Eagles: Who's staying, who's going?
WITH A NEW COACH comes roster upheaval. That's just a fact of NFL life. Take a good look at the Eagles' season-ending roster, because no matter who Jeff Lurie ends up hiring as his new head coach, it's going to change. A lot.
WITH A NEW COACH comes roster upheaval. That's just a fact of NFL life.
Take a good look at the Eagles' season-ending roster, because no matter who Jeff Lurie ends up hiring as his new head coach, it's going to change. A lot.
In Chip Kelly's first season in 2013, he kept just 29 Andy Reid holdovers. By Week 1 of 2014, the number had shrunk to 22. Currently, there are just 12 Big Red survivors still calling the NovaCare Complex home.
Since we don't yet know who the new coach is going to be, or what kind of offense or defense he's going to run, or whether Lurie's back-in-power football operations chief Howie Roseman believes the Eagles can be a playoff contender next season or need to rebuild, it's difficult to predict which players will be staying and which ones probably have played their last snap in midnight green.
But what the hell. Let's take a crack at it.
THE FREE AGENTS
QB SAM BRADFORD
Early line: Staying
Chip Kelly's acquisition of Bradford was one of the few good moves he made last offseason. Bradford started 14 games and had the league's eighth best passer rating (97.4) in his final seven starts.
He finished with the highest completion percentage in franchise history (65.0) despite an NFL-high 50 drops by his receivers. He's an excellent fit for the offense of every coach the Eagles have interviewed.
Bradford's not going to come cheap, but good quarterbacks don't grow on trees. If you already have one, why in God's name let him get away?
S WALTER THURMOND
Early line: Going
Considering how well Thurmond played and how little depth they have at safety, I'm sure the Eagles are hoping to re-sign Thurmond. But he caught the attention of other teams around the league with his play this season after moving from corner to safety.
He's in a much better bargaining position than he was a year ago. Given the fact that two other starters in the secondary - safety Malcolm Jenkins and cornerback Byron Maxwell - will count a combined $16.9 million against the cap in 2016, they can't really afford to overpay Thurmond.
CB NOLAN CARROLL
Early line: Going
Carroll played fairly well in 11 starts this season before breaking his ankle. Certainly played better than Maxwell. But with the emergence of Eric Rowe, Carroll is expendable and not likely to be re-signed.
DL CEDRIC THORNTON
Early line: Going
Thornton is scheme-versatile. He could play in either a 4-3 or 3-4. But with linemates Fletcher Cox and Bennie Logan both expected to get hefty new contracts at some point, there's just not enough defensive-line money to go around.
DL VINNY CURRY
Early line: Staying
Curry was an interior pass-rusher in sub-packages for Bill Davis and was frustrated by his lack of playing time. If the next defensive coordinator stays with a 3-4, Curry won't be back because he'll sign with a 4-3 team. But I've got a hunch the Eagles will be switching back to a 4-3, which would enhance Curry's stock and make him more willing to stick around.
OTHERS
WR Seyi Ajirotutu: Staying
CB E.J. Biggers: Going
LB Najee Goode: Staying
OL Matt Tobin (RFA): Staying
OL David Molk (RFA): Going
BIG CAP NUMBER GUYS
OT JASON PETERS
Early line: Going
Peters, an eight-time Pro Bowler, has a $9.2 million cap number in 2016. He turns 34 later this month. He had trouble staying on the field this season because of injuries and wasn't the same dominant, future Hall-of-Fame player he's been most of his career.
I don't see Peters taking a pay cut, at least not with the Eagles. And I don't see him being willing to move to guard. I think Howie Roseman and the new coach will come to the conclusion that now is as good a time as ever to move right tackle Lane Johnson over to the left side and draft another tackle, possibly even in the first round.
CB Byron Maxwell
Early line: Staying
With a $9.7 million cap number, including a guaranteed salary of $8.5 million, Maxwell isn't going anywhere for at least another year. The Eagles have to just hope he plays better for the new defensive coordinator than he did for Bill Davis.
RB DeMARCO MURRAY
Early line: Staying
Murray has an $8 million cap number in '16, including a guaranteed base salary of $7 million. They would take a substantial cap hit if they release him, and I can't imagine there's going to be a lot of trade interest because of his contract. I suspect they'll blame his lack of productivity last season on Chip Kelly and his offense and hope that Murray plays much better in a new system with the quarterback under center more often, and maybe even a fullback blocking for him.
WR RILEY COOPER
Early line: Going
With a $5.3 million cap number and just 21 receptions this season, Cooper's departure is pretty much a given.
TE BRENT CELEK
Early line: Going
Celek, who turns 31 later this month, is entering the final year of his contract. He has a $5 million cap number in '16, which is way too high for a No. 2 tight end who had just 27 catches last season. Celek probably would be willing to restructure his deal. But the Eagles may prefer someone with a little less mileage.
LB DeMECO RYANS
Early line: Going
Like all of the other inside linebackers not named Jordan Hicks, Ryans didn't play very well this season. Unlike the others, he turns 32 in July and will have a $4.5 million cap number in '16.
Sure, he could accept another pay cut. Yes, he's one of the most respected defensive players on the team. But if you're looking to create some salary cap space, releasing an aging linebacker who essentially can only play on first down anymore is a logical place to start.
OTHERS
OLB Connor Barwin ($7.3M): Staying
S Malcolm Jenkins ($7.2M): Staying
OLB Brandon Graham ($5.0M): Staying
DL Fletcher Cox ($7.8M): Staying
OT Lane Johnson ($6.1M): Staying
C Jason Kelce ($5.2M): Staying
ILB Mychal Kendricks ($5M): Staying
AND THEN THERE'S . . .
ILB KIKO ALONSO
Early line: Staying
There's no reason to dump Alonso. He's entering the final year of his rookie contract and has a relatively insignificant cap number ($991,418). Yes, he played terribly last year. But maybe, another year removed from his ACL injury and in a different system, he'll flourish.
OLB MARCUS SMITH
Early line: Staying
The 2014 first-round pick has been a major disappointment his first two years in the league. But as with Alonso, they made a significant investment in him and need to give him every opportunity to succeed before they throw in the towel. He has a $2.1 million cap number, $1.1 million of which is guaranteed.
RB DARREN SPROLES
Early line: Going
Sproles turns 33 in June and has a $4.6 million cap number. He still is one of the league's best punt returners and still is a dangerous receiver. But right now, the Eagles have $17.2 million in 2016 cap space devoted to their four running backs. If they're going to re-sign Sam Bradford and give Fletcher Cox the mega-contract he's looking for, and still have some room to possibly sign a couple of second-tier free agents, something's got to give.
RB Ryan Mathews
Early line: Staying
Mathews missed three games with a concussion and only had 106 carries. But he was effective, averaging 5.0 yards per carry. Given the uncertainty over DeMarco Murray, the Eagles need to hang on to Mathews.
On Twitter: @Pdomo
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