Reassessing Philadelphia Eagles' Offseason Plan and What's Left to Address

The Philadelphia Eagles haven’t made any big splashes in the open free-agent market thus far this spring, but the organization remains committed to following the Chip Kelly way of football.

The surprising release of DeSean Jackson stole the headlines, as it’s not often a team has allowed a player of that caliber to just walk while getting nothing in return. Whether it was because of Jackson’s alleged gang ties or the fact that he just isn’t a good fit in Kelly’s locker room, the Eagles will now put forth a team in 2014 that doesn’t include their dynamic playmaking receiver.

General manager Howie Roseman kept quiet in terms of bringing in players from around the league, signing just free safety Malcolm Jenkins from the New Orleans Saints, dime cornerback Nolan Carroll, and a pair of special teams players in Bryan Braman and Chris Maragos. That means the draft is the best opportunity for Roseman to improve upon current depth chart; the Eagles have picks in every round but the sixth, and it’s said to be the deepest draft class in years.

Repeating as division champions in 2014 will not be an easy task, especially with the Washington Redskins having added Jackson to their receiving corps. If all goes according to the outlined plan, Roseman and Kelly can rest easy knowing that they are the unquestioned favorites to again host a January playoff game.

Rid the Locker Room of DeSean Jackson

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This was Chip Kelly’s biggest and most controversial move of the offseason. The Philadelphia Eagles tried to trade their three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver before ultimately deciding to simply part ways with DeSean Jackson.

Kelly has yet to address the media regarding the situation, and he may not do so at all. The alleged gang ties (per NJ.com) may have contributed to Jackson’s release, but it doesn’t seem as if Kelly was a big fan of Jackson’s personality in the locker room, either. Per Joseph Santoliquito of CBS Philly, reports have indicated Jackson cursed out Kelly in front of the team and was much more concerned with his rap label than winning football games. Jackson’s $12.5 million cap hit for 2014 didn’t help the situation, and it’s likely Kelly may just prefer bigger receivers than the 175-pound Jackson.

Still, Jackson did set career highs with 82 receptions, 1,332 yards and nine touchdowns a year ago, and players of that caliber aren’t normally outright released. This will force Eagles fans to really put their faith and trust in Kelly, who made by far his boldest move as head coach when he jettisoned Jackson.

Signing Replacements at Skill Position Players

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It seems likely that Chip Kelly knew well before he got rid of DeSean Jackson that No. 10 wasn’t coming back in 2014. Kelly re-signed both of his free-agent wide receivers, locking up Jeremy Maclin to a one-year deal and Riley Cooper to a five-year deal.

Maclin has not yet played in Kelly’s offense, as he tore his ACL in summer 2013 and missed the whole campaign. He’s a former first-round pick who has still never caught even 1,000 yards in a season, but he’s a quality No. 2 receiver who will be given the opportunity to excel as the Eagles’ most experienced downfield receiving threat.

Cooper followed three subpar seasons and a training camp experience to forget by breaking out—he hauled in a career-high eight touchdown passes, including three in a win over the Oakland Raiders and two the following week against the Green Bay Packers. His deal is essentially a two-year deal through 2015, but if he’s successful, he will stay on for the ensuing seasons.

The Philadelphia Eagles also added running back Darren Sproles via trade, and he will be a chess piece for Kelly to move around the backfield and in the slot receiver role. Sproles has caught 70 passes each of the last three seasons; he’s one of just three halfbacks in league history to pull off that achievement. He should make the loss of Jackson more bearable.

Extending Soon-to-Be Free Agents

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Howie Roseman has always been a master of the salary cap (save for the dismal "Dream Team" signings from 2011), and he wasted no time in locking up two important offensive linemen.

Jason Peters and Jason Kelce were each set to become free agents after ’14, but Roseman extended each of them to the tune of long-term deals. Peters’ contract was especially smart—the 32-year-old was given a four-year, $41 million deal—but the Eagles can essentially get out of it after the 2015 campaign at little cap penalty.

Kelce, a talented young center and Pro Football Focus’s highest-rated center in 2013, was signed to a six-year extension that looks more like three years when breaking down the figures. That’s good work by Roseman in extending each of those players but still keeping the deals at a bargain price for the Eagles.

Adding Cheap Talent on Defense

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Like the offseason before, Howie Roseman seems to be targeting cheap talent on the defensive side of the ball and hoping that coordinator Billy Davis can maximize their abilities. It’s a ‘batting average’ approach that Roseman employed in 2013; it worked for Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher, and it backfired for Isaac Sopoaga and Patrick Chung.

This year’s signings were free safety Malcolm Jenkins and dime cornerback Nolan Carroll, neither of whom will push the Philadelphia Eagles over the top. Jenkins certainly doesn’t rate well by the analytics at Pro Football Focus, and he’s a first-round disappointment who pretty much agreed to just a two-year deal with the Eagles, which may tell you the organization doesn’t have a lot of confidence in him.

Carroll played very well for the Miami Dolphins a year ago, and he should be the Eagles’ fourth corner behind Williams, Fletcher and Brandon Boykin in ’14. Aside from those two players, Roseman and Chip Kelly didn’t add a single defensive player of note. That means the pair has to be relying exclusively on the draft to improve what was by far the weak side of the ball for the Eagles last year.

Relying on Draft for Young Talent

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The NFL draft is the ideal time for the Philadelphia Eagles to add top players without breaking the bank. A breakdown of the 2015 roster shows the Eagles have an inordinately high number of cap dollars tied up to the players, and general manager Howie Roseman will need to be thrifty in managing the cap.

The Eagles hold the 22nd overall pick, which would be a perfect time to add the best player available—from the defensive side of the ball. Whether it’s a pass-rusher like Dee Ford, a versatile defensive lineman like Ra’Shede Hageman, a cornerback like Darqueze Dennard or a safety like Calvin Pryor, the Eagles need to go defense.

Even with the second-round pick, the best move would be targeting defense. With his third-round selection, Kelly can add a wide receiver that he will surely be craving; Colorado’s Paul Richardson seems to be a similar player to DeSean Jackson should Kelly be interested in that skill set again.

Players like Brandon Graham or Bryce Brown could be viewed upon as potential trade pieces should the Eagles look to ship them somewhere for draft picks.

Giving Nick Foles the Unquestioned Starting Job

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Barring a surprise that sees the Philadelphia Eagles wind up with Johnny Manziel, Chip Kelly has made it abundantly clear that Nick Foles is his quarterback for 2014. Kelly added New York Jets castoff Mark Sanchez and allowed Michael Vick to walk in free agency, meaning the backup spots belong to Sanchez and Matt Barkley, a pair of USC alums.

No one would possibly campaign for Sanchez to start over Foles next year, which means Foles has the support of his head coach after a spectacular Pro Bowl season. Foles is a free agent after 2015 and he could be due for a long-term contract extension following the ’14 campaign, so he will need to follow up 2013 with another strong season.

For now though, Kelly has done his best to surround Foles with the best offense possible (outside of Jackson), and 2014 will be another year for Foles to cement himself as the right quarterback to run this offense.