Eagles Free Agents: Ranking Re-Sign Priorities for Philadelphia

Free agency and the draft are hot topics in the NFL to all but the two teams gearing up to play in the Super Bowl, but before the Philadelphia Eagles can add to their roster, they must worry about taking care of their own.

The Birds’ attention in the weeks ahead will shift from scouting to handing out contract extensions and, in particular, re-signing impending free agents before they slink away. In some cases, the decisions are easier than others—Bradley Fletcher? Bye. Nate Allen? So long.—but in other instances, the organization must check its priorities.

It’s not necessarily just a matter of whom to get under contract, but as the clock winds down and free agency is right around the corner, who’s more vital for the future? Because that may be the difference in determining who gets a pact and who winds up reaching the open market.

Fortunately, the Eagles don’t have too many of these difficult decisions ahead. We ranked the club’s top five priorities, but really it’s only the top two they have to worry about.

5. Casey Matthews

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It’s a little hard to believe Casey Matthews actually made it four years with the Eagles, managing to play out his rookie contract. It might be even harder to believe anybody would advocate re-signing him.

Matthews actually performed well for the Birds in 2014, though, starting in 11 games at interior linebacker. He wasn’t especially good, but he wasn’t a total liability, either.

Given the uncertainty surrounding DeMeco Ryans moving forward—the 31-year-old two-time Pro Bowler is coming off his second Achilles injury, for one thing—it wouldn’t be bad to have alternatives on the roster. That could mean a free agent or draft pick, or it could mean Najee Goode or Travis Long returning from season-ending injuries, among other options.

However, Matthews might be able to be retained on a relatively cheap one-year deal. He may not even be guaranteed to make the 53-man roster out of training camp. Regardless, the Eagles’ situation would feel a lot more comfortable with Matthews at least in the mix.

4. Chris Polk

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Chris Polk is a restricted free agent, which means as long as the Eagles tender all but the minimum-level qualifying offer, another team would have to give up a draft pick to sign the running back to a contract. Seeing as a team is unlikely to give anything up for a back with 57 career carries, this should be a piece of cake.

That being said, it’s still a priority. Polk may not have a huge body of work, but as of right now, if LeSean McCoy were to become unavailable for any reason, whom do you think the Eagles would turn to?

Darren Sproles isn’t an every-down back. Barring the introduction of another player, whether it be a veteran or through the draft, Polk is next in line.

Polk gets north and south very quickly and has an aggressive running style that doesn’t shy away from contact. He’s good in short-yardage situations and contributes on special teams as well. Locking the 25-year-old down for another season is a no-brainer, and it might not be a bad thing if he was more involved in the offense, either.

3. Cedric Thornton

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Like Polk, Thornton is a restricted free agent and therefore unlikely to move during the offseason. However, there may be slightly more interest in the defensive end.

Thornton is a two-year starter for the Birds, and a good one at that. In 2013, he ranked second only to J.J. Watt among 3-4 ends in run defense based on metrics from Pro Football Focus, and he followed that up with another strong campaign this past year, finishing 12th.

Thornton is far more limited as a pass-rusher, with just 2.0 sacks over the past two seasons. Still, he more than makes up for it with his quality work limiting opponents on the ground.

Long-term, it’s hard to know exactly what to pay a purely situational player such as Thornton. For one more year at least, however, Philadelphia can keep the 26-year-old on a one-year deal without much, if any, competition from other suitors. Get it done.

2. Brandon Graham

Michael Perez/Associated Press

The Eagles only have one truly difficult decision to make with their own free agents, and that’s when it comes to Brandon Graham.

On one hand, Graham is coming off a career year in which he posted 5.5 sacks and four forced fumbles as a backup. The 26-year-old no doubt sees this free-agency period as perhaps his one big chance to cash in with a huge contract.

According to Derrick Gunn for CSNPhilly.com, the Eagles have offered the outside linebacker a four-year contract worth $6.2 million per season, with $11 million guaranteed. Graham is said to be looking for $30 million total over that length, a whopping $20 million guaranteed.

Graham may need to adjust his expectations ever so slightly, and this is all part of negotiating, but the Eagles have to understand their own situation as well. Trent Cole is a likely cap casualty, and at 32 years old with just 17.5 sacks over the past three seasons, his days as a starter are over. 2014 first-round pick Marcus Smith certainly can’t be trusted to earn a starting job over the offseason when he could barely get on the field as a rookie.

If Graham isn’t back in midnight green, who’s playing outside linebacker? Obviously, the team will have other opportunities in free agency or possibly the draft, but the safe way to go would be to get Graham under contract—especially while he appears to be on the rise.

1. Jeremy Maclin

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As important as it seems the Eagles get Graham under contract, no loss this offseason would be more devastating to Philadelphia than Jeremy Maclin. What offense can afford to lose its No. 1 receiver in back-to-back offseasons?

Maclin had little trouble replacing DeSean Jackson’s production in the feature role, his career-high 85 receptions and 1,318 receiving yards propelling the sixth-year veteran to his first Pro Bowl invite. Maclin’s yardage total and 10 touchdowns were top 10 among all wideouts in the NFL for ’14.

The Eagles would find it hard to replace that kind of production two years in a row. Jordan Matthews had a tremendous rookie season, but he was playing almost entirely inside the slot. And even if Matthews made the move outside, who replaces his production?

Riley Cooper turned out to not be as good as many people believed. Josh Huff, taken one round later than Matthews, flashed some potential but didn’t have nearly the numbers in his rookie year and isn’t guaranteed to play a bigger role.

Simply put, the Eagles need Maclin to keep stability at the wide receiver position, to give Nick Foles or whatever quarterback is manning the ship a top-flight weapon on the outside. The good news is there’s little reason to believe Maclin won’t return after he told Reuben Frank for CSNPhilly.com he expects a deal to get done back in December.

“When the time’s right, it’ll get done,” Maclin said after practice Tuesday. “Both sides have made it clear that they want me to be here. They want me to be here, I want to be here. This is the place I want to be."