How Will the Philadelphia Eagles Replace Todd Herremans in 2015?

The Philadelphia Eagles released the longest-tenured member of their team today, as right guard Todd Herremans' time in Philly came to an end after 10 seasons.

Herremans, 32, was scheduled to earn $5.2 million in 2015, per Spotrac. That's a sizable amount for a veteran coming off easily the worst season of his career. Herremans missed the final eight games of the season with a torn biceps plus ankle injuries. He also rated as the 57th-best guard out of 78, per Pro Football Focus.

In comparison, Herremans had been one of the better offensive linemen in the league over the previous seven seasons.

During his time in Philadelphia, Herremans filled in at four different positions: left tackle, left guard, right guard and right tackle. He caught a pair of touchdown passes: one against the Seattle Seahawks in 2008 and another against the Dallas Cowboys in 2010.

His leadership, toughness and versatility will be missed on the 2015 Eagles.

But football is a business, and the Eagles made a decision that many knew was coming. With Herremans now a free agent (and this author predicts he signs with Andy Reid in Kansas City on the first day of free agency), the Eagles have an opening at right guard.

Ironically, just four years ago the Eagles drafted a right guard in the first round of the NFL draft, but Danny Watkins lasted just two miserable seasons in Philadelphia before he was released.

With free agency quickly approaching and the draft just over two months away, the Eagles have a number of options for a replacement. They could look to their current roster. They could spend in free agency. Or they could look to the NFL draft.

Current Roster

There are three players currently on the Eagles' roster who could replace Herremans in 2015: Matt Tobin, Andrew Gardner and Allen Barbre.

Tobin, just 24, joined the team as an undrafted free agent in 2013 and started seven games in 2014. But he didn't play well, allowing a sack, seven hits and 11 hurries with a minus-8.2 rating, per Pro Football Focus. He played both left and right guard in 2014, but he failed to improve as the season went on.

His roster spot is far from secure in 2015.

Another option is Andrew Gardner, who started the final six games of the year at right guard. He played all four positions on the offensive line in 2014, struggling mightily at right tackle but earning a positive-1.1 Pro Football Focus grade at guard. The former sixth-round pick will be 29 in April and had never played a single offensive snap during his previous five seasons.

The final in-house option is veteran Allen Barbre, a versatile tackle/guard who signed a three-year extension before the 2014 season. He opened the season as the starter at right tackle because of Lane Johnson's suspension, but he was lost for the season with an ankle injury after just 33 snaps. For what it's worth, Barbre has played 122 snaps since 2013, and although they've all been at tackle and not at guard, he hasn't allowed a sack, hit or hurry, per Pro Football Focus.

The Eagles really don't know what they have in either Tobin or Gardner, though, and even Barbre is an unknown, although his roster spot is much more secure than the other two. If I had to guess, I'd say Barbre is the most likely starter of these three—followed by Tobin and then Gardner.

Free Agency

But realistically, the Eagles should look to upgrade through free agency or the draft. 

In free agency, there are a number of players the Eagles could look to sign, notably Mike Iupati, Orlando Franklin, Clint Boling and James Carpenter. 

Iupati, the top free-agent offensive lineman, was drafted in the first round by the San Francisco 49ers in 2010. He's been selected to the Pro Bowl in each of the last three seasons, and he's consistently rated as one of Pro Football Focus' top guards, especially as a run-blocker. But Iupati will command big money, and it's unclear if the Eagles will be willing to spend up to $7 million or $8 million per year.

The other big name on the free-agent market is Franklin, a second-round pick by the Denver Broncos in 2011. Franklin played the first three seasons of his career at right tackle before switching to left guard in 2014. He allowed just one sack and eight hurries, rating as the 13th-best guard in the league, per Pro Football Focus.

Franklin, 27, likely wouldn't be as expensive as Iupati, either.

If the Eagles want a mid-range free-agent option, they could look to Cincinnati's Boling or Seattle's Carpenter. Boling, a fourth-round pick in 2011, has earned at least a plus-5.0 grade by Pro Football Focus for each of the last three seasons.

Carpenter, a first-round pick by the Seahawks in 2011, hasn't lived up to expectations as a top pick, but he's a much better pass-blocker than a run-blocker. He also played under current Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland at Alabama, and he was originally recruited to the college by Ed Marynowitz, now the Eagles' vice president of player personnel.

All four free-agent options are in their late twenties, meaning each likely has a few more productive seasons remaining in his career. Incredibly, even if the Eagles were to sign Iupati—a Pro Bowl guard and the top option on the free-agent market—he'd still probably be the fifth-most important member of the Eagles' offensive line.

That's because the Eagles have a top-three left tackle, the best guard, a top-three center and a top-three right tackle.

Draft

The Eagles desperately need help in their secondary, as both starting cornerbacks and one starting safety likely need to be replaced. They could also use another starter at both inside and outside linebacker. But don't underestimate the importance of improving the offensive line. In fact, Eagles beat reporter Jimmy Kempski of Philly Voice calls the offensive line the team's biggest need right now.

Obviously, the Eagles can't spend their first-round pick on an offensive lineman if they make a massive draft trade for Heisman quarterback Marcus Mariota. But if a trade for Mariota doesn't happen, don't be surprised if the Eagles pick Herremans' replacement with the 20th pick in the first round.

In that case, Jake Fisher, who played for Kelly at Oregon, would be the pick. Fisher's impressive Pro Day has NFL.com draft expert Mike Mayock saying he could play left tackle at the professional level. In 2011, though, Fisher began his career at Oregon as a guard. If drafted by Kelly, he could start his career at right guard and later move to right tackle after Lane Johnson replaces Jason Peters at left tackle.

Another option through the draft is A.J. Cann, projected to be a mid-second-round pick by CBS Sports. Cann, however, may lack the ability to play in a zone-blocking scheme or move downfield to make the blocks that Kelly needs from his guards.

Other options include mid-round players such as Florida State's Tre' Jackson or Hobart's Ali Marpet. Per CBS Sports, Jackson is a projected third-round pick, while Marpet is expected to be picked around the fourth round.

Overview

There's always the possibility that the Eagles bring back Herremans on a restructured deal in 2015, but given his injury history and declining ability in recent years, it's highly unlikely that he'll be back for an 11th season in Philadelphia. So the Eagles will need to replace Herremans one way or the other. 

With Spotrac listing the team as having approximately $27 million currently available in cap space, plus a number of other potential roster cuts still to be made, the Eagles will have enough to be big spenders in free agency. With left guard Evan Mathis entering his age-34 season in 2015, the Eagles are likely just a year away from needing a replacement for their other starting guard as well.

That's why it makes sense for the Eagles to sign a starter in free agency and select a potential starter through the draft. The Eagles' offensive line was the recipe for their dominant offense in 2013, which helped LeSean McCoy lead the NFL in rushing.

With four potentially dominant starters returning in 2015, the Eagles need to do everything they can to return to their 2013 form that resulted in the NFC East Division title.