Eagles, Chiefs’ opposing strategies among 6 takeaways from early NFL free agency

The 2025 NFL free agency period is officially open, which means that most of the free agents have already signed. Because of the tampering window, which opened on Monday, we've seen a frenzy of deals. 

And we're starting to see some trends emerging.

Keep in mind that it's early. There are many waves of free agency — some that take place as late as May after the NFL Draft (or even July before training camp). But we can see some patterns in the early days of the new league year. And now is a good time to spotlight the teams making big moves.

Let's take a look.

There's no other general manager like Howie Roseman. Think about the Saquon Barkley signing. Think about his moves swapping out Haason Reddick and Bryce Huff (which was a headline-maker in the offseason that ultimately didn't even move the needle in-season). Think about the Mekhi Becton and Zack Baun signings (which few discussed at the time but, ultimately, ending up changing the 2024 season). 

Roseman tries new things every year. And that mostly seems to be how he keeps his team atop the league. 

But this year, it's not the additions that are making news. It's the subtractions.

The Eagles have lost the following defensive players (from star to contributor): 

EDGE Josh Sweat 
DT Milton Williams 
S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson 
CB Darius Slay 
CB Isaiah Rodgers 
CB James Bradberry 
LB Oren Burks

All these departures will add up to more picks through the compensatory formula. Those picks will pay dividends in the 2026 draft. So far, it looks like the Eagles have earned a third-rounder, fourth-rounder and sixth-rounder. As for adding more talent this offseason, Roseman might choose to wait two months before signing any big-ticket players (if there are any left), because at that