We know the Eagles aren’t going to deliver some blockbuster free agent signing this offseason, because they don’t have the cap space to do it.

They’re eating the largest dead cap hit in NFL history following the Carson Wentz trade, and have been restructuring their veterans to become cap compliant and kick some money into the future, to spread out the cash and make this thing a little easier to navigate.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Eagles are currently cap compliant, according to the Inquirer’s Les Bowen. That was never going to be an issue, but it gives us an indicator of what might be available in terms of future wiggle room. Today, they additionally restructured Rodney McLeod and Jake Elliott and Tuesday night found themselves with another draft pick when Marquise Goodwin’s trade was reversed, following his decision to opt out of the 2020 campaign due to COVID-19.

Realistically, what the Eagles can do in free agency is search for younger guys looking to restart their careers. Think of players coming off injury, or a down year, or similar circumstances that would merit signing a cheap, one-year “prove it” deal to set up a bigger contract in the future. Think 2017 Alshon Jeffery.

One guy who fits the bill is Malik Hooker, the Colts safety who only played briefly before missing the remainder of the 2020 season due to injury.

ESPN’s Matt Bower wrote in a recent article that Hooker would be the best “scheme fit” for what the Eagles need:

Hooker played in only five games last season due to an Achilles injury, and he suffered a torn ACL during his rookie year. But he has first-round traits as far as range and ball skills, and he’s still young.

In Philly, he fits as a deep half/post defender for a defense that needs to create both on-ball production and impact plays at the safety position. I would sign Hooker to a one-year deal and bet on the high-level traits.

This is the right thinking for the Birds.

In terms of the safety position, you’ve got McLeod with one year remaining on his deal. K’Von Wallace is a sophomore who didn’t play much in year one. Beyond that, it’s special teamer Marcus Epps and not much else.

So the free safety Hooker, a 2017 first round pick, makes a lot of sense. He played 36 games over four seasons with the Colts and showed flashes despite being an inconsistent player over the course of his first contract. He missed a significant part of his first year with an ACL tear and the Colts ultimately declined his fifth-year option, which took place before the Achilles injury.

He also had a meniscus and two other issues:

Imagine going through that. Sounds terrible.

But in all seriousness, this is exactly the type of guy you’re looking for. Only 25 years old, he’d showed enough in glimpses to justify taking a swing on him during a transitional season. The X-factor is defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who worked with the Colts’ corners and DBs during his time under Frank Reich. We have no idea if Gannon is up or down on Hooker as a player. He would also be the most familiar with how Hooker performed pre and post-injuries.

The Eagles don’t have much to work with, so you have to sniff around for value in the margins. One-year deals. Guys coming off injury. “Prove it” kind of situations. The best-case scenario is that these guys have a bounce-back year and work out. The worst-case scenario is that they come off the books after one year, a year in which the Eagles weren’t going to do anything anyway.