5 Philadelphia Eagles in Line for Increased Roles in 2015

It's been a wild two weeks for the Philadelphia Eagles, starting with the shocking trade of LeSean McCoy for Kiko Alonso March 3 and ending with the workout of veteran quarterback Tim Tebow Monday.

In between, the Eagles practically gutted their roster, as Chip Kelly traded Nick Foles to the St. Louis Rams for Sam Bradford, signed DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews, lost Jeremy Maclin to Andy Reid's Kansas City Chiefs and signed Byron Maxwell. 

Lost in the wild ride of free agency is the actual NFL draft, which occurs in just six weeks and may or may not feature the Eagles trading many draft picks over the next few seasons for the right to draft Heisman quarterback Marcus Mariota, who, by the way, played for Chip Kelly at Oregon. 

But whether the Eagles do or don't draft Mariota, they've got a number of holes to fill on both sides of the ball. The big question, of course, is whether they take a chance on a number of players currently on their team to fill these holes or if they draft replacements. 

The following five slides will highlight a number of players poised to take the next step forward for the Eagles in 2015, assuming, of course, they're not packaged in a trade during this offseason. 

Josh Huff

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To call Josh Huff's rookie season a disappointment would be a massive understatement. Don't forget, after all, that this was the Year of the Rookie Receiver. When you remember that Huff also attended Oregon and should be relatively familiar with the Eagles offense, his brutal first year raises major question marks about his future. 

He caught just eight passes and dropped four more, per Pro Football Focus. He also fumbled twice on 22 touches, which includes his work as a kick returner. 

However, there's room for optimism based on a few moments Huff showed here and there throughout the season, notably a franchise-record 107-yard kick return touchdown to open the game against the Tennessee Titans in Week 12. He also turned in a spectacular 44-yard catch-and-run against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15.

With great speed and explosiveness after the catch, Huff will likely open the season as the Eagles' fourth receiver behind Jordan Matthews, Riley Cooper and a rookie. However, if Kelly does manage to land Marcus Mariota in the draft, he'll reunite an Oregon connection that tallied 62 catches for 1,140 yards and 12 touchdowns during the 2013 college football season. 

Even if Bradford is the quarterback, it's a virtual certainty that Huff will finish with more than the eight catches for 98 yards and zero touchdowns that he collected during the 2014 season. 

Trey Burton

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The most obvious roster cut for the Eagles this offseason was veteran tight end James Casey, who was scheduled to earn $4 million in 2015. For a 30-year-old who really hadn't seen much playing time on offense during his two seasons in Philadelphia, this was an easy decision for Chip Kelly. 

In Casey's place will be Trey Burton, an undrafted free agent tight end signed by Kelly prior to the 2014 season. Burton played in just six snaps during his rookie year, ironically carrying the ball on five of those plays, all in the fourth quarter of the shutout win against the New York Giants. 

Burton, who resembles Casey in the sense that he can line up at running back, fullback, in the slot or at tight end, feels like a high probability to at least touch the ball 15 or 20 times during the 2015 season. Depending on what happens with the Eagles at wide receiver, Burton may have a more significant role than you'd expect. 

Matt Tobin

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Although rookie offensive lineman Matt Tobin was the highest-rated offensive lineman in the NFL during the preseason, per Pro Football Focus, the 24-year-old failed to carry over his success into the regular season. 

After injuries at both guard positions thrust Tobin into a starting spot for seven games, he was shown to be overmatched by interior defensive linemen across the NFL. In 535 snaps, about half a season, he allowed a sack and 11 hurries, per Pro Football Focus.

His worst game came against the St. Louis Rams and powerful defensive tackle Aaron Donald, showing that Tobin is essentially a typical rookie offensive lineman who struggles against inferior competition. 

The Eagles are high on Tobin, and he figures to be in play for a starting job at right guard this season with Todd Herremans now on the Indianapolis Colts. If the Eagles end up trading Evan Mathis, expect Tobin to earn one of the two starting guard spots on the line. Oh, and he can play tackle, too, meaning he has four of the five offensive line positions covered. 

Jaylen Watkins

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The first pick of the fourth round in the 2014 draft, Jaylen Watkins was said to have the ability to play both cornerback and safety. Yet the former Florida star never really got the chance to play as a rookie, participating in just 31 snaps during the season, all in the season's final game, per Pro Football Focus. 

Heading into the 2015 season, it's unclear exactly what his role will be. Byron Maxwell will be the No. 1 cornerback. Walter Thurmond, Brandon Boykin and Nolan Carroll figure to be the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 cornerbacks in some order.

So that leaves Watkins as the fifth corner for the second straight season. But if the Eagles move Watkins to safety, he could be anywhere from a possible starter next to Malcolm Jenkins to added depth.

The point is that Watkins, who showed some positive signs during his lone appearance of the 2014 season, was drafted with pick No. 101 to prove that he has the ability to fix one of the league's most overmatched secondaries. 

Jerome Couplin

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There's plenty not to like about Jerome Couplin, the safety the Eagles signed late in the 2014 season. He played for three teams last year: the Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia. He's not very good in coverage, and he's far from a sure thing to even make the 2015 roster for the Eagles.

But in the event that Couplin does get noticed, it's likely going to be because of his speed and freakish wingspan. Couplin ran a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash, and his 81-inch wingspan is greater than any player drafted within the last two seasons. That's definitely going to be appealing for any coach obsessed with great athletes, as Kelly has shown over the past few seasons.

The Eagles have no idea who will be their other starting safety this season, as Earl Wolff, Ed Reynolds and Couplin are all in the mix as of now. Wolff hasn't been able to stay healthy, and Reynolds couldn't even make the roster as a fifth-round pick last season. Couplin, just 23, has a chance to become a promising player in this league.