5 Positions Philadelphia Eagles Must Still Address Before 2015 Season

The NFL offseason is winding down, but the Philadelphia Eagles are far from finished addressing needs across their roster. Free agency and the draft went a long way toward filling holes, but there are still questions as the club begins to shift its focus toward the season ahead.

Head coach Chip Kelly was aggressive in his first foray into the world of personnel decisions, which allowed him to accomplish a lot. However, there are some areas that remain unsettled and others that simply went under-addressed—all of which could use some extra attention before the Eagles hit the field for opening day.

Unfortunately, there's not much Kelly can do about it now. By and large, Philadelphia will have to go with what it has at most positions, so in several cases, it's merely about finding the right people for the job. That being said, the front office will also have to keep an eye out for any help it can pluck off the free-agent scrap heap.

There's not going to be much available, but sometimes one man's garbage is another's gold. Here are five areas of the roster or depth chart the Eagles must solidify this summer.

Safety

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The good news is that Philadelphia has plenty of options to start at safety alongside Malcolm Jenkins. The bad news is that none of the choices instill a tremendous amount of confidence and it isn't even close to settled who will win the job.

As of now, the job seems likely to come down to Earl Wolff and Jaylen Watkins—a pair of mid-round selections from the past two drafts—both of whom have minimal NFL experience. Other players in the mix include Jerome Couplin, Ed Reynolds, E.J. Biggers and Chris Maragos—none of whom make for very appealing alternatives.

The Eagles also used a second-round pick on Eric Rowe this year, but the versatile defensive back out of Utah is likely to begin his career at cornerback.

Scary as the thought may be, the idea that the team is going to find anybody better than Wolff or Watkins at this point in the offseason is unlikely—Biggers was the best the club could do in free agency. However, it couldn't hurt to keep looking.

Regardless, if nothing else, the Eagles have the unenviable task of figuring out which of these players is going to hold down the fort in 2015. Godspeed, Coach Kelly.

Cornerback

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While we're at it, cornerback is an area that still needs some attention. Not in the form of players, as Philadelphia signed three defensive backs and drafted three more this offseason. For the first time in a long time, there is more than enough talent at the position.

That being said, the Eagles will need to address which players are playing where. Who's going to start opposite Byron Maxwell, and who will line up in the slot?

The front-runner to start may be Rowe, but the Birds also signed Walter Thurmond during the offseason with the expectation that he would compete for the opening. And if Rowe earns the job, does Thurmond then have an opportunity to beat out Brandon Boykin to become the nickelback? Will sixth-round rookies JaCorey Shepherd out of Kansas and Randall Evans out of Kansas State compete for playing time anywhere?

Philadelphia must also address whether or not Boykin will even be with the team. According to NFL.com's Dan Hanzus, NFL Media insider Ian Rapoport reported that the nickel cornerback was on the trade block as of draft weekend. Boykin is in the final year of his contract and is unlikely to re-sign as long as his role is limited.

So addressing the cornerback position for the Eagles doesn't necessarily mean adding players. It means finding the right mix—and perhaps subtracting players as well.

Outside Linebacker

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Connor Barwin and Brandon Graham are outstanding starters, which causes many people to overlook the depth issues Philadelphia has at outside linebacker. If either Barwin or Graham was to go out for an extended period of time, the Eagles would be in trouble.

The players behind them are question marks. 2014 first-round pick Marcus Smith could barely get on the field as a rookie, but he is the top reserve here by default. Bryan Braman is purely a special teams contributor. Travis Long spent the past two years on Philly's roster, but he has yet to play so much as a snap in the NFL.

The Eagles have a number of interior linebackers who could see some action on the outside, including Mychal Kendricks, Kiko Alonso, Brad Jones and third-round selection Jordan Hicks. That being said, 240-pound defenders working against 300-plus-pound offensive linemen on a consistent basis does not sound like a recipe for success.

Unless Smith or Long makes a big leap in 2015, the Eagles are in serious trouble should anything happen to Barwin or Graham. Philadelphia vice president of player personnel Ed Marynowitz better scour the waiver wire this summer because this defense still needs some help.

Offensive Line

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Those of us who are concerned about Philadelphia's offensive line are beginning to sound like a broken record, but the facts are the facts.

The unit has battled injuries in two of the past three seasons, and the depth struggled on both occasions. Three of the five projected starters are in their 30s, so injuries and declines are likely. And the Eagles haven't used a draft pick on an offensive lineman since selecting Lane Johnson fourth overall in 2013, so there's no pipeline of promising young prospects to replace them.

That being said, this is one area where it's going to be next to impossible for the Eagles to address at this stage. It's not an area where you're likely to feel comfortable about picking up another team's trash. Unless LSU offensive lineman La'el Collins' name is cleared in an ongoing double-murder investigation (in which he's not a suspect) and the undrafted first-round talent chooses to sign with the Birds over 32 other teams, no help is on the way.

Update: Collins signs with the Dallas Cowboys, per Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Ultimately, Collins is not somebody Philadelphia could depend on winding up with, which means the team will have to make the best of the situation with an aging offensive line and a bunch of developmental backups. If everybody stays relatively healthy, the Eagles should get by. But with just one or two injuries, the potential is there for the unit to be exposed.

Quarterback

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Philadelphia doesn't need another quarterback for 2015. Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez and either Matt Barkley or Tim Tebow will be among the three carried on the roster.

That being said, there's a tremendous amount of uncertainty in that group. With Bradford entering the final year of his contract, will he and the Eagles be able to agree on an extension? Will Bradford—coming off back-to-back torn ACLs—even be healthy enough and prepared to fend off Sanchez for the starting job?

The same goes for Barkley and the third-string job. Can he hold off Tebow, who isn't nearly as able a passer but could gain momentum for the emergency job if proposed rule changes to the extra point make the two-point conversion more en vogue?

The Eagles have plenty of questions to address to determine who the three signal-callers will be. Until—and unless—Kelly can provide some clarity to the situation under center in 2015, it's difficult to envision this team competing for a Super Bowl.