Philadelphia Eagles: Full Breakdown and Depth-Chart Analysis at Interior LB

It's difficult to imagine that there are many more confusing depth-chart logjams in the NFL than the one the Philadelphia Eagles have at interior linebacker. This offseason, the organization extended DeMeco Ryans, traded for Kiko Alonso, signed Brad Jones and used a third-round pick on Jordan Hicks. That group joins budding star Mychal Kendricks, Najee Goode (coming off the injured reserve list) and serviceable reserve Emmanuel Acho.

Obviously, the Eagles don't intend to keep seven interior linebackers. More likely, they'll carry five at most. Of course, at some point, it becomes a matter of who makes the cut. In fact, it's not even entirely clear which two players will start.

Ryans, Alonso and Kendricks were rotating in with the first-team defense this spring, according to Jeff Neiburg of the Philadelphia Daily News. Defensive coordinator Bill Davis informed Jimmy Kempski of Philly Voice that there may even be packages where all three are on the field at the same time. Yet the reality is that, regardless of whether the work is split up, some players are more likely to take more snaps than others.

We'll do our best to sort out this mess of a depth chart, but it's not easy. To be honest, the Eagles probably aren't even sure how it will all work out.

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

1. Kiko Alonso

Alonso has only one season as a professional under his belt, and he's coming off a torn ACL. That being said, the former Buffalo Bills linebacker may be the best of the bunch, and he is perhaps the most likely to be on the field 90-plus percent of the time.

Look at it from any number of perspectives. The Eagles dealt All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy to the Bills for Alonso and Alonso alone—which is suggestive of what the organization thinks he's worth. He's probably the most complete interior linebacker on the roster, standing at 6'3", 238 pounds with 4.72-second speed—his pro-day time, per Michael Silver of Yahoo Sports.

And Alonso's line of 159 tackles, two sacks, four pass breakups, four interceptions and a forced fumble in 2013 was enough to earn him PFWA Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Then there's the fact that Eagles head coach Chip Kelly had a firsthand look at what Alonso could do when the two were at the University of Oregon together. It's clear, per Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer, that Kelly thinks the world of the soon-to-be 25-year-old.

"Kiko is a special player," Kelly said in November. "When you watch him on film, it's Kiko see ball, Kiko tackle ball. We saw that at Oregon a lot. I think people in Buffalo are seeing that right now."

2. DeMeco Ryans

Do I think Ryans, in particular at 31 years of age when the season starts and coming off a torn Achilles, is a better option than Kendricks? No. Do the Eagles? It's hard to say for certain, but many observers would say the fact that Ryans received a one-year contract extension this offseason while Kendricks enters the final year of his deal speaks volumes.

	GMS	TKL	SK	PD	INT	FF
2014	8	45	0.0	4	1	0
2013	16	127	4.0	7	2	0
2012	16	113	1.0	4	1	0

Kelly has made no secret of his man crush for Ryans. The head coach nicknamed the defensive team leader "Mufasa" after the king of the jungle in the movie The Lion King. This offseason, when there was doubt about Ryans' return to the Eagles in 2015, Kelly made it clear that the 10-year veteran's return was never in jeopardy, per Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com.

“We need DeMeco, I'm a big DeMeco fan,” Kelly said. “As a group, he really sets the tone for everybody on the defense side of the ball. So it's just a matter of getting DeMeco healthy again.”

At this stage of his career, Ryans is a bit of a liability in coverage and therefore is probably a two-down linebacker at best. It's also possible that Kelly wanted Ryans back as a tutor of sorts for Alonso and Kendricks. No matter what the case may be, however, expect Ryans to see the field quite a bit.

3. Mychal Kendricks

This is presuming Kendricks is still on the roster come September. No, he's not in danger of missing the cut for the 53-man roster, but if another team comes up with a reasonable offer for Kendricks, Kelly would have no problem pulling the trigger on a trade.

	GMS	TKL	SK	PD	INT	FF
2014	12	83	4.0	3	0	3
2013	15	106	4.0	4	3	2
2012	15	75	1.0	9	0	0

Do I agree that the Eagles should part ways with one of the defense's most dynamic playmakers? Absolutely not. Ryans can't play forever, and Kendricks is bordering on Pro Bowl potential at just 24 years old. He's one of only three linebackers in the NFL to record at least eight sacks, three interceptions and five forced fumbles over the past two seasons.

Regardless, Kelly doesn't seem thrilled with Kendricks. The lack of a contract offer might be telling—or might not—but the coach's insistence that the fourth-year veteran is a good player when he is healthy, per Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ Advance Media, isn't a ringing endorsement. Kendricks' size (6'0", 240 lbs) may be working against him as well.

Assuming Kendricks is on the club, at worst one would suspect that he would replace Ryans in passing situations, as he is excellent on the blitz and has the range to cover the field. Kendricks might play a bigger role than that, but it has seemed for much of this offseason that he's the odd man out.

4. Jordan Hicks

Eric Gay/Associated Press

The situation is interesting on the latter half of the depth chart as well, as there are three experienced players whom the Eagles could plug in if some combination of Alonso, Ryans and Kendricks were unavailable. Then again, two of those veterans probably aren't going to make the team, assuming Kendricks is still around.

Hicks may wind up being the fourth interior linebacker by default, which we'll explain in just a moment. What we know for sure is the third-round pick is going to be on the roster, which already puts him ahead of at least two of the remaining players.

Kelly told Tim McManus of Philadelphia Magazine at the time of the draft that Hicks is a three-down linebacker, while his scouting report by Lance Zierlein of NFL.com suggests the Texas product "will live in the film room," so preparation won't be an issue. It sounds like he's the next man up, if needed.

5. Brad Jones

After the team signed him to a free-agent deal this offseason, you can bet Jones has a roster spot tied up. That being said, the former Green Bay Packers linebacker isn't necessarily in Philly to play interior linebacker. The signing had the appearance of being an effort to continue upgrading special teams.

Jones can play inside or out, as he's demonstrated over six seasons and 36 starts in the NFL. Still, he doesn't do either particularly well. He could stay ahead of Hicks on the depth chart if the rookie is slow to develop; otherwise, Jones may not see much action on defense as long as the crowd is this big.

6. Najee Goode

Goode is in an unfortunate situation. He played well in two relief appearances in place of Kendricks in 2013 and appeared to be headed for a bigger role on defense last season, perhaps spelling the aging Ryans. Unfortunately, he suffered a season-ending pectoral injury in Week 1, and that was that.

Now Goode returns from the IR to find himself caught up in a numbers game. If Kendricks were to depart, that would potentially increase Goode's odds of making the roster and maybe even getting some work in as a sub, as he expected to do in 2014. As of now, though, it's hard to see how he makes the team.

On the plus side, Goode has enough positive tape on defense and special teams that he could likely find another job in the NFL. It's a shame, though, that the Eagles may have to let go of what might be a quality reserve.

7. Emmanuel Acho

After bouncing around various practice squads over the past couple of years, Acho wound up playing 14 games for the Eagles last season. As it turned out, the defense relied on him, in part due to injuries to Ryans and Kendricks in addition to a lack of depth.

Acho was serviceable in his limited role but didn't demonstrate much potential for more. He may make another team in need of a backup, but his days in midnight green appear to be coming to a close this summer.