Philadelphia Eagles: State of Franchise at Start of 2014 Offseason
The Philadelphia Eagles' 2013 season will be remembered as one of the more successful in franchise history, as rookie head coach Chip Kelly transformed a depleted 4-12 team into a 10-6 division winner.
Expectations were through the roof for Kelly heading into his debut year, but for the most part, he succeeded. Nick Foles transformed into one of the league's best quarterbacks, LeSean McCoy won the rushing title, the defense played much better than expected and the team remained relatively injury-free.
A postseason berth was a terrific ending to the year, but the ultimate goal for 2014 will be the team's first-ever Lombardi Trophy.
The following slides will highlight the state of the team this offseason, specifically the current cap situation, impending free agents and coaching changes. They will also provide a recap of 2013, a draft preview and predictions for 2014.
2013 Season in Review
1 of 6
The Eagles won 10 games in 2013, clinching the franchise's first division championship since 2010. But it wasn't an easy season—not at all. The Eagles experienced a wild, tumultuous roller-coaster ride that saw the team start both 1-3 and 3-5 before rallying to win seven of the final eight games.
Here's how it all happened.
The Eagles exploded onto the scene in Week 1, scoring 33 points, including 26 in the first half, in a road win against the defending NFC East champion Washington Redskins. LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson both topped 100 yards by halftime, as the Eagles ran 53 plays in the game's first 30 minutes. Robert Griffin III and the Redskins rallied late, but the Eagles held on for a statement win in Kelly's NFL debut.
Then the trouble happened, as the Eagles lost three straight games, all to AFC West opponents: 33-30 against the San Diego Chargers, 26-16 against the Kansas City Chiefs and 52-20 against the Denver Broncos. Each opponent eventually made the postseason, and there's no shame in the Eagles for losing to Andy Reid's Chiefs or Peyton Manning's Broncos. But Kelly made some poor late-game clock-management decisions that probably cost the Eagles a win against the Chargers.
The honeymoon period quickly turned ugly, as the Eagles looked like they would be in for a long season.
But the Eagles rallied to even their record at .500, defeating the New York Giants 36-21 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-20. Michael Vick suffered a hamstring injury in the first half against the Giants, but Foles led the Eagles to a victory before earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors the next week against Tampa Bay.
Then the Eagles hit rock bottom, scoring zero offensive touchdowns and just 10 total points in consecutive losses to the Dallas Cowboys and the Giants. Foles turned in one of the worst quarterback performances by any player this year against Dallas before a concussion ended his day. An injured Vick and an ineffective Matt Barkley couldn't produce any points the next week against the Giants.
At 3-5, the Eagles were still in the playoff hunt thanks to a weak NFC East. And they responded by winning five straight games, starting with a 49-20 blowout of the Oakland Raiders in which Foles threw a record-tying seven touchdown passes (by the four-minute mark in the third quarter).
The Eagles caught a break when both Aaron Rodgers and Seneca Wallace couldn't play for the Green Bay Packers. They ended their 10-game home losing streak by hanging on for a 24-16 victory against the Redskins, highlighted by a Brandon Boykin interception in the end zone in the final minute.
Following the bye week, the Eagles took down four opponents in the final month who were all fighting for a playoff spot: the Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears and the Cowboys.
The Lions game was marked by a memorable performance from LeSean McCoy, who rushed for 217 yards and two touchdowns in a blizzard. The Eagles overcame a 14-0 deficit and scored 28 points in the fourth quarter to win 34-20.
The Eagles slipped up against a Minnesota Vikings team in Week 15 that started Matt Cassel at quarterback and Matt Asiata at running back, but they rebounded to annihilate the Bears 54-11. The win kept the Bears from winning the division and gave the Eagles the edge for the No. 3 seed in the playoffs.
In the season finale, the Eagles defeated the Cowboys 24-22 in the NFC East championship, a game that was much closer than most expected. Kyle Orton, filling in for an injured Tony Romo, threw an interception to Boykin in the final minute.
But the Eagles' magical season came to a disappointing end in the playoffs. The New Orleans Saints came marching in, winning 26-24 on a walk-off field goal by Shayne Graham. And for the third time in the last five seasons, the Eagles' season ended in the Wild Card Round.
Cap Situation
2 of 6
Lots of NFL teams have major salary-cap decisions this offseason involving high-priced elite talent. The Eagles, thankfully, are not one of those teams. Oh, sure, they have some players they probably will cut, but it's likely going to be a relatively quiet season with cap casualties.
The list of players the Eagles may end up cutting this offseason include wide receiver Jason Avant ($3.96 million), tight ends Brent Celek ($4.075 million) and James Casey ($3.985 million), guard Todd Herremans ($4.2 million), inside linebacker DeMeco Ryans ($6.9 million), outside linebackers Trent Cole ($6.6 million) and Brandon Graham ($3.378 million), and safety Patrick Chung ($3.25 million).
While that list definitely contains some starting players, no one is a vital piece to the team's future.
Three of those players should not be on the team this year. Casey was the team's third tight end in 2013 and should definitely be cut this offseason. Graham is a backup slated to earn close to a starter's salary. And Chung was maybe the worst player on the team last season.
Avant is a question mark, but he's probably worth keeping for another year, especially if he can take a pay cut. He's a valuable locker-room presence and can still haul in 30 passes from the slot.
Cole is another question mark. If the Eagles can get him to take a pay cut, they'll feel a lot better about keeping the 31-year-old around in 2014.
Celek will be the backup to Zach Ertz, but the veteran is a valuable part of the offense. He's not going anywhere. Herremans and Ryans are both likely in their final year as a starter.
On paper, it looks like all will be on the team except for Casey, Graham and Chung.
Free Agents
3 of 6
The following players on the Eagles are free agents this offseason: quarterback Michael Vick; wide receivers Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper; defensive end Clifton Geathers; safeties Nate Allen, Kurt Coleman and Colt Anderson; and punter Donnie Jones.
Maclin and Cooper are the big question marks. Maclin missed all of 2013 with a torn ACL but is expected to make a full recovery. At just 26 in May, Maclin is still in his prime and should be a virtual lock to return, although it may be on a one-year prove-it deal. Cooper had a breakout year with Foles throwing to him, so it's worth locking up the franchise quarterback's favorite receiving weapon to a multi-year deal.
Vick wants to start in 2014 and has basically said that he won't be returning to Philadelphia. It's a shame because he would be a tremendous backup quarterback, both for his playing ability and leadership in the locker room.
Allen is the big decision on defense. A year ago, re-signing him would have seemed out of the question, but he actually had a solid year in 2013. It's amazing what not playing behind a Wide 9 can do for a defensive back. The Eagles will probably look to bring him back, although not necessarily as a starter.
Coleman, Geathers and Anderson aren't worth re-signing. The first two are just backups, and Anderson isn't as dominant on special teams as he used to be.
Re-signing Jones should be a definite, as the veteran punter provided many booming punts to win games. He's 33 but deserves a multi-year deal.
That means the Eagles should re-sign Maclin, Cooper, Allen and Jones, while allowing Vick, Geathers, Coleman and Anderson to walk.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Coaching Changes/Current Staff
4 of 6
The Eagles retained virtually all of their coaching staff from the previous season. Only quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor left, signing with the Miami Dolphins as their offensive coordinator. His leadership ability helped Foles turn in a career year, but realistically, that had more to do with Chip Kelly running the show than anything else.
Bill Musgrave, a former offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Minnesota Vikings, was signed to take Lazor's place. He has helped develop a number of young quarterbacks, including Matt Ryan, Byron Leftwich and Christian Ponder.
Draft Preview
5 of 6
The Philadelphia Eagles don't have many glaring needs heading into the 2014 draft, definitely not as many as last season. They're coming off a 10-6 season highlighted by a tremendous offense and a solid defense.
But that doesn't mean the team is perfect—far from it.
The biggest area of need is safety, where the Eagles could be looking to replace either one or both starters, depending on whether Nate Allen leaves via free agency. That's a position that has crippled the Eagles for a number of years, and it's worth looking into a first-round pick on the position such as Ha Ha Clinton-Dix or Calvin Pryor.
The Eagles also need another defensive player who can get to the quarterback, likely a pass-rushing outside linebacker. Possible targets include Dee Ford, Ryan Shazier and Kyle Van Noy. A potential first-round rookie probably wouldn't start right away but would be worked into the mix depending on his early success.
The Eagles also need some size on the defensive line, especially after the way the team was pushed around by the Saints in the postseason loss. Notre Dame's Louis Nix could solve that problem.
At cornerback, the Eagles have three solid options but no true shutdown corner. Prospects such as Justin Gilbert and Jason Verrett could fill that void within a couple of seasons.
On offense, a physical receiver is a possibility, especially if the Eagles do not re-sign Maclin and Cooper. Florida State's Kelvin Benjamin stands 6'5", weighs 235 pounds and runs in the low 4.5s, according to NFL.com's Mike Huguenin.
The Eagles also need some depth on the offensive line, as well as at inside linebacker and possibly even quarterback.
2014 Outlook
6 of 6
The Eagles rebounded from a 4-12 year in 2012 to shock the world and capture the NFC East title in 2013. On paper, they look poised to compete for another division title in 2014. In fact, they'll probably be the favorites.
The big question surrounding the team is whether Foles regresses. It's almost impossible for him to post the same passing numbers. He just can't. He won't be as dominant statistically, but he could still be a very good quarterback while showing improvement in a number of areas, notably taking too many sacks and holding on to the football too long.
LeSean McCoy carried the ball more than 300 times this year. Can he sustain that type of workload again? That's the big question. At receiver, the Eagles have a couple of options on the free-agent market who can be re-signed.
On defense, the Eagles had a number of good-but-not-great players in 2013. The hope is that one or more of those players can step it up even more in 2014, particularly defensive end Fletcher Cox, linebacker Mychal Kendricks and cornerback Brandon Boykin.
Another issue is whether the Eagles will be able to avoid so many injuries. Kelly's sports science program worked wonders in 2013, but it's not practical to assume that the Eagles can remain so healthy in 2014, particularly on the offensive line.
With a more challenging schedule, a quarterback who probably overachieved and a coach who is no longer going to take the NFL by surprise, the Eagles look like a prime candidate to regress at least somewhat in 2014. But they're also a young team that will be one year more experienced on both sides of the ball. Who knows? Maybe the Eagles will take that next step and turn into one of the league's elite teams.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
