The Philadelphia Eagles will be making decisions on plenty of their free agents over the coming weeks, each one important toward the team's chances of getting back to the Super Bowl. Javon Hargrave is one of the team's most important free agents, a player the franchise would be wise to retain -- even with the massive contract sure to be coming his way.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni wants the franchise to bring back Hargrave, and explains why brining back the defensive tackle make sense. However, he knows retaining all their best free agents isn't always possible.
"He's awesome and he's been a big part of this team for the past three years," Sirianni said at the NFL Scouting Combine Tuesday. "I've only been here for two, but he is a big-time player and obviously you want all your guys back. You want all your guys back because you just went through a super special journey together. The journey is what you will always remember. I know that loss will stick with us, but there was a lot of good moments in that journey.
"And Javon, just being around him every day at practice, he's just an awesome guy to be around. He's a great teammate -- and he's quiet, but he's a quiet leader -- but a great teammate, a great person and a great player. You want to try to get as many guys back as you can, but knowing that that's not always possible."
Hargrave certainly lived up to his initial contract with the Eagles, who signed him away from the Pittsburgh Steelers as a free agent in 2020. Hargrave was one of four players on the Eagles defense who finished with 10-plus sacks on the season (the most for any team in NFL history). He finished the season with a career-high 11 sacks, 57 pressures, 40 hurries, 16 quarterback hits and a pressure rate of 13.2%.
Hargrave finished fourth amongst defensive tackles in sacks, eighth in quarterback hits, tied for eighth in tackles for loss (10) and 11th in tackles (60). Since signing with the Eagles in 2020, Hargrave is fourth amongst defensive tackles in sacks (23), tied for seventh in quarterback hits (42) and tackles for loss (24).
Having Hargrave back would be a massive boost for the Eagles' defensive line, especially as a leader for young players Jordan Davis and Milton Williams. Sirianni provided his input on bringing Hargrave back, but he'll leave the final decision to his bosses.
"Howie [Roseman, Eagles general manager] has to do what he feels is best for the team," Sirianni said. "I have my input just like we talked about, and we'll see what happens. But I love Javon Hargrave."
