Philadelphia Eagles: Chip Kelly Displays Brilliant Genius This Offseason

Love or hate Chip Kelly, one has to respect the fearlessness he exudes when he makes decisions. The Philadelphia Eagles have been the most aggressive team in the NFL this offseason as far as reshaping their roster, especially since free agency opened on Tuesday, March 10.

Kelly wants to win badly, as he has more than just his job on the line. Everything he is about—his up-tempo offense, high-intensity practices and everything else that he embodies—will be laughed out of the professional game and back to college if he fails.

People want to see him fail, and he is doing everything in his power to not give them that satisfaction.

The Eagles were not good enough last year for Kelly's taste—they went 10-6 for a second consecutive year but failed to make the playoffs—so drastic changes have been made.

The first block fell back on March 4, when ESPN reported that the Eagles had traded All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for linebacker Kiko Alonso.

McCoy was the NFL's third leading rusher in 2014, while Alonso missed the entire season with a torn ACL. The deal seemed like highway robbery at the time, but Kelly had a plan.

The Eagles lost another talented playmaker only a few days later when receiver Jeremy Maclin decided to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs instead of remain in Philly. Maclin is coming off of a career year in 2014 in which he caught 85 passes for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns, but the Eagles were not willing to match the $11 million the Chiefs ended up paying him. 

According to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Eagles were only willing to pay $9 million and ultimately did not budge from that number even when the Chiefs offered more.

What the subtraction of those two playmakers did do for the Eagles, however, was give them a huge supply of cap space to pursue other free agents. 

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Then, the Eagles traded quarterback Nick Foles and two future draft picks to the St. Louis Rams for former first overall pick quarterback Sam Bradford and a fifth-round pick in the 2015 draft.

The Eagles seemed to get the short end of this trade as well. Foles thrived in Kelly's system in 2013—throwing an incredible 27 touchdowns with only two interceptions—while Bradford has battled injuries throughout his career and hasn't yet reached the hype that followed him out of college.

So those three decisions by Kelly left the Eagles without their quarterback, running back and best wide receiver from last year's squad.

Luckily Kelly had just begun wheeling and dealing.

Sports Illustrated reported on March 8 that Frank Gore was going to sign with the Eagles. At the time, Gore seemed like he would be McCoy's replacement and the Eagles would be fine.

However, McCoy says he told Gore not to sign with the Eagles, and whether or not that is the truth, ESPN.com's Adam Schefter reported later that Gore was getting cold feet on the deal.

Whatever the case, Gore ended up signing with the Indianapolis Colts and the Eagles were once again without a true every-down back. 

But then Kelly pulled the trigger on former San Diego Chargers running back Ryan Mathews, signing him to a three-year deal worth $11.5 million contract, according to ESPN. Even with his injury history, Mathews is a proven commodity and has the potential to be a solid playmaker.

Incredibly, Kelly was still not done.

On Thursday, the Eagles signed 2014 NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray. They gave him quite a bit of money—$42 million to be exact—but they had plenty of cash to spend since they got rid of McCoy's large contract and passed up on giving Maclin a raise.

And the trade for Bradford might have benefited them too in a way not many think of. Both Bradford and Murray went to the University of Oklahoma, where they were roommates and are still friends. According to David Weinberg of the Press of Atlantic City, Bradford was actively recruiting Murray to Philadelphia.

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Now, the Eagles offense doesn't look half bad. They have a former No. 1 overall pick at quarterback and three star running backs in Murray, Mathews and Darren Sproles. With the way running backs are getting hurt these days, especially in Kelly's run-oriented offense, it is impossible to have too much depth at the position.

While the receiver crop looks slim, the Eagles still have reliable wideouts Jordan Matthews and Riley Cooper as well as former Oregon Ducks Jeff Maehl and Josh Huff. And in Kelly's offense, having Pro Bowl wide receivers is more of a luxury than a necessity.

Also, Sproles is so quick and so good out of the backfield that Kelly might line him up in the slot more this year. Even if you dislike Kelly, you can't help but note that he is an offensive guru who is very creative when it comes to getting his speedsters the ball.

So the Eagles will look like a much different team when they open up the 2015 regular season. But different is not always a bad thing.

In this case, I think it will be a positive thing.

And if the Eagles are not sold on Bradford or Mark Sanchez under center, they can always pursue Marcus Mariota. Not only is he a phenomenal signal-caller, he also played for Kelly at Oregon and knows his system well.

We know how much Kelly loves Ducks on his team. There are currently 10 former Oregon players on the roster.

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Kelly told Fox Sports that they won't "mortgage" their future on Mariota, but when it gets right down to it, anything can happen.

If the Eagles happen to trade up to acquire Mariota, outstanding. But even if they don't, Bradford has a chance to resurrect his career in a system that is very favorable to quarterbacks.

If Mark Sanchez was able to put up solid numbers as an Eagle last year, then Bradford should be able to do even better.

Whatever happens, it won't be because Chip Kelly didn't do everything in his power to put the best possible product on the field.

Maybe he is arrogant, or maybe he favors Oregon players too much, but he is a coaching genius who has set himself up with three terrific running backs, a quarterback with all the potential in the world, a solid offensive line and an above-average defense.

I think the Eagles make the playoffs this year, and as the Kelly tenure ages, they just might bring a Lombardi Trophy to the city of Brotherly Love.