Eagles Latest Signings Show Priority to Look Where Other Teams Won't

Armed with a bigger budget and a sharper attention to detail Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman is attempting to gain an advantage in an area others fail to fully explore.

PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Eagles continued to uncover rocks on Tuesday in advance of the new league year, signing a pair of 2022 draft picks to futures deals in Running back Ty Davis-Price and offensive tackle Darian Kinnard.

Davis-Price, a former 1000-yard rusher at LSU, was the 93rd overall pick by San Francisco in the 2022 draft and Kinnard was No. 145 by Kansas City in the same class.

The headliner is Davis-Price, 23, for a couple of reasons. 

New Eagles RB Ty Davis-Price / © Sergio Estrada, USA TODAY

TDP's agency, Elite Loyalty Sports, confirmed that he got the best contract of the 396 futures deals handed out so far and that’s a clear signal that he will at least get a legitimate look by the Eagles over the spring and summer. 

Opportunity, something that didn't exist for Davis-Price in San Francisco with Christian McCaffrey and Co.,  exists with the Eagles because Philadelphia currently has only two other RBs under contract: expected 2024 contributor Kenny Gainwell and fellow futures signing Lew Nichols.

Congratulations to our very own Tyrion Davis-Price (@TyDavisPrice) on signing the biggest R/Future contract in the league ‼️

The best contract out of 396 this year. Don’t mind him, just writing history. Ball out in Philadelphia, TY! #FlyEaglesFly @lsufootball pic.twitter.com/D5CBtCPEoI

— Elite Loyalty Sports (@eliteloyaltysp) February 20, 2024

Others will be added at RB and there's a chance that 2023 lead-back D'Andre Swift could be back depending on any outside offers he receives. The early word we get is that Swift would like to play in an offense that takes better advantage of his receiving skills as well as his running ability.

Despite being a Philadelphia native and coming off a career season, Swift will probably be filing a change of address form unless the money simply isn't there on the open market, still a distinct possibility considering backs like Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, and Auston Ekeler could also reach the open market.  

While contract details are not yet available for Davis-Price there is a good chance that the player he passed for the top spot on the rarely discussed futures market was edge defender Julian Okwara, who got a one-year deal from Philadelphia last week that could be worth up to $2.675 million.

A big-bodied back at 6-foot-1 and 219 pounds, Davis-Price was pushed up the board a bit in 2022 by putting up a 4.48 40-time pre-draft. 

His small sample size with the Niners wasn't impressive -- 34 carries as a rookie for 99 yards and six rushes for 21 yards last season -- before being waived in December and then brought back to the 49ers practice squad after clearing waivers.

Kinnard, 6-5, 322, got lost in the mix a bit but he’s a player who interested Jeff Stoutland as a developmental prospect back in the 2022 draft process before he was selected by the Chiefs.

Eagles Sign Two-Time Super Bowl Champion

The Kentucky product is a natural right tackle but many projected him to move inside at the professional level. He spent his first two NFL seasons on the Kansas City practice squad, gaining two Super Bowl rings, including the SB LVII win over Philadelphia.

The length of the Chiefs’ season meant futures decisions were made later and for whatever reason, Kinnard decided to look elsewhere. 

That could indicate a desire to get away from some typecasting or a savvy agent looking for a potential opportunity that could be available in Philadelphia with backups Jack Driscoll and Sua Opeta both set to become free agents.

There's also the chance that Davis-Price and Kinnard didn't get futures offers from their previous teams but that's unlikely considering their age and draft spots.   

If you're a betting man, never expect good odds from players on futures deals to become contributors. That doesn't mean under-the-radar signings don't develop all the time, however. 

For a couple extra bucks in February, Eagles GM Howie Roseman purchased some lottery tickets with a slightly better chance of hitting and he did it in a targeted fashion at positions the Eagles need bodies at.

Winning outside the margins is something the Eagles organization takes pride in and attention to detail in the futures market is a perfect example of trying to game a part of the system others rarely take more than a cursory glance at.