Should the Eagles bring back Jordan Hicks?

The Arizona Cardinals released veteran linebacker Jordan Hicks on Wednesday.

The move isn’t entirely surprising, given they drafted ILB Zaven Collins in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, and subsequently told Hicks he would play a lesser role moving forward. That, of course, didn’t end up happening, and Hicks was once again dominant last season, starting all 17 games and recording 116 total tackles and a career-high four sacks.

The former Eagle will now hit the market at almost 30 years old, coming off a four-year, $34 million dollar contract. Despite his age, and his injury history during his years in Philly, Hicks hasn’t missed a game the past three seasons and has been one of the most productive linebackers in the league ever since.

Should the Eagles bring back their former third-round draft pick?

Philadelphia certainly hasn’t invested much at the linebacker position since Hicks left in 2019. They re-signed T.J. Edwards during the 2021 season, who is currently the most veteran player in the position group heading into his fourth year — Alex Singleton is also heading into his fourth season but is set to be a restricted free agent in the coming weeks. The rest of the group is filled with guys still on their rookie deals, including Shaun Bradley, Patrick Johnson, Davion Taylor, and JaCoby Stevens. Genard Avery, a SAM linebacker, is set to be a free agent.

Sure, Howie Roseman was emphatic back in 2020 that the team was going to get younger and faster, but with so many players on rookie deals — not to mention a plethora of cap space money and draft picks to play around with — the Eagles are certainly able to bring in some veterans. Especially at positions that need some depth and experience, like linebacker. If Hicks can be as productive as he’s been the past three years, there is an argument to bring him back to the East Coast.