Oren Burks is leaving the Philadelphia Eagles in NFL free agency to sign a two-year, $5 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals, according to a report from NFL insider Ian Rapoport.

There was hope that the Eagles might be able to retain Burks with Nakobe Dean’s outlook for 2025 unclear as he recovers from a torn patella injury that could cause him to miss a portion of next season.

Burks’ departure means the Eagles will have to find another option to pair with Zack Baun, who signed a three-year, $51 million contract extension with Philly last week. Internal options at the position include Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Ben VanSumeren (assuming the Eagles re-sign him as an exclusive-rights free agent). Even if the team likes those guys, they should still look to add more competition through free agency and/or the 2025 NFL Draft.

Burks ended up being a nice one-year player for the Eagles. He mostly contributed on special teams before being elevated to a starting role after Dean’s injury in the Wild Card round. The drop-off from Dean to Burks wasn’t as severe as it was feared to be.

Hard to blame the 29-year-old for leaving Philly with a chance to see more playing time for another team.