Philadelphia Eagles: 5 Players Who Should See an Increased Role in 2015

Now that the 2015 NFL draft is over, head coach Chip Kelly has four months to prepare his Philadelphia Eagles for a Week 1 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons.

Kelly didn't land his college quarterback, Marcus Mariota, in the draft, and the Eagles will have to ride with oft-injured Sam Bradford behind center, a former No. 1 overall pick who Kelly believes can do great things in his offense.

Bradford will need some help from other players though, seeing as the 2015 Eagles—particularly the offense—will look much different than the '14 club that set franchise records in points scored. Gone are All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy and Pro Bowl wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, as well as veteran offensive lineman Todd Herremans.

Kelly made some moves during the draft to improve his squad, but he will also be taking a leap of faith that a handful of players can excel in significant roles next season. The following five players are especially crucial to the success of the '15 Birds.

Josh Huff

Michael Perez/Associated Press

Josh Huff essentially redshirted his rookie season in the National Football League. Despite being a third-round draft pick, Huff finished with just eight catches to go with four drops and what seemed like countless mental mistakes. He struggled to get on the field, seeing action in just 210 snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

There’s some hope, though. Huff managed to force six missed tackles among his eight catches; that’s nearly the same number as Jeremy Maclin, who had eight among his 85 receptions. Huff displayed a ridiculous amount of explosiveness and athleticism on his 107-yard kick return against the Tennessee Titans and a 44-yard catch-and-run he had against the Dallas Cowboys.

A starting spot will be available for Huff in 2015 if he wants it. Maclin is gone. Jordan Matthews is arguably the team’s most talented receiver right now, which means the starting spot opposite Matthews could be a competition between Huff and Cooper. Or Chip Kelly may keep Matthews in the slot and play both Cooper and Huff on the outside.

Rookie first-round receiver Nelson Agholor will also be in the mix, but it would be a big disappointment if Huff isn’t a prominent player in ’15. Huff is built like a running back, but he’s a good tackle-breaker and should know the Kelly offense well from his Oregon days.

Allen Barbre

Stephen Morton/Associated Press

The release of longtime Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Todd Herremans opens up a spot at right guard, and the fact that Chip Kelly didn’t address the line at all in the draft suggests he’s comfortable with his depth at the position.

Allen Barbre is the odds-on favorite to win the job, as he’s entering the second year of a three-year deal that he signed prior to 2014. Barbre missed all of last season with an ankle injury that landed him on injured reserve, but there’s reason to believe he can be successful as a full-time player.

Barbre has ideal athleticism for an offensive line position in Kelly’s zone-blocking scheme. Back at the NFL Scouting Combine, Barbre posted exceptional speed times.

"

#Eagles OL Allen Barbre finished 2nd in 40 (4.84), 2nd in 3-cone (7.40), 6th in shuttle (4.63) at '07 Combine. Athletic guy Chip Kelly likes

— Nick Mensio (@NickMensio) June 3, 2014"

If Barbre doesn’t win a job, it’s likely because he lost a camp competition against Andrew Gardner or Matt Tobin, two other depth pieces on the line. Regardless of who does start though, the Eagles are counting on a solid performance from their 2015 right guard.

Brandon Graham

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

The Philadelphia Eagles selected Brandon Graham in the first round five years ago, and they’ve gotten mixed results from him. After a slow start, Graham has come on as of late, excelling as a situational pass-rusher.

The Eagles rewarded Graham with a four-year, $26 million deal, in the process releasing longtime pass-rusher Trent Cole. This will put Graham in the starting lineup for the first time in his career, and while he played well in 524 defensive snaps last season—per PFF, six sacks and 39 quarterback hurries—there’s a big difference between getting to the quarterback on third down and doing it on every down.

The Eagles will be counting on Graham to be a big part of their defense in 2015. A 10-sack season and solid run defense would be a good start.

Byron Maxwell

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

In Seattle, Byron Maxwell was the fourth piece of a Legion of Boom secondary that included Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor. Now, he’s the top cornerback on the Philadelphia Eagles and, at $63 million, one of the highest-paid defensive backs in league history.

Clearly, Chip Kelly sees a boatload of potential in Maxwell, who does have excellent size (6'1", 207 lbs) and the long arms (33 ½") that Kelly covets in his cornerbacks. The Eagles will be expecting Maxwell to be able to thrive as a press corner and hold his own against the NFC East’s top receivers in Dez Bryant and Odell Beckham Jr.

Maxwell will have to do so as the No. 1 cornerback on a secondary that was repeatedly torched—this a year after being an almost-afterthought in a dominant secondary. Maxwell has big shoes to fill in 2015.

Jaylen Watkins

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Outside of Jordan Matthews, there wasn’t a lot of good that came out of the 2014 Philadelphia Eagles draft class.

Fourth-rounder Jaylen Watkins was abysmal as a rookie, seeing action in just 31 defensive snaps and allowing a 145.8 passer rating on throws his way, per PFF. The Eagles will count on Watkins to see a much larger role in 2015, possibly as the nickel cornerback but more likely as a safety.

After all, the starting spot opposite Malcolm Jenkins is up for grabs. It could be Watkins. It could be Earl Wolff, Ed Reynolds, Jerome Couplin or even one of the rookie corners the Eagles drafted. It would be nice, though, to see Watkins step up and fulfill that fourth-round draft status Philly gave him last year.