Eagles, Tyrann Mathieu reportedly staying in contact in free agency

Eagles reportedly emerging as ‘prime location’ for Mathieu originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Eagles have been relatively quiet in free agency this offseason, making just one splash signing, but they’re reportedly still in the mix for the top remaining free agent on the market.

Veteran safety Tyrann Mathieu remains unsigned nearly a month into free agency and despite the Honey Badger’s visit to the Saints earlier this week, the Eagles have reportedly remained in contact with him. They even had a virtual visit with him, according to NFL Network.

This comes after what NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo said on Wednesday:

“Seems to have had a good visit with the Saints yesterday,” Garafolo said. “There’s a couple of teams that have remained in communication. One of them is the Philadelphia Eagles. And I know there’s been talk of a visit but nothing has been set up to this point between Tyrann Mathieu and the Eagles. So let’s see how long Tyrann Mathieu carries this out.”

The Eagles still have a pretty clear need at the safety position and Mathieu would immediately improve their defense under second-year defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. This offseason, the Eagles re-signed Anthony Harris but Rodney McLeod is still on the open market. That means that unless the Eagles want to play Marcus Epps or K’Von Wallace, they have a starting job open.

Of course, the NFL Draft is less than a month away and the Eagles could perhaps draft a plug-and-play safety. While the franchise has never drafted a safety in the first round, they have drafted several in the second round before. And there will presumably be some early-round options for them if they choose to go that route.

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Mathieu, 29, is a three-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro and is coming off another strong season with the Chiefs in 2021. Last season, he played and…