Rounding Up Philadelphia Eagles Offseason Buzz, Post-Minicamps

The Philadelphia Eagles concluded minicamp last week, which means that the long six-week break until training camp has begun. We're about to head into the slowest NFL news cycle of the year, when nary a peep will be heard from most teams around the league.

That being said, the Eagles made some headlines at their most recent run of practices, giving us one last round of offseason buzz before the 2015 season really gets underway.

Let's review some of the biggest storylines heading out of minicamp this year and examine how they'll impact the Birds come August.

Zach Ertz on Verge of Breakout Year?

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Expectations were high for Zach Ertz last season, so much so that a strong line of 58 receptions, 702 yards and three touchdowns might have been viewed as disappointing by some observers.

Yet despite not living up to the loftiest of projections, the third-year tight end certainly isn't flying under the radar in 2015.

Ertz is creating quite a bit of buzz in Philadelphia with his preparation this offseason. According to Geoff Mosher of CSN Philly, Ertz worked with famed offensive line coach Hudson Houck on his blocking and picked the brain of legendary tight end Tony Gonzalez. He also spent time training with Eagles running back Darren Sproles, who believes Ertz is about to become a household name.

“He has great hands, man,” Sproles told Mosher. “His hands and his route running are just great, really. He’s about to be a superstar.”

Yet Ertz's ability as a receiver has never been in question. He has the combination of size, athleticism and route-running ability to put up Pro Bowl-caliber numbers from the tight end position. The discussion always comes back to blocking, where veteran Brent Celek still holds a distinct edge over Ertz and therefore remains at the top of the depth chart.

However, if Ertz can show coaches he's every bit the blocker that Celek is—no easy task, as Celek is one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL—Ertz could find himself on the field a lot more in '15. If he does, projections of 1,000 yards or more might not be too far off.

Vinny Curry Getting Some Work at OLB

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Vinny Curry finished second on the Eagles with 9.0 sacks last season, despite playing just 32 percent of the defensive snaps, according to Football Outsiders. You would think the coaching staff would try to get him on the field more, but Curry may be a tad undersized for a 3-4 defensive end—not to mention that the club is deep at the position with Fletcher Cox and Cedric Thornton in starting roles.

That doesn't necessarily preclude the Eagles from finding new ways to get one of the NFL's most dangerous pass-rushers more playing time.

As Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation reported, Curry has been getting some looks as an outside linebacker this offseason as a way to create more opportunities.

As Curry explains it, playing linebacker isn't entirely new at all. In fact, it may have been where he did his best work in some limited appearances in 2014.

"We had certain packages last year—you guys might not have really noticed it—but there were plays last year where I’m at outside linebacker," Curry explained. "I actually got more than half of my sacks from the outside. It’s nothing really too new."

The fact that the Eagles might be planning to feature Curry more at outside linebacker in the season ahead is a great sign. The 2012 second-round pick is entering a contract year, and the more he can do within Philadelphia's defense, the better the odds the team will see value in re-signing him.

Plus, Curry has one of the best first steps in football and can wreak havoc in opposing backfields. The prospect of seeing it on a more regular basis is exciting.

No Progress on New Contract for Sam Bradford

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Obviously, when the Eagles traded Nick Foles and draft compensation to the St. Louis Rams for Sam Bradford, the hope internally was that Philadelphia landed a franchise quarterback.

Yet several months later, Bradford still has only one year remaining on his contract—and at least for now, it appears that's how things are going to stay.

According to the NFL Network's Albert Breer, there has been no real progress made between the Eagles and Bradford on a contract extension, although it's not for a lack of trying. Breer claimed that while negotiations were preliminary in nature, the two sides have spoken on more than one occasion.

Of course, it's not necessarily very surprising that talks haven't gone deeper, as both parties are in tricky situations.

The Eagles are rightly hesitant to commit vast sums of money and years to a player with Bradford's injury history and track record in the NFL. On the flip side, if Bradford is confident in his abilities, he knows he can put up big numbers in Philly's offense and command a much better contract next offseason.

Plus, as much as the Eagles may prefer to lock Bradford down, it's not as if getting him under a new deal right now is an absolute necessity. Supposing Bradford does go on to have the type of season may feel the former No. 1 overall draft pick is capable of, the front office can always use the franchise tag to prevent their signal-caller from slipping away as a free agent.

In other words, for as much as Bradford's contract situation has been reported on since his arrival in Philadelphia, it's hardly the highest priority. That would be getting Bradford healthy in time for the season opener and keeping him upright, neither of which seems entirely certain at this point.

Mark Sanchez Healthy, Competing for Starting QB Job

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Meanwhile, as Bradford works on a new contract and continues his rehab from a torn ACL, the competition at starting quarterback is heating up.

As far as Mark Sanchez is concerned, the job is open, and this time around he feels healthy and comfortable in the system, as he told Geoff Mosher of CSN Philly.

“I feel like it’s either open or closed, and Chip is saying it’s open, so I’ll go with open,” Sanchez said. “Last year was last year. Nick (Foles) was coming off an incredible season, and I was coming off an injury, and Nick assumed the position and he was ready to play, so that was just the course of things and how it went.”

Sanchez insists his shoulder is 100 percent this time around, and Mosher admits the sixth-year veteran has looked sharp this spring. Arm strength certainly appeared to be one of the issues holding Sanchez back in nine appearances for the Eagles last season, as was the occasional poor decision, another area where the signal-caller believes he's improving.

For what it's worth, Sanchez posted personal bests in several key areas in Philadelphia's offense in 2014, including completion percentage (64.1), yards per attempt (7.8) and passer rating (88.4). If those numbers continue to rise, Sanchez actually might be a fairly capable starter.

Of course, the Eagles didn't trade Foles and draft picks to the Rams for Bradford to keep him on the bench. As long as Bradford is healthy and picks up the system, he'll likely beat out Sanchez for the job.

That being said, Sanchez is confident in his ability, which is a good sign in case his number is called.

Chip Kelly, Evan Mathis Disagree over Nature of Release

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There are many theories as to why the Eagles went on to release Evan Mathis.

Some felt the team that worried the All-Pro left guard might become a distraction and disrupt Kelly's precious culture. Kelly claims Mathis wanted out and simply gave the player what he asked.

Mathis had been seeking a new contract for the past two seasons, going so far as to request a trade and skip voluntary workouts this summer. So when Kelly said the cut was strictly a money decision, as he explained to Jimmy Kempski of Philly Voice, one might be tempted to believe the head coach.

"We were asked by his agent for his release on multiple occasions," said Kelly. "We weren't going to come to a conclusion on a contract extension. We weren't going to extend any contract or adjust any contracts. We granted him what his agent asked for."

Of course, Mathis didn't cause any trouble last season while he was unhappy with his contract. Furthermore, as he told Mosher, not only did he intend to show up for mandatory minicamp, but he never requested a release at all.

Regardless of what exactly went down between the two sides, one thing is for certain: The Eagles did not get better on the field after all of this. Journeyman Allen Barbre will replace Mathis at left guard, and the Eagles are still trying out several players at right guard.

It's a shame Kelly and Mathis couldn't get on the same page, because the offensive line could become a real issue in 2015.