Eagles go to the bargain bin, agreeing to terms with LB Joshua Uche and TE Harrison Bryant

On the second official day of the new league year, Howie Roseman continued to sign players from the bargain bin.

The Eagles agreed to terms with outside linebacker Joshua Uche and tight end Harrison Bryant on one-year deals on Thursday, adding depth to their respective position groups.

According to the NFL Network, Bryant’s contract is worth up to $2 million.

Uche, 26, figures to compete for a role as a situational rusher in the Eagles defense given the departure of Josh Sweat in free agency and the uncertain future of Brandon Graham. He spent the bulk of his five-year career with the New England Patriots, then was sent to the Kansas City Chiefs ahead of the trade deadline last season for a 2026 sixth-round draft pick.

The Patriots’ second-round pick in the 2020 draft out of Michigan (60th overall), Uche had a breakout season in 2022, posting 11½ sacks in 15 regular-season games. However, his production dropped off in the seasons that followed.

In each of the last two seasons, the 6-foot-1, 240-pound Uche did not surpass three sacks. After his trade to the Chiefs in late October, Uche was active for only six games and did not appear in the playoffs. He played a total of just 37 defensive snaps in five meaningful regular-season games with the Chiefs. Uche finished the season with two sacks, which he had registered as a member of the Patriots.

In 64 career games, Uche has collected 20½ sacks, over half of which came in 2022. He had a relatively slow start to his NFL career, spending time on injured reserve in both of his first two seasons.

Uche will have an opportunity to revitalize his career in a new scheme under Vic Fangio and earn a role in the Eagles’ edge rushers rotation at training camp. Aside from Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt, the position group is particularly thin following the departure of Sweat, the team’s leader in sacks last season.

Sweat agreed to terms with the Cardinals on Monday on a four-year deal with an average annual value of just under $20 million.

Graham, the 15-year veteran, is also an unrestricted free agent. He has not made a public decision about the future of his playing career. If Graham does not return to the Eagles next season, Bryce Huff would be the oldest edge rusher on the team, followed by Uche. Huff turns 27 next month.

Uche was Roseman’s first external free-agent addition to the defense this offseason. Last week, the team opted to keep one of their own unrestricted free agents, signing Zack Baun to a three-year, $51 million extension.

Roseman also went to work on the offense on Thursday by signing Bryant, a five-year NFL veteran who most recently spent the 2024 season with the Las Vegas Raiders. Bryant, who turns 27 next month, played the first four years of his career for the Cleveland Browns, the team that selected him in the fourth round of the 2020 draft out of Florida Atlantic.

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound, pass-catching tight end had a strong start to his NFL career in 2020, leading rookie tight ends with three touchdowns and ranking second in receiving yards with 238. However, he has mostly served in a depth role throughout his career, making only 33 starts in five seasons.

Last year with the Raiders, Bryant was on the depth chart behind Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer. In 13 games (three starts), Bryant had just nine receptions on 12 targets for 86 yards. He played a career-low 25% of the offensive snaps.

Bryant was a star at Florida Atlantic, leading all Division I tight ends in the nation with 1,004 yards and seven touchdowns on 65 receptions as a senior in 2019. He earned the John Mackey award as college football’s top tight end and was a consensus first-team All-American.

Bryant figures to have an opportunity to compete for a depth role among the tight ends come training camp. He is the second external free-agent addition — and another low cost one — of the new league year for the Eagles offense. AJ Dillon, the 26-year-old running back who missed the 2024 season because of a neck injury, agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Eagles on Wednesday.

The addition of Bryant comes during a period of uncertainty surrounding the future of Dallas Goedert. The Inquirer reported on Monday that the 30-year-old tight end has been dangled on the trade market this offseason, as he is due $14.25 million in cash in 2025.