It was the NFL offseason, and the Eagles were coming off a 7-9 season, and so they set about improving their roster.
They needed more talent and more depth, particularly at wide receiver and in the secondary, if they were going to compete for a division championship again, and Howie Roseman, their executive vice president of football operations, believed it was worthwhile to overspend at quarterback. So in early March, once free agency began, they signed two veteran cornerbacks and a backup quarterback. Two weeks later, they signed two veteran wide receivers. In May, among the undrafted rookie free agents they signed was a running back who went on to see a fair amount of playing time for them.