The Philadelphia Eagles are still riding high from their Super Bowl win as February comes to a close. However, with free agency just around the corner, the team will soon need to shift gears, setting aside the celebrations to focus on enhancing their roster for a potential championship repeat next season.
To make room for new playmakers in free agency, the Eagles will need to trim some fat off their roster, and they’ve already started this process this week.
On Tuesday evening, the Eagles announced that they had released veteran center Nick Gates. This move wasn’t particularly surprising, given the inconsistent nature of his tenure with the team.
Gates, a former Nebraska standout, joined the Eagles last offseason to add depth to the offensive line following Jason Kelce’s retirement. With 39 starts in 57 career appearances before arriving in Philadelphia, he was expected to bring a solid veteran presence to the locker room. However, his 2024 season didn’t go as planned.
Nick Gates
Gates saw limited action, playing just 96 offensive snaps in nine games (one start). Although he earned a decent 67.7 pass protection grade on Pro Football Focus, his run blocking was poor, with a 49.0 grade that ranked as the fifth-worst among 64 centers.
Gates was placed on injured reserve with a groin injury one day before the Super Bowl, effectively ending his underwhelming stint with the Eagles. At 29, Gates had a strong run with the Washington Commanders in 2023, so it’s possible the Eagles weren’t the right fit for him. Expect him to seek a new opportunity when the 2025 NFL free agency period opens on Wednesday, March 12.
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