Philadelphia has already made one significant trade this offseason, sending safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans, and Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox has proposed another trade, which would bring versatile Denver Broncos defensive tackle John Franklin-Myers to the Eagles.
“While the Eagles did add edge-rushers Azeez Ojulari and Josh Uche, they could use another bigger body to help replace Williams,” Knox pointed out. “John Franklin-Myers could be the candidate Philadelphia needs. Franklin-Myers (6’4″, 288 lbs) is a disruptive defender with some positional versatility, similar in size to Williams (6’3”, 290 pounds). He previously played defensive lineman for the New York Jets and finished last season with seven sacks, eight tackles for loss, and 18 quarterback hits.
Despite his stats, Franklin-Myers is likely expendable for the Broncos, who had six players with at least 5.0 sacks in 2024 and led the NFL with 63.0 sacks.
He’s also priced appropriately for what he can contribute to the Eagles — he’s in the final year of a two-year, $15 million contract deal he signed with the Broncos in April 2024, which is set to pay him $8 million this season.
While the Eagles typically construct their offensive and defensive lines through the draft, they may not want to take the chance on a rookie duplicating Williams’ output. The Eagles are perfectly built to win a second consecutive Super Bowl, and Franklin-Myers may be a great fit in return for a mid-round choice.
Broncos See Writing on the Wall for Franklin-Myers.
Behind the scenes, the Broncos must find a method to compensate NFL All-Pro and Pro Bowl edge rusher Nik Bonitto, who led the team with 13.5 sacks in 2024 and has established himself as one of the NFL’s best defensive players. He’ll now have to be compensated accordingly, and his contract might be worth more than $100 million.
Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report suggested that the Broncos replace Franklin-Myers in the 2025 NFL draft in preparation of Bonitto’s impending payout.
“Bonitto, (Zach) Allen and Franklin-Myers are instrumental to what they do on the defensive front, but paying all of them could get pricey.” Ballentine wrote. “Franklin-Myers feels like the odd one out. Bonitto provides a genuine threat off the edge, while Allen has been more productive and well-rounded than Franklin-Myers. He brings a unique skill set to the table, but the Broncos may be able to find a match in a youngster like Jared Ivey.”
Allen, who plays the same position as Franklin-Myers, was named to his first NFL All-Pro team in 2024 and is entering the final season of a three-year, $47.75 million free agent contract signed with the Broncos in March 2023.
Frankin-Myers might put himself up for a large payout with one more solid year. Sweat played 2024 on a 1-year, $10 million contract, led the Eagles in sacks and signed a 4-year, $76.4 million free agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals on March 10.
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