ESPN Insider Offseason Priorities: Philadelphia Eagles

[iowajerms]

The Philadelphia Eagles were cruising at 9-3 after a road demolition of the Cowboys on Thanksgiving night, but things went downhill quickly after that. Twenty-four short days and three losses later, the Eagles had not only ceded high ground in the NFC East but were also eliminated from the playoff race entirely, leaving a passionate fan base lamenting that it had all gone wrong.

In order to avoid similar pain in 2015, coach Chip Kelly and the Eagles will have to address the following priorities during the offseason:

1. Settle on a plan at quarterback -- which could likely mean the status quo.

This doesn't have to be overly complicated. Nick Foles owns two of the Eagles' four best single-season Total QBR scores since 2006. His 69.0 score from 2013 ranks first. His 62.2 score in 2014 ranks fourth and was in the top half of the league's qualifying quarterbacks this season prior to his injury even though the offense wasn't as good.

Foles might not be a dynamic player, but the Eagles have shown they can win with him. They can bring him back as the leading candidate to start while building up the roster around him. They probably won't be in position to draft Kelly's former star quarterback at Oregon, Marcus Mariota, and I doubt they would mortgage draft picks to move into position to do so. They still have Matt Barkley and could re-sign Mark Sanchez as insurance. How aggressive will the Eagles be in addressing the position? Sticking with their three current options, assuming they can retain all of them, might wind up as their best option.

2. Re-sign receiver Jeremy Maclin.

Not that Kelly would have cared, but the Eagles could have taken considerable heat for letting DeSean Jackson go. Maclin's production changed the subject. Maclin finished the 2014 season with 85 receptions for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns. He's scheduled to become a free agent in March, but the Eagles will presumably re-sign him. He's proven he can be a top-level deep threat in this offense and is a good fit for Kelly's program.

3. Plan as though the return touchdowns will go away.

The Eagles scored 11 return touchdowns this season, challenging the NFL record of 13 set by the 1998 Seattle Seahawks. Those returns helped the Eagles score more points in 2014 than they scored during their first season under Kelly. Philly will surely be grateful if those plays remain part of the equation in the future, but that is unlikely to be the case. How much do they need to consider upgrading the receiver position beyond Maclin? Will better luck with injuries on the offensive line solve everything?

4. Overhaul (or at least upgrade) the secondary.

The Eagles went into the 2014 season thinking free-agent addition Malcolm Jenkins could be the final piece to their secondary. Will they head into 2015 with Jenkins as the last man standing after a rough season for the secondary? Cornerback Bradley Fletcher, cornerback Cary Williams and safety Nate Allen enter the offseason in flux. Fletcher and Allen are set to become free agents. Williams has a $6.5 million base salary in 2015. It's conceivable the Eagles could return with three new starters in the secondary. They could look to draft a corner or safety with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2015 draft.

5. Is an offensive recalibration in order?

Foles averaged better than 40 dropbacks per game, about a dozen more than he averaged in 2013. No quarterback with at least 200 pass attempts in each of the past two seasons came close to a per-game increase that large. Game situations can dictate how frequently a team throws. The proliferation of low-risk screens is another variable to consider. What role did the increase in dropbacks play in Foles' drop in efficiency this season? Is that an area for the Eagles to consider addressing for the future, or is it just another stat Kelly might dismiss without giving it any consideration? This will become an important question to answer, particularly if the Eagles return a combination of Foles, Sanchez and Barkley at quarterback next season.

Offseason fixes for Philadelphia Eagles - NFL - ESPN
By Mike Sando

 

[old duke]

Thanks Iowa! Good points.

 

[Funk]

Thanks for the info bud, appreciate it.

 

[eaglesnut]

2. Maclin is going to cost a ton. We have no choice but to pay him. That terrible Riley Cooper contract is going to hurt. Tons of money tied up in ultimately an average receiving corps.

4. Jenkins should be our worst player in the secondary, not our best. This part of the team is an absolute disgrace and Chip should blame his own idiot self.

 

[Deano]

2. Maclin is going to cost a ton. We have no choice but to pay him. That terrible Riley Cooper contract is going to hurt. Tons of money tied up in ultimately an average receiving corps.

4. Jenkins should be our worst player in the secondary, not our best. This part of the team is an absolute disgrace and Chip should blame his own idiot self.

4. Do you have a genius way to redo the entire secondary in two years? Seriously, Chip was given a pile of shit and told to make gold. This year will bring changes.

Some of you are spoiled and seem to have forgotten that EVERYONE said this was a rebuild that would take three years at best.

 

[eaglesnut]

4. Do you have a genius way to redo the entire secondary in two years? Seriously, Chip was given a pile of shit and told to make gold. This year will bring changes.

Some of you are spoiled and seem to have forgotten that EVERYONE said this was a rebuild that would take three years at best.

Yes I do and I had laid it all out previously. One thing you don't do is not draft any fucking cornerbacks. Get it Deano? Cornerbacks take time to develop. If we drafted one last year he might be ready for the year after next year. If we draft one this year he might be ready in 2017.

Chip watched Nate Allen. And then he went to battle with him AGAIN. The cap situation is fine, it's better than fine, it's great. Buying two safeties instead of bargain hunting for one is just one small idea that Chip and all his genius didn't come up with.

Rebuilds need to show progress. This team regressed.

 

[Wings]

Yes I do and I had laid it all out previously. One thing you don't do is not draft any fucking cornerbacks. Get it Deano? Cornerbacks take time to develop. If we drafted one last year he might be ready for the year after next year. If we draft one this year he might be ready in 2017.

Chip watched Nate Allen. And then he went to battle with him AGAIN. The cap situation is fine, it's better than fine, it's great. Buying two safeties instead of bargain hunting for one is just one small idea that Chip and all his genius didn't come up with.

Rebuilds need to show progress. This team regressed.

That is why we need to bring in perhaps 2 Cb's via free agency there are a shit ton of good ones up for free agency, we will see who shakes free soon.

 

[Psualltheway5]

Brett Hundley needs to be the QB on opening day 2015

 

[old duke]

I'm guessing, E-Nut, that you are not a Chip fan. Would you have rather stayed with the same old/same old, ala Andy Reid? Chip is an innovator, anyone can see that. Just because he doesn't blast Allen publicly, doesn't mean that he likes him. I blame Howie for not getting a good replacement for Dawkins since 2008. He was there with Reid, but they didn't priortize the safety position. Would you have rather overpaid for Byrd? He always get hurt. Always. At least Jenkins brought stability to the FS position. As far as progress goes, we do have one of the top offenses in the NFL. Now, I believe that we will sign at least 1 or 2 CBs, and a Safety, if a good one is available, and then draft 1 S and 1 CB, an ILB, WR, QB, and some OL.

 

[Wings]

2. Maclin is going to cost a ton. We have no choice but to pay him. That terrible Riley Cooper contract is going to hurt. Tons of money tied up in ultimately an average receiving corps.

4. Jenkins should be our worst player in the secondary, not our best. This part of the team is an absolute disgrace and Chip should blame his own idiot self.

Would you like Chip fired? Sure sounds like that to me.

 

[eaglesnut]

That is why we need to bring in perhaps 2 Cb's via free agency there are a shit ton of good ones up for free agency, we will see who shakes free soon.

Yeah, just like last year.

 

[eaglesnut]

Would you like Chip fired? Sure sounds like that to me.

And replace him with who? I'm fine with Chip coaching here, but I haven't seen one lick of talent on the personnel side.

 

[Deano]

Brett Hundley needs to be the QB on opening day 2015

Oh hell no. Doesn't impress me at all.

We have an offense that averages around 30 points with Foles. Fix the defense.

 

[Deano]

And replace him with who? I'm fine with Chip coaching here, but I haven't seen one lick of talent on the personnel side.

I would have thought it was hard to miss Cox, Kendricks and Barwin this year but...

 

[eaglesnut]

I'm guessing, E-Nut, that you are not a Chip fan. Would you have rather stayed with the same old/same old, ala Andy Reid? Chip is an innovator, anyone can see that. Just because he doesn't blast Allen publicly, doesn't mean that he likes him. I blame Howie for not getting a good replacement for Dawkins since 2008. He was there with Reid, but they didn't priortize the safety position. Would you have rather overpaid for Byrd? He always get hurt. Always. At least Jenkins brought stability to the FS position. As far as progress goes, we do have one of the top offenses in the NFL. Now, I believe that we will sign at least 1 or 2 CBs, and a Safety, if a good one is available, and then draft 1 S and 1 CB, an ILB, WR, QB, and some OL.

I believe in Chip and then his team played the last month of the season. Who doesn't throw it deep? How dumb is he that he can't open up his own run game? He's more attached to his scheme than Andy ever was. Have you seen any runs not from the shotgun yet? He doesn't even attack safeties like you'd think an offensive innovator would. The Norv Turner's of the world have been doing it for 25 years and still do it better. Chip just tries to set you up with things from previously in the game, like he doesn't trust his teams or his schemes to actually go win a play on that play itself. Not bad, but also not really innovative unless you want to deem his reliance on it innovative.

This team got 18 touchdowns from its special teams and defense. The offense scored in the middle of the pack and considering how many more plays we run than most teams it really was mediocre at best.

 

[eaglesnut]

I would have thought it was hard to miss Cox, Kendricks and Barwin this year but...

You misread that. From Chip. I haven't seen one ounce of talent out of Chip on the personnel side.

 

[Deano]

You misread that. From Chip. I haven't seen one ounce of talent out of Chip on the personnel side.

I didn't misread. You changed what you wrote.

No talent from Ertz, Matthews, or Johnson? I get what you're saying but as usual you are exaggerating.

 

[Iggloo]

I could see Hundley, I really could--but Foles would still start opening day.

 

[Rey]

Foles is only signed for this upcoming season and they can't give him a new contract without him proving that his regression last season won't be the norm. You also have to consider that we had an unusual number of TD's this season on defense and returns which bring up the points per game figures (for those who point out the points per game stats as a reason not to worry about the offensive side). Ignoring the QB position is not an option for Chip ... so drafting Hundley, a kid with a strong arm, size and mobility suited for Chip's scheme is the perfect insurance policy heading into next season. You have free agency and another 6 rounds to take care of the 2ndary and any other problem areas. Right now my money's on Hundley being our 1st rounder unless they extend Foles this off season (not likely imo). If Foles comes back strong this year then great ... it would be a great problem to have; if not then Chip has his QB with a year of seasoning under his belt ready to take over in 2016.

 

[eaglesnut]

I didn't misread. You changed what you wrote.

No talent from Ertz, Matthews, or Johnson? I get what you're saying but as usual you are exaggerating.

No again you misread. I mean talent within Chip himself. Not players that Chip picked, but his actual skill at it.

Picking a RT at #4 and a TE at #35 shows me nothing, it shouldn't show you anything either. And Matthews is one of many WRs that were successful as rookies, what does that prove?