# Where are they now? Former Eagles' Week 1 debuts

> Twenty players who contributed to the Eagles in 2025 are now gone. Here's how they performed in their first games elsewhere.
- Title: Where are they now? Former Eagles' Week 1 debuts · PhillyVoice
- Summary: Twenty players who contributed to the Eagles in 2025 are now gone. Here's how they performed in their first games elsewhere. The Eagles let 20 contributors…
- Keywords: eagles, nfl, philadelphia, nakobe dean, jaelan phillips, a.j. brown, reed blankenship, za'darius smith, raiders, patriots, panthers, texans
- Source: PhillyVoice — https://phillyvoice.com/checking-recent-former-eagles-nakobe-dean-jaelan-phillips-aj-brown-injury-reed-blankenship-zadarius-smith
- Published: 2026-09-16T14:16:00.684+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: eagles, nfl, philadelphia, nakobe dean, jaelan phillips, a.j. brown, reed blankenship, za'darius smith, raiders, patriots, panthers, texans
## The salary cap toll
Consistently contending teams must let good players go. The Eagles parted with around 20 contributors from their 2025 squad this offseason.
## A.J. Brown injured early
The Eagles traded Brown to the Patriots for a first-round pick. He caught three passes in Week 1 before a high ankle sprain landed him on injured reserve.
## Nakobe Dean breaks out
The Raiders signed Dean to a three-year, $36 million deal. In his debut, he had a sack, forced fumble, two tackles for loss, and six total tackles.

> The Eagles didn't do all of that as a team in their Week 1 win over Washington.
## Phillips gets paid in Carolina
After the Eagles traded for Phillips at the 2025 deadline, he chose Carolina's four-year, $120 million offer. He recorded a sack in Week 1.
## Blankenship solid in Houston
The former undrafted free agent signed a three-year, $24.8 million deal with the Texans. He made seven tackles in his debut, a loss to the Bills.
## Sydney Brown joins Atlanta
The third-round pick from three years ago also had seven tackles in a losing effort. He played 43% of Atlanta's defensive snaps in his debut.
## Za'Darius Smith's monster return
Smith retired after five games in 2025 to be with his dying mother. He unretired with the Falcons and collected two sacks and a tackle for loss Sunday.
## Dotson underwhelms again
After two years as an underwhelming WR3 in Philly, Dotson landed in Atlanta. He had one catch for 19 yards in Week 1.
## Dillon finds role in Carolina
Dillon had five carries for 28 yards, nearly half his entire 2025 total with the Eagles. He looks to be a solid second or third RB option for Carolina.
## VanSumeren joins the Chiefs
Converted to fullback with the Eagles, VanSumeren took three snaps on offense and 22 more on special teams in Kansas City's Week 1 win.
## Uche, Johnson see limited action
Uche played 43% of defensive snaps with Miami, collecting four tackles. Johnson played mostly special teams for the Raiders with one tackle in seven snaps.
## Others on practice squads
Granson played special teams for Tennessee. Metchie didn't play for Carolina. Ojulari and Pryor signed to practice squads with the Raiders and Cardinals.
## Graham retires for good
The legendary Eagles pass rusher retired from the NFL after making a return last season. Several other former Eagles remain unsigned or on injured reserve.
## Key takeaway

The Eagles let 20 contributors walk this offseason due to salary cap constraints, and several are already making strong impacts with new teams.