How Philadelphia Eagles Can Win 2015 NFL Free Agency

The Philadelphia Eagles may have won 10 games last season and set a franchise record for points scored (474), but they have a lot of work to do before they are a legitimate contender in the National Football League.

The long-term quarterback plan is still unknown. The offensive line will soon need an overhaul at multiple positions. And the secondary is lacking the skills of a traditional playoff unit.

The recent power transition within the organization's front office means Chip Kelly should have the final say in which players to add in free agency. The philosophy of the Eagles under general manager Howie Roseman was to sign mid-level players like Malcolm Jenkins or Cary Williams, and hope for success was based largely on coordinator Billy Davis' scheme.

It's doubtful the Eagles sway too much from that plan and break the bank for a Darrelle Revis or Dez Bryant. That being said, though, the '14 Eagles didn't get much contribution—outside of Jordan Matthews—from their rookie draft class.

Adding a handful of starters via free agency may be the best way to improve the team. Here are several moves Kelly should make.

Sign Jeremy Maclin Soon

Contact talks between Jeremy Maclin and the Philadelphia Eagles have reportedly stalled, per ESPN NFL Insider Adam Caplan on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia (h/t Bleeding Green Nation), and that’s not a good sign for this organization.

A year after cutting ties with DeSean Jackson, Kelly needs to retain Maclin. After all, the 26-year-old is coming off a Pro Bowl season in which he essentially duplicated Jackson’s 2013 numbers. Maclin did this fresh off a torn ACL and having gambled on himself in turning down a five-year deal the previous offseason.

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

The dilemma involving Maclin’s contract seems to stem from his having changed agents. If the Eagles are smart, they’ll do whatever it takes to sign Maclin. He’s a valuable member of this offense; unless Kelly is able to acquire either Demaryius Thomas or Dez Bryant in free agency, the team needs Maclin.

Back in 2012, the Eagles re-signed Jackson to a five-year, $51 million extension. It’s reasonable to think Maclin will get that on the open market, and it’s well-deserved.

Restructure Trent Cole's Contract and Let Brandon Graham Walk

Connor Barwin is locked in as the one starting outside linebacker. Opposite him, the Philadelphia Eagles could retain both Trent Cole and Brandon Graham, one of the two or neither.

Cole is a 32-year-old veteran who is scheduled to make $11.6 million against the cap in 2015. Despite his dwindling sack totals (just 17.5 in the last three seasons), Cole is still a productive player. He’s a fine all-around player who plays the run and the pass well.

Still, he has to know he can’t expect to come back at that contract. He’s publicly said he wants to retire an Eagle and that he’s willing to negotiate his contract if that’s what it takes.

A three-year extension that pays Cole $4-5 million per year is reasonable for both sides. Theoretically, that would allow him to play out his last days as an Eagle, while the organization keeps a good defensive player.

Graham’s case is vastly different. A former first-round pick in 2010, he has struggled to shed the bust label, but he’s played well in recent years as a situational pass-rusher. Graham tied his career high with 5.5 sacks in ’14 while notching four forced fumbles. Pro Football Focus rated him as the best 3-4 outside linebacker in terms of pass-rushing productivity.

Graham can look no further than Everson Griffen as to why he could get paid handsomely in an open free-agent market. The Minnesota Vikings rewarded Griffen with a five-year, $42.5 million extension, even letting former All-Pro Jared Allen walk in free agency. Griffen paid the Vikings back with 12 sacks in his first year as a full-time starter.

Stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus

Any team that runs a 4-3 defense has to know Graham can produce if called upon. It’s highly unlikely he returns to Philadelphia, and if the Eagles re-sign Cole, there’s no way Graham is coming back to be a backup again.

Sign Rahim Moore

The Philadelphia Eagles haven’t had a good safety since the days of Brian Dawkins and Quintin Mikell, failing with high draft picks (Jaiquawn Jarrett), mid-round picks (Macho Harris) and veteran free-agent acquisitions (Kenny Phillips and Patrick Chung).

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

Spending a fifth-round draft pick on a player like Earl Wolff won’t give the organization a long-term answer. Free-agent safety Nate Allen is an adequate starter but not a playmaker. It’s time for the front office to spend a little on a safety.

Devin McCourty would be the ideal scenario, but as the best safety on the market, he may command a $10-million-per-year figure that the Eagles won’t want to match. Rahim Moore is a fine consolation prize for the team that rightly passed on Jairus Byrd a year ago.

Even after four NFL seasons, Moore is remarkably still just 24 years old. He’s most well-known for his gaffe in the infamous Mile High Miracle play, but beyond that, he’s a talented safety who can (for the most part) hold his own in pass coverage.

Moore started all 16 games in 2014, intercepting a career-high four passes. He’s young enough that he’s going to command a sizable deal in free agency, but he has the talent that the Eagles need on their defense. A five-year deal worth $30 million sounds reasonable for Moore.

Sign a Free-Agent Cornerback

By now, every Eagles fan has had the pipe dream of signing Byron Maxwell, the free-agent cornerback from Seattle. He would fit the Chip Kelly style of corner—he’s tall (6'1") and lanky with long arms. Maxwell is 26 years old and likely to get paid anywhere from $7-9 million per year in Seattle.

It doesn’t seem likely that the Seahawks will retain him. They will need to extend quarterback Russell Wilson and middle linebacker Bobby Wagner this offseason. They’ve already committed $26.1 million in 2015 to their other three defensive backs, per OverTheCap.com.

Re-signing Maxwell doesn’t seem likely for Seattle. If it does keep him, though—or if another team signs Maxwell—there are other options out there.

Houston’s Kareem Jackson is a former first-round draft pick coming off a season in which Pro Football Focus rated him as the 11th best cornerback in the National Football League out of 108 qualifiers. He is still just 26 years old.

Other candidates include Brandon Flowers, Antonio Cromartie, Perrish Cox and Chris Culliver. The ideal scenario would be Maxwell or Jackson, but regardless, the Eagles need to upgrade the cornerback position through free agency.

Restructure LeSean McCoy’s Contract

There’s been talk that the Philadelphia Eagles can’t bring back both LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin next year. That’s not true at all.

McCoy carries an $11.9 million cap hit, which is a lot of money to pay for any offensive player who isn’t a quarterback. Then again, he is the focal point of the offense, and even a down year by his standards still resulted in 1,300-plus rushing yards and his third Pro Bowl selection.

Maclin would probably command $9-10 million per year, which means the Eagles would be paying close to $22 million combined for their star running back and receiver (although to be fair, Maclin’s first year would probably be about $7 million per year in a prorated deal, so that’s more like $19-20 million for the pair).

It won’t be fair to ask McCoy to take less money after the success he’s had recently, but he should be open to restructuring his contract if the team adds more guaranteed money. The way his deal is currently structured, he can be released now at just $4.4 million in dead money; after next year, there’s very little dead money at all.

In all, McCoy is signed for three more years, but it’s not guaranteed. If the Eagles rework that money to all but guarantee that McCoy is on the roster until that point but subsequently lower the cap hits with a signing bonus, it could work out well for both sides. After all, it would be a shame if the Eagles let go of McCoy just one offseason after ridding themselves of Jackson.