7 Philadelphia Eagles Who Could Compete for Bigger Roles in 2015
If the Philadelphia Eagles are going to take the next step and win their first game under head coach Chip Kelly’s direction in 2015, they’ll need the help of free agents and draft picks. Plus, they’ll almost certainly require the growth and development of a few players who are already on the roster.
Yes, it’s true the Eagles must go out and improve the team with new acquisitions. However, at some point it would be nice if a few of the players who were already signed or drafted and have been in the program for a year or two would turn into contributors or perhaps even fill some holes.
It’s not as if there isn’t any young talent on the roster with hope and promise. That being said, this could be a make-or-break offseason for several fringe players in terms of whether or not they’re going to play bigger roles and be part of a better future in Philadelphia.
Ahead, we take a look at seven key players who could compete for bigger opportunities in the year ahead, and why it’s so important they push for these jobs.
Earl Wolff
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Assuming Nate Allen is allowed to depart via free agency—and even in the event Philly re-signs him—the Eagles need a safety. Of course, if it were that simple, the club probably wouldn’t have been forced to retain Allen last offseason.
The hope was 2013 fifth-round pick Earl Wolff was going to compete for the starting job. Unfortunately, injury derailed a true position battle. After appearing in 11 games and starting six as a rookie, Wolff only managed to get on the field for 77 snaps this season, according to Football Outsiders, before being placed on injured reserve to undergo mini-microfracture surgery on his knee.
No doubt, the Eagles would prefer to solidify the position once and for all. However, the possibility exists for another stopgap to fill in if things don’t fall just so in free agency and in the draft. In that case, a healthy Wolff theoretically could come back and compete with a mid-level veteran or draft pick.
At least Wolff has some NFL experience and actually performed quite competently, if unremarkably, in ’13. He just needs to get healthy, at which point he could have some role in Philly’s defense.
Josh Huff
2 of 7
The fact of the matter is the Eagles aren’t likely to cut Riley Cooper this offseason. To do so, the club would have to eat $6.4 million in dead money against the salary cap, according to Spotrac, in addition to finding and paying someone to replace him.
All things considered, Cooper may be a replacement-level talent, but he’s not altogether worthless. Besides, the Birds can sprinkle in second-year wideout Josh Huff in Cooper’s place to get more dynamic on the outside.
Huff wasn’t overly involved in the offense in his rookie year, but the third-round pick flashed explosiveness. His franchise-record 106-yard kick return was one of the team’s plays of the year, while a 44-yard catch-and-run where he stiff-armed one defender and ran away from another showed burst and physicality. Oh, and the kid really gets after it in the blocking game too.
Unfortunately, miscues—particularly some key drops and a turnover—marred an otherwise quiet rookie year. If Huff can clean those up, though, he just may wind up stealing playing time from Cooper as long as the veteran’s production doesn’t improve.
Jaylen Watkins
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Everybody knows the Eagles must upgrade the cornerback position. What often goes overlooked is the possibility that a hidden gem exists on the roster.
Jaylen Watkins entered his rookie season with the expectation that it would be a redshirt year for him. Of course, nobody realized how badly Bradley Fletcher would struggle, which reflected negatively on everybody who couldn’t replace him. So Watkins' not lining up for a single defensive snap prior to Week 17 didn’t say a lot for the Florida product’s development.
That, of course, isn’t fair at all. Watkins took his lumps in that game against the New York Giants, but for the most part he held his own. He also cracked the active list as a special teams contributor three weeks earlier, so his role on the team was expanding.
It seems unlikely Watkins would go from being barely utilized to competing for a starting job. That being said, don’t be surprised if he starts popping up in nickel and dime packages or is one of the first men off the bench in the event of an injury. Watkins is the only corner currently on the roster signed beyond 2015, so the organization sort of needs him to bring something to the table.
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Trey Burton
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James Casey isn’t returning in 2015, at least not at a $4 million base salary, according to Spotrac. He never seemed particularly thrilled with his role after signing as a free agent in 2013 either, so the notion that he would take a pay cut to stay seems unlikely.
With all of that in mind, it would appear the Eagles are about to have a vacancy at the No. 3 tight end—or will they? Trey Burton is already on the roster and one of the club’s better special teamers to boot. Why couldn’t the undrafted free agent out of Florida fill the void left from Casey’s departure?
Burton finished seventh on the team in special teams tackles, which is one more reception than Casey registered in two seasons with the Birds. And while Casey is a pretty good special teams player himself, I’m sure the club can make do.
Plus, Kelly likes Burton’s versatility. That’s why the rookie tight end was taking five handoffs to help run out the clock in a Week 6 victory over the New York Giants. He’s a little undersized at 6’3”, 235 pounds, so he’s not necessarily going to be the extra blocker Casey was, but he could be far more dangerous as a ball-carrier or receiver.
Najee Goode
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The Eagles are in a bit of a jam at interior linebacker, specifically as it relates to DeMeco Ryans. He is owed $6.9 million in 2015, but he will be 31 and coming off his second Achilles injury. Who knows if and when he will be ready to play at this point?
Of course, interior linebacker just happens to be another one of those positions where finding a replacement won’t be easy. Even if Ryans isn’t a perfect fit, he is a two-time Pro Bowler and a leader on defense.
No doubt, the Eagles will look to inject some youth into the position during the offseason, although given their many needs, an in-house replacement might be ideal should one happen to exist. Enter Najee Goode, who was thought to be in line for more playing time in 2014 prior to suffering a torn pectoral in Week 1.
Goode had filled in for Mychal Kendricks at the other interior spot for the better part of two games in ’13 and performed quit capably. Then again, how the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers fifth-rounder would hold up over a full 16-game slate, especially after a lost season of development, is impossible to project.
You have to think the Birds will add competition during the offseason, but don’t forget about Goode. If the coaches felt he would be good enough to relieve Ryans before, even for a handful of snaps per game, they must have been fairly high on the young man.
Matt Barkley
6 of 7
No, Matt Barkley isn’t suddenly going to find himself in a competition for starting quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles. However, he may well find himself in a legitimate battle for the backup job for the first time in his career.
While Kelly has paid lip service to Barkley’s chances at a bigger role during the past two training camps, the 2013 fourth-round selection has been firmly entrenched as the No. 3 signal-caller all along. As a rookie, he was stuck behind Michael Vick and Nick Foles. Last year, he was behind Mark Sanchez.
This time around, the Eagles may not have a better option. Unless they bring back Sanchez, the free-agent market looks like a barren wasteland, while all but a top draft pick would not be a guarantee to beat out Barkley in a competition—and I don’t think Marcus Mariota is walking through that door.
This will be Barkley’s third year in the system, so if he’s ever going to be ready to play, the time is probably now. No doubt, the Birds will bring in somebody to push for the job, but it’s possible, if not likely, Barkley is going to win and work as Foles’ understudy in ’15. That’s no small promotion.
Marcus Smith
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The chances that 2014 first-round pick Marcus Smith is going to jump into a starting role after barely seeing the field as a rookie seem unlikely. The only problem is very little is set in stone at the outside linebacker position.
Trent Cole is a likely cap casualty barring a contract restructure, and even if the Eagles retain the two-time Pro Bowler, how much more can they squeeze out of the 31-year-old as a starter? Meanwhile, his potential replacement could be testing the free-agent market himself in the form of Brandon Graham, who’s coming off a career year in a platoon role.
If both depart, what will the Eagles do then? No doubt sign and/or draft somebody, but of what caliber?
One possibility is the team could move Connor Barwin into Cole and Graham’s “predator” spot—primarily a pass-rushing role—coming off a season in which he recorded 14.5 sacks. That would theoretically allow Smith to take over as the “Jack” linebacker, where a season earlier, Barwin was dropping into coverage a good portion of the time.
One way or another, Smith needs to work his way into a situational role at minimum or risk becoming the bust that many fans already believe he is. At the very least, it would seem he’ll have the opportunity.
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