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According to various media outlets, reports indicate that defensive end Everson Griffen has agreed to re-sign a big contract with the Minnesota Vikings worth $42.5 million over 5 years. Some speculated (especially BGN's Mike Kaye) that Griffen could be an interesting pass rush target for the Eagles. But now it looks like that won't happen.
Griffen's re-signing in Minnesota is just another sign of a rapidly evaporating market for pass rushers. As far as 3-4 edge rushers go, it was never that strong to begin with. There were only two top options: Brian Orakpo and Jason Worilds. Both of these players were tagged by their respective teams last week, effectively taking them off the market.
So what's left? As far as 3-4 edge rushers go, here are the top five remaining players as ranked by Rotoworld:
Shaun Phillips
Calvin Pace
Mike Neal
O'Brien Schofield
Rob Jackson
There may be some decent options for depth in that list, but nothing looks overly appealing. So what options are the Eagles left with? Well, there's always the 2014 NFL Draft. But given the Eagles' strategy of sticking to the "Best Player Available", they can't just rely on filling that need through the draft.
The Eagles might have to get creative in their search for a new pass rusher. That could require them looking into 4-3 defensive ends who could be converted into 3-4 edge rushers. It appears the Eagles may already be headed in that direction. It would certainly explain their reported interest in Bengals' 4-3 DE Michael Johnson. The problem here is that the Eagles might not be savvy on breaking the bank for a player who's going to switch positions. That could explain the reason they reportedly withdrew from pursuit of Johnson.
It seems likely that the Eagles will end up acquiring at least one new outside linebacker in free agency. They've already shown major interest in doing just that. They've been linked to the following pass rushers so far: Jason Worilds (a primary target?), Michael Johnson, Mike Neal, and Dion Jordan (trade rumor).
It'll be interesting to see how the Eagles end up aiming to improve their pass rush.