The Philadelphia Eagles might consider adding a safety ahead of the 2024 campaign and it just so happens there's still a Pro Bowler available on the open market in former Denver Broncos safety, Justin Simmons.
How much the Eagles pursue any safety will depend upon how they feel about their current group. They have C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Reed Blankenship, but the former has injury concerns and the latter wasn't great last year.
Philly also drafted defensive back Cooper DeJean in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but it remains to be seen if he'll be utilized at cornerback or safety in his first season.
Knowing that, it's not a huge surprise that BetOnline has the Eagles among the favorites to land Simmons in free agency. The sportsbook gives Philadelphia the second-best odds at +600. The only team with better odds are the New York Giants.
Say what you want about any of the safety options the Eagles currently have, Simmons is simply better than them all and would provide an instant upgrade. And, the Eagles have the salary cap space to bring him in, with $25.7 million available to spend, per Over the Cap.
Simmons recently touched on his status in free agency, saying he doesn't know when he will sign with a team, but he's staying ready.
"Who knows? I could sign tomorrow, I could sign two weeks into camp, I could sign the first game of the season. You just never know how these things go," he said. "So, it's caused me to slow down and give up control because it's not in my control."
While it isn't ideal to not be on a team at this point in the offseason, Simmons could still end up making out like a bandit if a team loses a key safety to injury or simply discovers its current options aren't good enough in training camp.
