Between now and March 10th, Chip Kelly—alongside his hand-selected general manager—will filter through an imposing list of impending free agents: hoping to identify cures for Eagle ails & convince Howie Roseman, Kelly’s recently “promoted” colleague, to foot the medical bill. We can only hope that the, as of yet unidentified, GM will lead Kelly toward players who can make this roster more competitive, more complete, and more championship-worthy.
With Roseman & Kelly working together in 2013, the free agent strategy could have been described as a “safety-in-numbers” approach. Their first year, the duo brought in the following contributors: James Casey, Clifton Geathers, Isaac Sopoaga, Connor Barwin, Emmanuel Acho, Jason Phillips, Bradley Fletcher, Cary Williams, Kenny Phillips, Patrick Chung, & Donnie Jones. This was all within Kelly’s first six months on the job. In 2014, Kelly & Roseman pared down the acquisitions but made, arguably, as big an impact with the following guys: Mark Sanchez, Darren Sproles (though technically a trade), Geathers (again), Nolan Carroll, Malcolm Jenkins, Bryan Braman, & Chris Margaros.
The Eagles are consistently players in free agency. They will identify & bring in players to contribute. This off-season, despite Kelly trying to convince us otherwise, there are priority positions that need to be addressed. Listen to 97.5 the Fanatic. Listen to WIP. Listen to your local, WaWa deli worker. They all know the needs on this team: CB, S, LB, WR, QB, OL, etc. The probability is that several of these needs are filled through free agency. Division by division, leading up to March 10th, we will identify notable free agents that Kelly & Co. may mix into the fold for 2015: starting with those we know best from the NFC East.
New York Giants
Antrelle Rolle, Jason Pierre-Paul, Walter Thurmond
The Giants roster, on the defensive side anyway, is particularly devoid of talent. Despite being 32 years old, Rolle was still a significant contributor for the Giants last season. More importantly, he is a definitive upgrade over anyone at the position currently in the Eagles locker room. If Patrick Chung just got 3 years & $8M, Rolle will get paid that and then some. You wonder if the Birds will do that for a guy that old. Pierre-Paul is a massively talented defensive end with the raw athleticism to excel in this scheme. One of three things will happen. He will be franchise tagged by the Giants and kept from free agency until 2016. More likely, New York will pony up—in the same way we hope the Eagles do with Maclin—and retain his services for years to come. Finally, he will hit free agency and become one of the biggest names on the market. If he is available, any team—including the Eagles—would be beyond insane not to reach out. Thurmond lost last season to a torn pectoral and is an intriguing name to keep in mind. He has talent and could be brought in cheap to compete for a job. The problem? He is 5’11” & 200 lbs. soaking wet. Just ask Brandon Boykin here those measurements are getting him with this coaching staff.
Washington Redskins
Brian Orakpo, Colt McCoy
Truthfully, all of these guys are similar. They are either injury-prone or historical under-producers. Several are both. There is absolute talent here but will it ever pan out at the NFL level? Orakpo missed significant time in 2012 & 2014. In his four healthy seasons he produced 38.5 sacks. You can never have too much talent or too many pass rushers. Maybe some Eagles green could bring him to Philly. Colt McCoy will likely be back in Washington as RG3 can’t be trusted by his coach or due to injury. The Eagles need a backup QB but McCoy won’t be it.
Dallas Cowboys
Dez Bryant, DeMarco Murray
Here’s where the big prize names exist. Unfortunately for Eagles fans, there is nearly zero chance that either of these guys actually gets to free agency. Murray finally played a full season behind a dominant—though overhyped—offensive line. He averaged 115 yards per game and 4.7 yards per rush. He will tally nearly 2400 all-purpose yards by the end of this playoff run: which hopefully ends tomorrow at Lambeau Field. It is incredibly unlikely that the Eagles want to pay a RB like Murray when they have a guy on the roster they will likely ask to take a pay cut in LeSean McCoy. Not only that, but Murray won’t get out of Dallas without a contract anyway. Dez Bryant is a similar story. He has a snowball’s chance of making it out of Dallas…which is basically Hell. Bryant is, inarguably, one of the best five WRs in the NFL right now. Since 2012, he has average 90+ catches per season for more than 1,300 yards and 13+ touchdowns. He is a monster. An unstoppable force on the outside that, coupled with Maclin & Matthews, would give the Eagles the best WR corps in the NFL, bar none. But, alas, he isn’t going anywhere. It should be noted, however, that Chip Kelly loves players who have beaten him in the past. Check the record: Darren Sproles, Malcolm Jenkins, Zach Ertz, Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley, Bennie Logan, Jordan Poyer, etc. If you can’t beat ‘em, find a way to make them join you. With obvious needs at WR, the Dez Bryant situation in big D is something to watch…but don’t stare.
