Ranking Philadelphia Eagles' Biggest Offseason Priorities

There's no question that the 2014 Philadelphia Eagles season was a colossal failure. 

The Eagles failed to build off of their surprise NFC East division title in 2013. They lost three straight games after a 9-3 start to become the first team in league history with that record to be eliminated from playoff contention before Week 17. And they experienced notable regression at most positions on the offensive side of the ball, including the most important of them all: quarterback.

It's going to be a long offseason for this team, which has now missed out on the postseason in three of the last four years, dating back to the end of the Andy Reid era. Compare that to the first 12 years of the Andy Reid era, when the team also missed the playoffs just three times.

Despite a general feeling of pessimism surrounding the Eagles right now, they're still a good football team. Their issue, however, is becoming an elite team like the Seattle Seahawks or New England Patriots. 

To do that, here are the five most pressing issues this team has to figure out during this offseason. 

Hire New General Manager

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As you might have heard, the Eagles did a little bit of reshuffling in their front office last week. It's head coach Chip Kelly who now has complete control over all football matters involving the Philadelphia Eagles. General manager Howie Roseman was promoted to VP of Football Operations, but it's essentially a demotion, as he lost his role of scouting players and signing free agents. He is in charge of just the salary cap now, something he's perfected throughout his tenure with the Eagles.

Unfortunately, his skills as a scout won't be utilized, and it's a shame because it's Roseman who has helped Kelly on a number of draft-day decisions. He talked Kelly out of drafting Jordan Matthews in the first round and Taylor Hart in the third round. 

Kelly will be hiring a general manager of his own to replace Roseman, a search that has already begun. Eagles assistant director of player personnel Ed Marynowitz, Lions vice president of pro personnel Sheldon White and Chiefs director of player personnel Chris Ballard have all been named as candidates. 

Whomever Kelly hires will have to quickly learn the way the head coach thinks because it's unclear how much power Kelly's new hire will have. 

Re-Sign Jeremy Maclin

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Jeremy Maclin was the biggest individual success story for the Eagles during the 2014 season. 

Fresh off a torn ACL, Maclin turned down a five-year deal from the Eagles last offseason, essentially gambling on himself with a one-year deal. It's safe to say that Maclin won the bet, as the former first-round pick turned in easily the best season of his six-year NFL career.

Maclin established himself as a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver, replacing DeSean Jackson and catching 85 passes for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns. 

Only 27 years old in May, Maclin is a vital part of Chip Kelly's offense. The combination of Maclin, Jordan Matthews and hopefully Josh Huff has a chance to make some noise next season, especially if the Eagles get improved quarterback play from Nick Foles.

But for now, Maclin is still a free agent. The Eagles have about two months before the start of free agency to work out a deal to keep him in Eagles green, preferably for the remainder of his career. 

With his new job solely devoted to contracts, new VP of Football Operations Howie Roseman has no excuse not to get this one done, especially since Maclin has also stated that he wants to stay in Philly. 

Extend Fletcher Cox, Mychal Kendricks

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It's been almost 10 years, the 2005 draft class, since the Eagles drafted a defensive player who eventually became a Pro Bowler.

That could change next year with two players from the 2012 draft class: defensive end Fletcher Cox and linebacker Mychal Kendricks. 

Cox, just 24, was drafted in the first round in 2012 and established himself as one of the best defensive linemen in the National Football League in 2014. Although he was snubbed for the Pro Bowl, Cox's phenomenal season earned him a second-team All-Pro selection. 

Kendricks, who turns 25 this offseason, might be the most exciting player on the team's defense. A second-round pick in 2012, Kendricks emerged as a force near the end of the 2013 season and carried that success over into 2014, although he did miss five games with a strained calf.

In his last 16 games, Kendricks has recorded 113 tackles, seven sacks, five forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and two interceptions. 

Both Cox and Kendricks are expected to be extremely critical pieces of the defense moving forward, and each is eligible for a contract extension this offseason. It makes sense to lock each up for at least five years, as Cox and Kendricks are both among the top 10 players in the league at their positions. 

It's been since 2008 that the Eagles had an elite defense, but with players like Cox and Kendricks signed to long-term deals, the Eagles are heading on the right track. 

Fix Secondary

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There's no question that the secondary was the most dismal unit of the Eagles during the 2014 season. It's probably why the Eagles missed the playoffs.

As a unit, cornerbacks Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher and safeties Nate Allen and Malcolm Jenkins surrendered 30 touchdowns while collecting just 12 interceptions. Fletcher, in particular, was brutal. Per Pro Football Focus, he allowed an NFL-high 1,072 passing yards to go with nine touchdowns, the second-most in the league.

It's safe to assume that three of the four won't return to the Eagles for the 2015 season. Williams turned 30 in 2014 and is scheduled to earn $8.16 million in 2015, per Eagles Cap. Fletcher is a free agent and undoubtedly won't be re-signed. Allen, also a free agent, was brought back on a one-year deal, and although he recorded a career-high seven turnovers, he will also likely leave in free agency. 

Only Jenkins, signed to a three-year deal before the 2014 season, is expected to return in 2015.

That leaves the Eagles with three new spots in their secondary. Through the draft and free agency, they have some work to do. Then again, it was just two offseasons ago when the Eagles attempted to replace their entire starting secondary through free agency, signing Williams and Fletcher, plus safeties Patrick Chung and Kenny Phillips. 

Some top candidates for cornerbacks include Seattle's Byron Maxwell and Arizona's Antonio Cromartie, while New England safety Devin McCourty (a converted cornerback) makes a lot of sense next to Jenkins in the back of the defense. 

The Eagles should also look at all options through the draft. They've tried and failed on a number of safeties over the years, including Allen, Jaiquawn Jarrett, Earl Wolff and Ed Reynolds. But with the secondary the most crucial upgrade needed this offseason, it's time for the Eagles to use a first-round pick on the position. 

Long-Term Plan at Quarterback

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It's been two full seasons since Chip Kelly was named the Eagles' coach, and he still has no idea who will be his franchise quarterback. 

Kelly started with veteran Michael Vick, transitioned to sophomore Nick Foles and just ended the 2014 season with failed first-round pick Mark Sanchez. Only Foles played well enough to suggest that he warrants consideration as the long-term starter, but his performance in 2013 (27 touchdowns against two interceptions) suffered serious regression in 2014 (13 touchdowns against 10 interceptions).

With Kelly now essentially his own general manager as well as the head coach, expect to hear four months of Marcus Mariota to the Eagles rumors. After all, Kelly's former quarterback at Oregon captured the Heisman Trophy in 2014, establishing himself as the top quarterback in college football. He's projected as the No. 1 overall pick. It's currently the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who hold the pick, and it would take the Eagles a massive haul to move from pick No. 20 to the first slot. 

"

Now that Chip Kelly has full-power over player personnel, I wouldn't rule out #Eagles going for broke to try & trade up for Marcus Mariota.

— Chris Steuber (@ChrisSteuber) January 3, 2015"

After all, three years ago, it cost the Washington Redskins three first-round picks and a second-round pick to move up just four spots, from the sixth to the second pick. It would take an insane number of picks for the Eagles to grab Kelly's college quarterback. 

So if not Mariota, who's it going to be? Is it Foles? It's impossible to determine whether he can be the guy or not. He'll likely be the Week 1 starter in 2015, based on his minimal salary, but it's hard to erase the memory of his poor play in 2014. Then again, can Foles' poor play be attributed to the early-season struggles of McCoy and a depleted offensive line?

This is all stuff Kelly needs to figure out this offseason. He needs to have a legitimate plan to obtain his franchise quarterback, whether it's Mariota, Foles, a possible trade for a player like Robert Griffin III or another rookie quarterback like Brett Hundley.

"

Hundley is one of only 3 QBs in this draft to get a scholarship offer from Chip. Other two are Marcus Mariota and Bryan Bennett. #Eagles

— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) January 5, 2015"

The Eagles have been knocking on the door of NFC relevance for a number of years now. It's time they acquire their franchise quarterback, because without one, it's going to be virtually impossible to overtake a team like Seattle or Green Bay in the NFC playoffs.