So, I planned on doing more film reviews on the Eagles’ free agent signings. However, honestly, I wasn’t sure anyone wanted to read 1000 words on each of these guys. Rather than ignore them, I’ve gone back and watched a few games of each, and I’ll give you some quick thoughts on them all. I’ll include some clips for a few of them too.
I have already written about Kenyon Green, if you want a more detailed review on him.
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Adoree’ Jackson – CB
This is the most interesting Eagles signing. I imagine he has a decent chance of starting opposite Quinyon Mitchell. Jackson is an experienced outside cornerback, bringing a veteran presence to the Eagles’ defensive back room. Jackson didn’t start for the Giants until Week 12 last season, but I looked through his film as a starter. It’s pretty decent.
Jackson didn’t blow me away, but he can still play. He knows where to be on defense and doesn’t make any huge errors in coverage. He’s still fast enough to cover routes down the field and looks comfortable in both man and zone coverage. He also had a couple of really nice plays in contested situations.
Watched a bit of Adoree Jackson. Pretty evident he can still play. The Giants weren’t worried about leaving him one-on-one on the outside and Jackson has just enough speed to cover vertically in the games I watched. He looked strong at the catch point. This is against MVS. pic.twitter.com/rLUfvX3Zk6
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 15, 2025
Here he is against winning vertically again, this time against Cooks. I think you can tell he’s lost a step as he always leaves quite a bit of cushion (he ran a 4.42, a long time ago!), but he still plays the ball well at the catch point. You can see the strong vertical jump on… pic.twitter.com/PzPnBSp1wo
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 15, 2025
I’ve watched a few games and never seen him look out of position. Fangio’s defense isn’t easy to learn, but I imagine he will pick it up pretty quickly. In the games I watched, I didn’t watch a ‘terrible’ play in coverage. He had a lot of tidy reps, such as this one. pic.twitter.com/XBoLoHnxnl
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 15, 2025
The biggest issue I saw with him was on comeback routes. I feel he likes to give himself a bit more cushion to prevent balls from going over his head, which can result in comeback routes that cause him problems. As cornerbacks age, they can sometimes overcompensate for a lack of speed by standing too far off the receiver. This is something Jackson will need to be cautious of. Additionally, he had some issues with tackling in space against the Dallas Cowboys. This is something he will need to clean up.
He gets beat here (it’s a tough route to cover with no help to be fair), but he recovers well enough and I think this rep shows he still has decent click-and-close speed. He’s pretty quick when closing. You can see he still moves well enough. pic.twitter.com/qPQkPmdlhq
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 15, 2025
He does seem to have a little issue with this deep comeback routes. He’s been beaten a few times by this same route. I wonder if that’s a consequence of the fact that he wants to play with a little bit more cushion than you’d like to see. pic.twitter.com/4ZNeifGPQL
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 15, 2025
His tackling ability didn’t fully convince me. I’m not sure he will add much to the Eagles’ run defense. He had a couple of bad missed tackles against the Cowboys, including this one. His missed tackle % of 11% isn’t terrible, so it’s possible this was just a poor game (22% this… pic.twitter.com/FLCrkLDaVH
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 15, 2025
Overall, I would expect Jackson to make the roster. I am sure the Eagles would like Kelee Ringo (or a draft pick) to beat out Jackson for the starting position, but if Jackson needs to play, I am confident he will do a decent job. It feels a smart pickup. I do have some faith in Ringo, though!
Joshua Uche – EDGE
Josh Uche had an excellent 2022, ending with 11.5 sacks, but has struggled since then. Last year, he couldn’t get on the field for the Kansas City Chiefs. I watched him play in Week 18 for the Chiefs, and was very surprised to see him line up at off-ball linebacker on half of his reps. I’m not sure that says a lot about his pass-rushing ability!
Decided to have a quick look at the Josh Uche film. I wasn’t expecting to see him playing off-ball linebacker at times for the Chiefs…
It seems pretty incredible he’s only 26 and had 11.5 sacks in 2022. That’s a pretty quick decline! pic.twitter.com/u7jah6inZt
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 13, 2025
He did have a few nice reps against the Denver Broncos, and it’s evident he can still get off blocks and knows how to use his hands to win. However, I didn’t see a lot of juice. I didn’t see a lot of explosiveness for a guy who was playing for a new contract. His film just lacked explosiveness and burst. He looked a lot older than 26!
Hey, we have one pass rush win! You can tell he knows how to use his hands to get off blocks, but his game lacks explosiveness. There’s just no real juice. He looks older than 26! pic.twitter.com/VliqKWzhji
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 13, 2025
I imagine Uche will give the Eagles some depth, but I’m not expecting too much from him.
The Eagles must hope he looks more like this guy next year. He looks a lot more explosive here than he did in 2024!
The raw athletic ability from Josh Uche was always evident watching him at Michigan, but pulling this off is astonishing. Literally dips his shoulder parallel to the ground, keeps balance on the ghost rush and closes for the strip sack.
Impressive!
pic.twitter.com/17U8PMGDVK
— Devin Jackson (@RealD_Jackson) December 2, 2022
Kylen Granson – TE
Granson is another interesting pickup. He’s light and more of a hybrid tight end than a straight-up in-line guy. He can line up in the slot, the backfield, out wide, or in-line. He’s a handy chess piece to have and can also create yards after the catch. I wouldn’t be stunned if we see him at fullback at times! He has the build for it.
Kylen Granson is an interesting addition. He’s a versatile weapon, rather than a standard in-line tight end. He’s got some quickness to him and can be used in a variety of roles. He’s not going to take Goedert’s role (if he is moved) but he can provide you with another weapon on… pic.twitter.com/rPZPHYY23Q
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 15, 2025
Granson is a better intermediate route runner than Harrison Bryant, and had some nice receptions on deep outs.
I’ve seen a lot of takes about how well he graded out as a run blocker, but this is why the film matters. He’s not a great in-line tight end run blocker. He doesn’t have the size or the power. He’s more of a complimentary piece at tight end, rather than someone who can be an every-down tight end.
I’ve seen a fair bit of talk about his positive run blocking grades per PFF, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to replace Goedert’s role. Granson is much more of a h-back than a standard in-line tight end. He’s a useful blocker on split-zone and on the move, but I don’t see… pic.twitter.com/dwCeee5icy
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 15, 2025
However, he can be effective as a H-back where he has the quickness and willingness to come across the formation on plays like split-zone. Overall, I think he’s a good option to add and I imagine he will compete with Grant Calcaterra next season.
Harrison Bryant – TE
Bryant is undersized – like Granson – but he is more capable of playing in-line than Granson is. His film from this past year shows nothing to be excited about. I watched all his targets (which didn’t take long) and they were all simple routes to the flat. However, if you go back to his Browns film, there is more to be excited about. Despite being undersized, I think Bryant is capable of being an in-line tight end, as well as someone who can split out wide and play as a H-back.
I was a huge fan of Harrison Bryant coming out. He won’t blow you away in any area of his game, but I think he’s a solid player. His film with the Browns is pretty good. He is aware of holes in zone coverage and settles down nicely into these voids. pic.twitter.com/fPoKT7vQ3M
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 16, 2025
I remember watching Bryant in 2020 and was a big fan of his coming out. I drafted him in all of my dynasty leagues! He hasn’t delivered on my faith, but I do think he had a very promising first couple of years in the league. The move to the Las Vegas Raiders last year didn’t suit him, either.
He’s physical after the catch too. He’s not easy to tackle in the open field. Despite being undersized, he’s developed into more of an in-line tight end over time. pic.twitter.com/karlUmtHo7
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 16, 2025
Despite being undersized, I think Bryant is already the Eagles’ 2nd best blocking tight end on the roster. He’s very competitive as a blocker.
However, Bryant’s main value is as a blocker. He’s physical and competes hard. He can block as an H-back or an in-line tight. Due to his size, he won’t dominate opponents, but he can hold his own. You can see that here! pic.twitter.com/nepK9JDnmR
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 16, 2025
Harrison Bryant was my favorite TE to watch and write in the 2020 draft and this is why. He’s a little smaller and has shorter arms but that won’t stop him from getting square into your ass when giving max effort as a blocker. pic.twitter.com/4Gn92R5qiv
— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) September 18, 2020
I think Granson has a few more ‘wow’ moments on film, but Bryant is a better all-around tight end. If he looks like he did with the Browns in his 1st and 2nd season, this could be a sneaky pickup. Especially as the noise around Dallas Goedert is strange right now.
AJ Dillon – RB
AJ Dillon missed all of last year with a neck injury, but for the purpose of this, I’m going to assume he’s healthy and good to go for 2025.
This was my favorite free agent to watch, because I got to watch the Packers’ run game! I liked AJ Dillon coming out of college, and I still do. I can’t help but love big physical backs. I think if Dillon is healthy, there is a chance of a role for him on this team next year. It’s easy to forget that Dillon occasionally out-touched Aaron Jones in Green Bay a few years ago, and Aaron Jones is a top back. Dillon is a versatile runner with great vision, excelling in both gap and zone schemes while showing reliable hands in the passing game. His one-cut, physical style makes him a tough matchup, capable of grinding out short yardage and punishing defenders, even if he’s not breaking off long touchdowns.
Onto another FA signing, AJ Dillon! I like physical backs and I can’t help but enjoy Dillon’s game. He has a one-cut, physical running style and is better from under-center where he can get downhill quickly. He has good vision and will follow his blocks. pic.twitter.com/l9dMTLtA5G
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 16, 2025
He can handle both zone and gap schemes, but I think he excels at outside zone, where he can make one-cut and get upfield quickly. He shows excellent vision as a zone runner. He won’t score on a long touchdown very often, but he will get what’s blocked for him. pic.twitter.com/7By3KU9Xqs
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 16, 2025
Under-center, get downhill. If you remain unconvinced by Will Shipley as a ball carrier (like me), you can picture a world where a healthy AJ Dillon gets some early-down reps next season. If he’s healthy, he will make the roster. pic.twitter.com/u9ZAmQUbfP
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 16, 2025
He’s not a creative runner, and I wouldn’t be shocked if the Eagles tried to get younger at this position in the draft. This is a strong draft class at running back. Kenny Gainwell had a significant role last year, and I think AJ Dillon has a chance of playing a role next year. He brings a different skill-set to this Eagles’ backfield.
However, Dillon isn’t a creative runner and won’t make many defenders miss. Despite being huge, I sometimes think he lacks physicality and can be taken down quickly if he doesn’t get a head of steam going. Don’t expect him to make defenders miss in the backfield and create… pic.twitter.com/QAnfvxOVfr
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 16, 2025
Dorian Thompson-Robinson – QB
Dorian Thompson-Robinson isn’t very good. However, he’s an explosive athlete with very good long speed, making him a dangerous scrambler and a threat in space. If you wanted the Eagles to have a backup who can move, you have your guy! He’s tough in the pocket and willing to throw on the move. However, the film from 2024 is pretty rough as a passer. He didn’t have a single completion over 20+ air yards (118 attempts), had 0 interceptions, 6 interceptions, and a 51.7% completion. He has a lot of work to do as a passer, but he has some interesting traits that are worth having a look at and developing as a backup.
DTR! He had 0 completions of 20+ air yards on 118 attempts last year, and it’s not hard to see why. He lacks velocity and accuracy down the field. There are not a lot of big-time throws in film. The Eagles’ coaching staff is going to have to work miracles to turn him into a… pic.twitter.com/SvAmB7euNh
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 16, 2025
Yikes…
However, as I said earlier, he can move!
If you want the Eagles to have a mobile quarterback on the roster to backup Jalen Hurts, then you will like DTR. He’s a top athlete. If Hurts misses time and DTR makes the roster, you can see a world where he comes in on certain situations to help run the ball. pic.twitter.com/f5zaCeACNp
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 16, 2025
If you know how much I love QB Counter Bash, then you know I had to post this one…
Personally, I will never complain about the Eagles adding a quarterback who can run QB Counter Bash. I’m all about the run game, and having a mobile quarterback is a cheat code! pic.twitter.com/d3BqzLE6N8
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 16, 2025
I don’t see DTR beating out Tanner McKee for the backup quarterback role. However, he could be a useful guy to have on the practice squad and could play a minor role if Jalen Hurts misses time next year.
Patrick Johnson – EDGE / Avery Williams – KR/PR
I’ve got nothing on these two. They’ve both barely played the past couple of seasons. I thought Patrick Johnson was intriguing a few years ago, but he could not get on the field for a bad Giants defense last year. So, I’m not expecting a great deal. One of Johnson’s biggest issues with the Eagles was his tackling, and he will need to improve that to have a shot at sticking around. I would be surprised if he makes the roster.
Avery Williams has never really played much on offense, so I assume he was signed purely for special teams. Which makes sense! If you want special teams analysis, I would recommend looking elsewhere. Speaking of which…
Charley Hughlett – LS
If you think I’m watching a long snapper…
Until next time!
Thank you for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment below and ask any questions. If you enjoyed this piece, you can find more of my work and podcast here.