Rey's 1st Early Eagles Mock Off Season

[Rey]

Cuts:

1.Demeco Ryans LB – Saves 3.5 million

2.Jason Peters OT – Saves 6.3 million

3.Riley Cooper WR – Saves 2.9 million

4.Darren Sproles RB – Saves 3.5 million

5.Mark Sanchez QB – Saves 3.5 million



Total Saved: 19.7 million



Thoughts: The only significant one would be Jason Peters, but Lane Johnson was re-signed to play LT and we can look to free agency or the draft to get our RT. I will miss Sproles, but we already have too much invested at RB and we can always bring in a scat Back type through the draft (late rounds).



Our Own Unrestricted Free Agents:



1.Vinny Curry DE

*** Will likely be our costliest to keep, but he will be integral part of re-establishing the 4-3. Already working on a deal to stay.



2.Nolan Carroll CB

*** Played very well prior to breaking his ankle; we can bring him back on a 1 or 2 year deal and not have to spend much.



3.Najee Goode LB/ST's

*** Good value as he won't cost much to re-up and plays several roles.



4.Brent Celek TE

*** Already re-signed and his main objective will be as a blocking TE in a predominantly 2 TE system.



Extensions & Restricted Free Agent Tenders:



1.Fletcher Cox DT:

*** It looks to me that the theme of this off season is to lock up the core players and they are already close to an agreement that would lock up Cox and Vinny Curry as Eagles for a while.



2.Zach Ertz TE:

*** Already re-signed and will be an integral part of the Offense



2.Matt Tobin OL: Restricted tender

*** Still young and while we don't want him starting, would provide depth.



Significant “Let Walks”:



1.Sam Bradford QB:

*** I thought we would keep Bradford either through the Tag or re-sign him outright. Judging by how management is shelling out money to extend or keep players so far however I'm not seeing where we will find money to keep him either way. Both the Vinny Curry and Fletcher Cox deals are going to take up a big chunk of cap space this season and it's not like we have much to begin with.



2.Walter Thurmond DB:

*** Had a solid year for us, but someone out there will pay him more to move back to Corner or play the slot.



3.Cedric Thornton DT:

*** Solid, but unspectacular player who best fits on a 3-4 which we no longer run.



Free Agency:



1.Mitchell Schwartz RT

*** 27 Entering his prime and hasn't missed a start at RT since drafted. He's been very solid for Cleveland and will likely cost a bit, but we need to shore up our OL. New Eagles QB coach DeFilippo was his OC this past season and quite often praised Schwartz' play. With Schwartz and Lane Johnson we have set bookends with 2 guys in their primes.



2.Jeff Allen OG

*** 26 also entering his prime and has the connection with Pederson. From what I've read he had a very good 2015 and would immediately solidify our weak LG position. After he was inserted into the Chiefs starting lineup they went 11-1.



3.Isa Abdul-Quddus SS

*** 27 and coming off of a solid season in Detroit. Former team mate of Malcolm Jenkins, reunited to take over the SS position. Will come much cheaper than Walter Thurmond.



4.Chase Daniel QB

*** Daniel is 30 years old and a career backup, but can come in and help Pederson with the system they will implement here. He takes over for Sanchez and the defacto starter for now.



5.Jason Jones DE

*** Jones has a history with Schwartz in the Wide 9 and can come in for depth. He's still only 29 and can contribute (4.5 sacks in 2015).



Draft (only 4 Rounds)



Rd 1 Pick 13: Laquan Treadwell WR Ole Miss

*** When you have a franchise QB in the fold, you can get away with not having a “great” receiving crew, but when you don't have that Cam Newton in the fold, you better have players who can help your QB move the ball. Treadwell would help solve the WR pecking order as Mathews (who proved he wasn't a #1) can move to the complimentary flanker spot while Agholor can slip into the slot when we go 3 wide. Treadwell is your typical #1 type whom your signal caller can lean on and get you that 1300 yard 10 TD type season. It's a horrible year at WR aside from Treadwell and Coleman … so snagging Treadwell early imo makes sense for a team who desperately needs play makers.



Rd 3: QB Brandon Allen QB Arkansas

** I already gushed about how much I like this kid in other threads. I think he has what it takes to be a very successful pro QB. While not as tall as you would like he has a gun, a quick release and excellent footwork with the ability to work from and outside the pocket. Very productive in a pro style offense (half the time under Center) the past 2 seasons and makes quick decisions. The knocks on him are height 6'1.5” and hand size … but his movement skills help him find lanes ala Drew Brees and Russell Wilson. His hand size is also not an issue as he has worked on hand strength for years; no fumbling problems and throws very tight spirals.

• if Allen is gone by this pick I can see us looking at two other solid prospects in Dak Prescott or Kevin Hogan.

Rd 3: Sebastian Tretola OG Arkansas

*** This dude is just a big hog; 6'4” 330 of pure power. Would not have been a fit in Chip's system, but as a pure phone booth, knock the snot out of the defender guy, he's your man. If we're going back to a run between the tackles style with DeMarco Murray, Tretola would be a welcomed addition to insert at RG.



Rd 4: Sean Davis CB/S Maryland

*** While Maryland moved him to Corner this past season, Davis has Safety written all over him. This kid hits like a LB and tackles hard, but his experience at Corner this past season will help him once he hits the pros. He will start out as a reserve SS as well as play ST's.



Rd 4: Cyrus Jones CB Alabama

*** Maxwell, Rowe and Carroll are mostly outside guys where Cyrus Jones may fit best covering slot guys due to his size limitation which is fine as that is what we need. He also brings talent to the return game especially if Sproles is a cap casualty.



Starting Lineups

QB: Chase Daniel / Brandon Allen (R)

RB: DeMarco Murray / Ryan Matthews / Kenjon Barner

TE: Zach Ertz / Brent Celek

WR: LaQuon Treadwell ® , Jordan Mathews, Nelson Agholor

OT: Lane Johnson / Mitchell Schwartz / Dennis Kelly

OG: Jeff Allen / Sebastian Tretola ® / Matt Tobin

OC: Jason Kelce / Josh Andrews

DE: Vinny Curry / Brandon Graham / Marcus Smith / Jason Jones

DT: Fletcher Cox / Bennie Logan / Beau Allen

LB: Connor Barwin SAM, Jordan Hicks MIKE, Mychal Kendricks WIL

Reserve LB: Kiko Alonso / Najee Goode

S: Malcolm Jenkins / Issa Abdul-Quddus / Sean Davis (R)

CB: Byron Maxwell / Eric Rowe / Nolan Carroll / Cyrus Jones (R)

 

[old duke]

Very comprehensive and exhaustive research Rey, as usual. I will examine this carefully, but I respect your work. I am not on the Brandon Allen bandwagon, yet, anyway. Maybe I will be, but reports that I have seen before ha him rated as a late round pick. I do like Prescott and Hogan better but we'll see.Another surprise for me is Nolan Carroll still with the team. No Jacory Shepard, or do you think he won't be healthy by the season?

 

[ctc]

Keeping Tobin? WTF? I'd trade him for a bag of pucks. He got blown up more often ron jeremy. Kelly, he's almost as bad as Tobin.

Cutting Peters? You're going to start another season with 3 new offensive lineman? Peters doesn't save you $6mm he counts as +$3m of dead cap space, cutting anyone who signed a contract in the last two years also adds to the dead cap space number. You're actually hurting the teams ability to sign people.

You think a 3rd round draft pick is our qb of the future? I gotta believe that the percentage of 3rd qbs who've gone on to star in the nfl is less than 1%. That's a lottery ticket, not a plan.

 

[Rey]

Keeping Tobin? WTF? I'd trade him for a bag of pucks. He got blown up more often ron jeremy. Kelly, he's almost as bad as Tobin.

Cutting Peters? You're going to start another season with 3 new offensive lineman? Peters doesn't save you $6mm he counts as +$3m of dead cap space, cutting anyone who signed a contract in the last two years also adds to the dead cap space number. You're actually hurting the teams ability to sign people.

You think a 3rd round draft pick is our qb of the future? I gotta believe that the percentage of 3rd qbs who've gone on to star in the nfl is less than 1%. That's a lottery ticket, not a plan.

You are right on Peters ... I didn't account for the other years SB, but it does save 4.55 mil if cut (base 7,550,00 minus the 3 mil left for the SB). Tobin doesn't cost anything to keep and he's only 25 (still has upside); plus he's only for depth. As far as the QB there aren't many other options if we don't bring back Bradford. We don't control the draft at 13 ... any other suggestions? Give me some of your options ctc ...

 

[old duke]

Rey, please expand your draft through 6 rounds, so we can look at adding more depth. I like most of your plan.

 

[Deano]

I only cut Peters if we are doing a full rebuild with a rookie QB. 6 mill is nothing for a LT. And I still think he dominates when he wants to. Why cut Sproles for only 3 mil?

 

[Rey]

I only cut Peters if we are doing a full rebuild with a rookie QB. 6 mill is nothing for a LT. And I still think he dominates when he wants to. Why cut Sproles for only 3 mil?

Peters if kept counts for around 9.3 mil against the cap. I don't want to see Sproles cut, but if you want to sign some free agents you have to find room. We already have a ton wrapped up at the running back position.

 

[mall3013]

I think you got to keep Peters. He still is one of the better tackles in the NFL imo. I think it would be a bigger loss for the Birds to part ways than to retain him for whatever his cap hit will be.

 

[Rey]

Rey, please expand your draft through 6 rounds, so we can look at adding more depth. I like most of your plan.

Until we get past the Combine it's hard to predict that far into it duke. Even right now it's still murky in what rounds a lot of these guys could go.

 

[Rey]

I think you got to keep Peters. He still is one of the better tackles in the NFL imo. I think it would be a bigger loss for the Birds to part ways than to retain him for whatever his cap hit will be.

I thought he played really bad last season ... maybe if he's not gasping for air under a more normal offensive pace we may see a resurgence. Or maybe the injuries have sapped a good deal of his lateral movement in which case we have to ask ourselves if we want to wrap up so much of the cap on him.

 

[WIZ]

For me it's Bradford or a QB at 13. No way I'm going with Chase and a 3rd rd QB.

 

[Birds4life81]

I don't have any problem with that type of FA and draft. Schwartz and Allen would help shore up this o-line. I like the Arkansas boys in the 3rd round, but I might try to trade up a little, maybe in the late 2nd or top of 3rd to snag up Brandon Allen. I'm still early in my evaluations, but after Wentz and Goff -- I think the pecking order is still up for grabs, and Allen has impressed me a lot. If he had an extra inch or two on his frame and hands we'd probably be talking about a 2nd-3rd rounder. Very impressed by his growth year to year. His mechanics, footwork, and ball placement is really nice. Good zip, tight spiral, smart QB out of a prostyle offense who did a lot at the line of scrimmage with MIKE IDs, checking protection/runs, etc. I'd have no problem stacking this o-line, letting Chase Daniels run the show for a year and allowing Allen to sit back and learn for a year. Similar to what Pederson did for McNabb.

Really hoping we're able to tag and trade Bradford.

 

[old duke]

Like Wiz, I wouldn't want to go with a 3rd round QB as my future. I would rather draft Lynch @ 13, if we're going to get a QB of the future. I won't penalize Lynch for a bad game against Temple, who had a great defense. He didn't have a chance with the drops, etc. Now, that said, he's 3rd on my list of QBs. I think we have to sign a couple free agents, and draft heavy on the O-line, which is the strongest in the past several years. I'll have my critique done tomorrow. Thanks Rey, for your rationale.

 

[mall3013]

I thought he played really bad last season ... maybe if he's not gasping for air under a more normal offensive pace we may see a resurgence. Or maybe the injuries have sapped a good deal of his lateral movement in which case we have to ask ourselves if we want to wrap up so much of the cap on him.

If Peters walks, at least this draft is pretty good w/ OL. I'm still not sure who to pick at 13? I like the idea of trading that pick for additional picks. I know I'm in the minority here, but I'd love to have Brax here along with getting QB Hogan in the mid rounds. Load up on OL as well in this draft.[/QUOTE]

 

[Wings]

No way I'm cutting Sproles, if anything I'm getting him the ball more often. WR round 1 at 13 was what got Matt Millen fired in Detroit.... It's fine when the rest of your team is solid, but when you need work on both sides of the line, and your secondary is still not solidified, no way could I justify WR in round one.... Love the player Rey, he will be very good, it just doesn't make sense 3 years in a row WR in rd 1 or 2. Sounds like a losing recipe to me.

 

[eaglesnut]

I don't think you cut Peters. There are a lot worse Olinemen in the league. He'll be better in the new O. I think you try to tell him that you'll pay him like a top guard to extend his career if he'll restructure. It would save probably 4 million of cap space and sure up the interior a bit.

 

[Rey]

If it were up to me I'd either sign or Franchise Bradford ... but my Mock here is based off of what I think will happen and it doesn't look to me like the Eagles will do either with him. People get upset when I have some guys cut here, but room needs to be opened up somehow to improve your team. Schwartz is one of the better RT's in the league and he's much younger than Peters. We're not downgrading there folks. And I also have us getting Jeff Allen who's had an excellent year for the Chiefs to plug in at Guard ... it's not like my plan just got rid of guys without improving the team. Then we get to 13 ... my thoughts are as such; I don't see either Wentz nor Lynch making it to the pick. Matter of fact I would say it's 50/50 right now that all 3 including Goff are gone by 13. Cleveland is taking one at #2 and Dallas would be nuts not to take one at 4 with Romo's health issues. You know there's a very good chance the remaining one will go before they ever get to 13 ... so my pick was made according to that thinking. Defense is deep in this draft, WR isn't ... so I took the #1 WR.

 

[ctc]

You are right on Peters ... I didn't account for the other years SB, but it does save 4.55 mil if cut (base 7,550,00 minus the 3 mil left for the SB). Tobin doesn't cost anything to keep and he's only 25 (still has upside); plus he's only for depth. As far as the QB there aren't many other options if we don't bring back Bradford. We don't control the draft at 13 ... any other suggestions? Give me some of your options ctc ...

If it cuts what you can spend it doesn't save anything. You're trying to fill a large hole with less dirt.

We control nothing at this point. Much of what happens depends on what Bradford decides. So the team has to plan for having him and for not having him. Everything cascades from there.( At best it's 50/50 on him staying. You have to believe that Kubiak is eyeing him up and Denver represents a much better opportunity than we do at this point.) Who you can and can't sign in FA is a function of what is spent on Bradford or not.
We sit here and say we should sign this guy or that guy and that's just fantasy football. Same with the draft. The team has obvious holes which they will attempt to fill in both FA and the draft. Who those individuals might be I haven't the faintest nor do I care. I'm not going to waste my time on such stuff, it doesn't interest me.

Tobin and Kelly may be cheap, that's there only redeeming factor. They could be useful if they're playing alongside some grizzled vets as a single piece and that's a long shot. Tobin actually managed to regress during the year. Like Mathis, he might come good in his 30's, let someone else make that bet.

 

[WIZ]

I highly doubt 3 QB's go by 13. Jerry will probably take RGIII or Manziel thinking he gets two years to figure it out. Someone will think early second is good enough for one too.

 

[old duke]

No way do I want Tobin or Kelly on the Eagles again. Period. If Goff, Wentz, and Lynch are gone, then trade down if we can, and take the BPA. That's why we have to sign 2 OL in Fa + Daniel, and then grab the best avail QB in the 2nd, if we get a #2 back. In the 3rd round, we go for a WR (Shepard?), and a S.