Philadelphia Eagles' Bargain Guide to the 2015 Offseason

The Philadelphia Eagles, like every NFL team with the space under the salary cap to do so, will undoubtedly attempt to make a splash in free agency this March.

Unfortunately, as some players re-sign with their current teams, the list of top names set to enter the market will grow thin, and the bidding will grow fierce for the few potential stars remaining.

Even if the players were available and the Eagles wanted to, it simply isn’t feasible to make blockbuster signings at every position. Every team has to shop for bargains from time to time, and the Birds will be no different in 2015.

Of course, scouring the rack for discounts doesn’t necessarily mean quality players can’t be unearthed. Not so long ago, in 2013, outside linebacker Connor Barwin from the Houston Texans fit the bill as a “bargain” for the Eagles, and check how that turned out.

Barwin finished fourth in the NFL with a career-high 14.5 sacks this past season, earning an invitation to his first Pro Bowl.

Of course, for every true bargain teams find, there are plenty of others that don’t work out. For instance, nobody is going to miss cornerback Bradley Fletcher, also signed in 2013 from the St. Louis Rams, who was burnt to a crisp by just about every top receiver in the NFL this past season.

Nevertheless, discount shopping is a reality for every team in the league on some level, and the Eagles will no doubt be back at it again this offseason.

With that in mind, we look into what could be some of the hottest finds on the free-agent market for the franchise that’s operating on a budget.

Davon House

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No doubt, the Eagles would love to make a free-agent splash at cornerback in the form of Seattle’s Byron Maxwell or San Francisco’s Chris Culliver. Of course, it remains to be seen whether either player will actually reach free agency, and even if they both do, there will be a bidding war for their services.

One way or another, Philadelphia needs help on the outsides. Bradley Fletcher, mercifully, is a free agent himself, while Cary Williams could be a cap casualty and is entering the final year of his contract to boot. The club will look to the draft, but the Eagles need at least one player who could potentially step in and play immediately.

If all else fails, the team could look for a low-risk/high-reward option such as Davon House of the Green Bay Packers. The fourth-year veteran was unable to ascend to the role of full-time player behind the solid duo of Sam Shields and Tramon Williams, but he has started 14 games over the past three seasons, lining up both outside the numbers and in the slot.

House has a lot going for him. He’ll turn just 26 this summer. He’s got the long, tall frame the Eagles tend to seek at the position at 6’0”, 195 pounds. According to Pro Football Focus, opposing quarterbacks posted a 76.6 passer rating when throwing in his direction in 2014—26th among 116 qualifying corners.

Most of all, given his relative inexperience, House would come cheap. Nobody is suggesting that should be the Eagles’ aim while filling what is clearly the most glaring hole on the roster, but if all else fails, this young man may be worth a shot.

Pernell McPhee

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Somewhat flying under the radar amid the monumental need to upgrade the secondary and Marcus Mariota fever in Philadelphia is a looming situation at outside linebacker.

Trent Cole will not be back in 2015 at his current cap hit of $11.625 million, per Spotrac, and he’ll be 33 this year regardless.

The Eagles are trying to work out a new deal with Brandon Graham, but he might opt to become a free agent instead. And 2014 first-round pick Marcus Smith barely contributed as a rookie and appears nowhere near earning an opportunity to start.

If the club can’t negotiate a sensible deal with Cole and it fails to keep Graham from taking a walk, Philadelphia’s defense very suddenly will be hard up for a pass-rusher. And with the money the Birds are expected to invest in the secondary and extending their own players, going after a high-end player in free agency may not be entirely feasible.

Should the Eagles find themselves in a pinch, they may need to seek a low-cost/high-upside replacement, and Pernell McPhee from the Baltimore Ravens might be just the guy.

Not unlike Graham, McPhee has been stuck in a situational role for much of his career—the four-year veteran has just six career starts—but he is coming off his most productive season yet with 7.5 sacks, four pass breakups and a forced fumble.

Even if only one of Cole or Graham returns, McPhee might make for quality depth at a somewhat reasonable cost. A 2011 fifth-round pick out of Mississippi State, McPhee hasn’t been a consistently great pass-rusher throughout his NFL career, but if nothing else, he’s proven as a quality situational player.

Akeem Dent

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Can the Eagles afford to head into 2015 with DeMeco Ryans penciled in as the starting interior linebacker alongside Mychal Kendricks? The same Ryans who will be 31, coming off his second Achilles injury, is entering the final year of his contract and isn’t necessarily an ideal every-down linebacker in a 3-4 defense to begin with?

It seems the Birds may need insurance, especially if Casey Matthews leaves the nest via free agency. Najee Goode and Travis Long will be returning from season-ending injuries, but neither is a proven commodity in the NFL.

The fact that Emmanuel Acho couldn’t score playing time over Matthews suggests he’s not the option, either.

Akeem Dent, on the other hand, did an OK job filling in as an inside backer for the Houston Texans in ’14. A third-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons in 2011, Dent wound up starting seven games this past season.

It was his first year in a 3-4, and while he didn’t make many big plays—just one sack, no pass breakups or interceptions, no forced fumbles—metrics site Pro Football Focus gave him a positive cumulative grade for the season.

Dent may not be the answer, but it’s going to be hard to find somebody through free agency who can compete for a starting job and won’t be concerned about potentially being buried by Ryans.

Dent will be 28 this year, and he now has experience in a similar system and is at a point in his career where he has to work for every opportunity. Even if he only provides depth, adding him into the mix for training camp doesn’t sound like a bad idea.

Jake Locker

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Barring an unlikely fall down the draft board or a miraculous trade up by the Eagles, Nick Foles is likely to return as the club’s starting quarterback in 2015.

And seeing as this isn’t a particularly deep draft class at the position, it may not be wise to entrust a mid-round rookie to a backup job, not to mention an unproven Matt Barkley.

Rather than blow a high selection on a passer who is not and likely never will be pro-ready, the Eagles could instead to go the reclamation route like they did with Mark Sanchez in ’14. As it turns out, there may be a perfect fit on the free-agent market.

The Tennessee Titans selected Jake Locker eighth overall in the 2011 draft. It was a mistake then, and it’s a mistake now, but if you squint hard enough, you can almost see what the front office was thinking. Size. Arm strength. Mobility. In terms of measureables, there’s nothing not to like about Locker.

Unfortunately, he’s a little rough around the edges. Locker has never completed better than 60.7 percent of his passes in four NFL seasons. His career passer rating is 79.0, and he has just four more passing and rushing touchdowns (32) than interceptions and fumbles lost (28).

Oh, and all the time he spends holding on to the football, running around trying to make a play has led to plenty of injuries, leading Locker to make just 23 professional starts.

That being said, if anybody can fix Locker, it’s Eagles head coach Chip Kelly. He made Sanchez look like a serviceable backup, if not a transition starter for some team looking to bridge the gap for a season. Add in the fact that Locker’s stock is in the toilet, and it shouldn’t cost much more than $1 million to lure him to Philly.

Locker is only 27, so while he still has many of the same flaws that made him a questionable prospect coming out of the University of Washington, it’s not as if there’s nothing left in the tank.

If it doesn’t work out in the draft, Locker could be the perfect candidate to battle Barkley for that No. 2 job behind Foles.

Nate Allen

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On one hand, the Eagles simply have to cut their losses and move on from Nate Allen at some point. Sure, he was a second-round pick. Sure, he has five years in with the organization, two in defensive coordinator Bill Davis’ system. Regardless, you can’t wait for the guy to come around forever.

In many respects, Allen has improved tremendously over the past two seasons. He has become a generally sound tackler, usually takes smart angles to ball-carriers and isn’t a complete liability most weeks.

Statistically, he posted his best year as a pro in ’14 with one sack, one forced fumble, five pass breakups and a personal-best four interceptions.

However, Allen’s total lack of instinct playing “center field” in the secondary leaves a lot to be desired in ’15. Plus, if his lack of playmaking ability wasn't enough, he spaced on way too many plays, a huge reason why Philadelphia led the NFL in completions of 40 yards or more—three more than the next team.

That’s all well and good, but there’s just one problem—who’s supposed to replace him? No doubt, the Eagles are targeting some names in free agency, but not everybody who’s on the list now will ultimately be available in March.

Even the ones who are may opt to sign elsewhere, for more money from teams who are willing to spend big bucks on the safety position.

If worst comes to worst, the Eagles could try to bring Allen back on another one-year contract and squeeze one last campaign out of him. Maybe he could even compete with third-year player Earl Wolff for the job, or some high draft pick that will no doubt be brought in.

It’s not an ideal scenario, to say the least, but it certainly wouldn’t cost the organization a ton of money, that’s for sure.