking snaps and posted a 2.0% pressure rate allowed per dropback, all while missing the final six games and the playoffs. Johnson may try to play until he’s 40 at this rate, and he came back this year because he didn’t want his story to end on a low note.
Dallas Goedert is next in line for a bigger offensive footprint. New Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion likes to feature tight ends, and that should mean more opportunities for Goedert in his ninth season.
He’s also coming off a year in which he set a career high with 11 touchdown catches. The setup points to a more visible role in the passing game, and the Eagles should lean into that.
Andrew Mukuba’s safety partner, Reed Blankenship, is gone from this list, but Tristin McCollum and Sydney Brown are not the only veterans in the secondary picture. Justin Epps is expected to handle the other starting safety job after playing well enough last year to re-sign and earn that chance opposite Andre Mukuba.
Vic Fangio likes what Epps brings, and the Eagles need more top-end play and more depth at safety. Epps, who is already 30, has a real path to a meaningful role if he performs in camp.
At kicker, Jake Elliott’s place on the list feels strange only because of how rough the last two seasons have been. He has made just 48 of 63 field goals over that span, a 76.2% rate that ranks 20th out of 21 players with at least 50 attempts.
From 50 yards and beyond, he’s 5-for-15, which comes out to 33.3%. Still, Elliott remains one of the most reliable postseason kickers in NFL history.
He is 28-of-29 in the playoffs, a 96.6% conversion rate, and only Robbie Gould owns a better postseason field goal percentage among kickers with 25 or more attempts. The Eagles didn’t bring in competition for him, so they’re betting on a turnaround.
Adoree’ Jackson comes in as a potential top backup at outside corner and in the slot after signing for $2 million guaranteed this offseason. His 2024 season with the Commanders didn’t fit, but he played well with the Patriots in Bill Belichick’s defense and has experience in Vic Fangio’s system as well, since Belichick copied it for several years. Even in his 10th season, Jackson could end up giving the Eagles a solid year.
Andy Dalton was supposed to be the QB3 when the Eagles acquired him this offseason, but minicamp changed that picture. In open practices, he was taking most of the QB2 reps over Tanner McKee.
Whether Dalton is the better backup is still up for debate, but his résumé is hard to ignore: three Pro Bowl selections, 39,793 passing yards and 254 touchdowns over a 15-year career. If he ends up as QB2, his value to the roster jumps quite a bit.
Grant Calcaterra has a role because of what he does without the ball. He’s known as a blocking tight end, and that fits what the Eagles wanted to improve at the position this offseason. He’s competing for the TE2 job and should matter in the offense, especially in 12 personnel, even if the passing-game production isn’t expected to be much.
Tristin Gray is trying to carve out a roster spot as a safety, but his ticket is the same one that has made him valuable for years: special teams. He’s a three-time All-Pro there and has built a reputation as one of the best special teams players in football. If he makes the roster, it’ll be because the Eagles trust that part of his game.
The Eagles have leaned on veterans before, sometimes maybe too loyally, but they’ve had reasons. This group of 30-and-over players is another reminder that, in Philadelphia, age doesn’t automatically mean the shelf life is over.
In Other News...
Cooper DeJean Had The Perfect Reaction To Phillys Stunning New Arrival
Cooper DeJean did not hide his excitement when word spread around Philadelphia about a blockbuster arrival that instantly changed the citys basketball conversation. The Eagles cornerback has already become one of the more intriguing young defenders on the roster, and his reaction fit the kind of cross-sport buzz that tends to follow any major move in Philly, especially one that has fans talking about what comes next.
For DeJean, the timing also lands as his role with the Eagles continues to evolve. Vic Fangio and analyst Chase Senior have discussed ways to get him on the field even more by mixing in work at safety and slot cornerback, a usage plan that would only increase his value to the defense. If DeJean is already this energized by what happened on the basketball side, the Eagles will be hoping that same energy carries over once the football season gets rolling. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Suddenly Face A Tough Young Pass Rusher Decision
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For Philadelphia, the conversation is less about a confirmed move than about how much value it places on a young edge defender who has shown enough to draw outside interest. The Eagles have a decision to make with a player on a manageable contract and a profile that could appeal to a team trying to patch a hole quickly, but any deal would have to make sense for a front office that usually does not give away useful pass rush depth without a strong return. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Johnson Just Got A Major NFL Verdict Despite Lingering Concerns
Lane Johnsons standing around the league remains as strong as ever, even with the kind of late-season injury that usually invites a little more skepticism. FanSideds writers placed the Eagles right tackle ninth on their list of the top 50 NFL players entering the 2026 season, a reminder that his reputation is still built on years of elite play, not just name value.
Johnsons rsum already speaks for itself with six Pro Bowls, two first-team All-Pro nods and two Super Bowl rings, and he was still performing at a high level before his 2025 season was cut short. The bigger question for Philadelphia is how much more he has left in the tank, especially after a foot issue interrupted what had been another dominant stretch up front. Saquon Barkley and Cooper DeJean also made the list, landing at 23rd and 42nd, respectively. [Read more 🡒]