Philadelphia Eagles' Offseason To-Do List

Despite a 10-6 record under Chip Kelly, there's no postseason for the Philadelphia Eagles.

A promising 9-3 start came to a crashing halt in December, beginning with a payback loss at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys and concluding with a frustrating 27-24 loss to the lowly Washington Redskins.

There's only the offseason to look forward to in Philadelphia, and there's a lot of work to be done.

Kelly has laid a strong foundation in his first two seasons, but he's still without a playoff victory. He and general manager Howie Roseman will have to evaluate what major moves to make going forward—which veterans to re-sign, which players to move on from and which collegiate players to draft.

It’s no easy formula—and this plan in no means guarantees success—but to keep moving in the right direction, here are a handful of moves the Eagles could make over the ensuing months.

Re-Sign Jeremy Maclin

Michael Perez/Associated Press

Whether the Eagles would admit it or not, they blew it by cutting DeSean Jackson a year ago. He wasn't a struggling veteran at the twilight stage of his career; he was a three-time Pro Bowler in his prime.

Fresh off career numbers with the 2013 Philadelphia Eagles, Jackson put up 1,169 yards and six touchdowns with the Washington Redskins—and did so with three quarterbacks. He averaged a ridiculous 20.9 yards per the catch, and that's the breakaway player the Eagles desperately needed this year.

Jeremy Maclin was a Pro Bowl-caliber player himself, roughly duplicating Jackson's numbers. In his first season back from a torn ACL, he caught 85 passes for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns. Remarkably, he had just one dropped pass, according to Pro Football Focus.

Maclin is hitting free agency, but the Eagles can’t possibly let him go.

They rid themselves of Jackson last offseason; doing the same with Maclin would be ridiculous. Riley Cooper’s struggles opposite Maclin only reinforce the fact that the team needs to keep the good outside receiver they do have.

Maclin’s value might not be as high on the open market as it normally would be for a 26-year-old receiver coming off those numbers. He put up his best numbers in a contract year, he did so under the Chip Kelly offense that got the best from Jackson and '13 Cooper, and he’s not particularly big (6’0”) or fast (4.45 40 speed).

That doesn’t mean Maclin isn’t an integral part of the offense; he is.

If Jackson got five years, $51 million from the Eagles three offseasons ago, Maclin should get about the same. General manager Howie Roseman is a master with the salary cap, and he will likely offer a team-friendly deal that keeps Maclin's year-to-year cap numbers low.

Extend Fletcher Cox and Mychal Kendricks

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Philadelphia could theoretically wait until after the 2015 season to re-sign both Fletcher Cox and Mychal Kendricks, but there’s no point in waiting.

Each player was picked in the 2012 NFL draft, and each has evolved into a dominant player.

Cox is arguably the finest 5-technique end in the league outside of J.J. Watt, and he was a terror down the stretch. From Week 10 through Week 15, Pro Football Focus rated Cox as the second-best player in the league at any position (trailing just Watt).

Cox finished with four sacks, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, 48 tackles, a defensive touchdown and a ridiculous 39 quarterback pressures, per PFF. He also paved the way for Connor Barwin, Brandon Graham and Trent Cole, helping the Eagles' defense amass 49 sacks this season.

Kendricks was a liability in his rookie season, but he’s matured from being an overmatched 4-3 outside linebacker to a future Pro Bowler at 3-4 inside 'backer.

He had four sacks, three forced fumbles, three passes defensed and 62 tackles, rating as PFF’s sixth-best inside linebacker. He has the sideline-to-sideline speed to cover both the pass and stop the run.

Cox will be paid quite handsomely by the Eagles—perhaps less than he would get if he hit the open market—but still, expect a five-year extension worth at least $10 million to $12 million per year.

Kendricks will get roughly $7 million to $8 million, which will still make him among the game's highest-paid inside linebackers.

Restructure Trent Cole's Contract

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

The Eagles have a dilemma with their longest-tenured defensive player, as the 10-year veteran is scheduled to earn $11.6 million against the cap in 2015. That’s a ridiculous amount to pay Trent Cole, but he’s a good enough player that the Eagles will want him back.

Fortunately, it sounds like it will happen.

"

Trent Cole on restructuring contract: "I want to do whatever I can to make things work, and hopefully it results in me being here. ...

— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) December 29, 2014"

What happens with Cole will largely depend on the future of Brandon Graham, but it doesn't seem at all likely Graham will return in 2015 and beyond.

"

Brandon Graham says talks between him and the #Eagles has cooled down the past two weeks.

— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) December 29, 2014

"

Everson Griffen of the Minnesota Vikings is a similar player to Graham; he was an underutilized pass-rushing specialist who earned $42.5 million with the team and then rewarded them with 12.0 sacks.

That could lead an NFL team to think Graham is worth at least that money, and what Graham has on his side is he can play in both a 4-3 and 3-4 defense.

So bringing back Cole remains a must.

Connor Barwin is locked in on the one side, and Cole still has some years left. Pass-rushers can play until they're well into their mid-30s; look at Julius Peppers, Jared Allen and Dwight Freeney as proof.

A three-year extension for Cole with a total value of $20 million sounds reasonable for both sides. This is a deal Howie Roseman will likely work out.

Draft Quarterback of the Future

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

The NFL draft is still a long way away, and while Marcus Mariota looks like the consensus favorite to go first overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, things can happen.

Remember Matt Barkley’s slide? Or Aaron Rodgers, or Brady Quinn or Jimmy Clausen?

If Mariota falls even a few spots, there's a chance the Eagles might trade up to acquire him. If not, it's a good idea for Chip Kelly to do what he needs to do to acquire his quarterback of the future.

Nick Foles has had success in this offense, but his limited mobility suggests he might not be the long-term answer. He’s a fine fit for 2015 on the final year of his contract, but the Eagles need to pick a young, athletic quarterback in the draft to develop.

Possible choices include Brett Hundley, Garrett Grayson, Dak Prescott or Sean Mannion. Other names will surely surface, and you can bet there have at least been internal discussions within the organization about what it would take to acquire Robert Griffin III or Colin Kaepernick (each would have to be via trade).

Whatever happens, the Eagles need to enter next season with a good idea about who their future quarterback is. The reality is it's been two years and it's difficult to get an idea about who will really be this team's franchise quarterback.

Fix Secondary Woes

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

The secondary was one of the biggest problems in keeping Philadelphia from the playoffs, and a complete overhaul might be needed.

Cary Williams is a solid No. 2 cornerback who was miscast as a No. 1; his $8.1 million cap hit makes it unlikely he will return in 2015.

Bradley Fletcher is an impending free agent who played badly enough that he will struggle to get a deal with any team for next year. Veteran Nate Allen quietly turned it up down the stretch, recording four interceptions in the second half of the season, but he’s still a marginal starter.

Malcolm Jenkins dropped substantially too many interceptions, but he still played well overall, rating by PFF as the NFL’s 18th safety out of 88 qualifiers. He’s locked in for the 2015 campaign.

But that means the Eagles still need at least one cornerback and one safety.

Brandon Boykin has thrived as a nickel corner, but defensive coordinator Billy Davis doesn't seem interested in playing him anywhere but against slot receivers.

There are a handful of free-agent cornerbacks the Eagles could target, or they could rely on the draft. Spending a first- or second-round pick on a defensive back is essential considering how porous the secondary was in 2014, especially down the stretch.

There's also the safety position, where the team will have to upgrade, as well.

Earl Wolff hasn’t developed into much of anything, so going quarterback, cornerback and safety in the first three rounds of the draft might be a good idea.