Philadelphia Eagles Veterans Who Have Been Put on Notice This Offseason
The Philadelphia Eagles made plenty of additions this offseason. Yet at a certain point, the question frequently becomes this: Will those front-office decisions ultimately lead to subtractions?
Inevitably, the moves every NFL team makes send a message to veterans already on the roster. Oftentimes, the message is that a player's job is on the line, as is presumably the case for many members of the Birds roster.
The following veterans are officially on notice. Anytime between now and training camp, the trade deadline or as late as next offseason, the players on this list will likely be forced to come to terms with the fact that their time in Philly is growing short.
Mychal Kendricks
1 of 5
No, Mychal Kendricks has not been traded—for now, at least. That being said, head coach Chip Kelly’s actions and words have both served to put the talented interior linebacker on notice this offseason.
It wasn’t enough for the Eagles to avoid offering Kendricks a new contract as he enters the final year of his deal. The club had to go out and extend soon-to-be 31-year-old DeMeco Ryans, trade for Kiko Alonso, sign Brad Jones and use a third-round draft pick on Jordan Hicks out of Texas this offseason. With Najee Goode returning from injured reserve and Emmanuel Acho also in-house, those moves appear to be sending a message.
In case that wasn’t clear, however, it’s not as if Kelly attempted to hide his dismay with Kendricks. When pressed about the linebacker’s future back in March, the head coach seemed to focus on injury history, per Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ Advance Media.
"I thought when he was healthy he played really well," Kelly said of Kendricks. "But we missed him for four games. The health aspect of it was a difficult thing."
True, Kendricks has missed at least one game due to injury in each of his three years in the NFL. Then again, despite his absences, Kendricks is one of only three linebackers in the league with at least eight sacks, three interceptions and five forced fumbles over the past two seasons. Regardless, Philadelphia’s recent additions ultimately may mean that the team views the 24-year-old as expendable.
Evan Mathis
2 of 5
The Eagles didn’t draft Evan Mathis’ replacement, nor is anybody waiting in the wings to take over for the All-Pro left guard. That didn’t prevent Kelly from spitting some hot fire in his 33-year-old offensive lineman’s direction this offseason.
Mathis has been the subject of trade rumors for the second offseason in a row, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. So when the draft came and went and Mathis was still on Philadelphia’s roster, this naturally led to a line of questioning. Once again, the head coach didn’t hold back his feelings when discussing the situation, per Geoff Mosher for CSNPhilly.com:
"We haven’t had an offer for Evan so there’s nothing to take. Evan has been available for trade for two years now and we have never had an offer for him. That’s between his agent (Drew Rosenhaus) and him.
They’ve asked for us if he can renegotiate his contract and see what he can get [with another team]. We’ve obliged with them but we’ve never had an offer on him.
"
Those are some harsh words. Not surprisingly, Mathis has yet to report for the voluntary portion of the Eagles' offseason workouts.
That being said, he’s been put on notice. According to Spotrac, Mathis is due $5.5 million in base salary this season. If he thinks another organization will be willing to pay him more at his age, well, Kelly has let him know, so far anyway, that has not been the case.
Riley Cooper
3 of 5
From a financial perspective, it may not make much sense to get rid of Riley Cooper this offseason. As Shorr-Parks writes, the Eagles could save around $1 million if Cooper is released after June 1—a drop in the bucket, in all honesty. Having him as a capable reserve, replacement-level No. 2 receiver and special teams contributor is more valuable.
Then again, the wide receiver position could be getting crowded in Philadelphia. True, Jeremy Maclin bolted during free agency. But the team added veteran Miles Austin and invested its first-round selection in Nelson Agholor out of USC, who joins 2014 draft picks Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff to potentially form a nucleus of budding stars at wideout.
Cooper could still have a role to play, particularly if Austin doesn’t make the team, but it’s clear he isn’t part of the future. His numbers dropped off severely from 2013 to 2014, and much of what the five-year veteran accomplished during that “breakout season” was largely a result of three good games.
Huff is the unknown variable in the mix. If he proves this summer that the Eagles can rely on him to be a significant part of the rotation at receiver, it’s hard to see how there’s a need for both Cooper and Austin. Cooper holds the upper hand due to money, but just about anybody could replace his production in the passing attack.
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Nolan Carroll
4 of 5
When Philadelphia parted ways with Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher this offseason, it seemed the move might stand to only benefit Nolan Carroll with more opportunities. Then the Eagles signed three defensive backs in free agency and added three more in the draft.
All of a sudden, it appears that Carroll could have a difficult time making the team. Of course, maybe the writing was on the wall all along. He couldn’t beat out “Burnt Toast” Fletcher for playing time late last season, until Week 17 that is, when Carroll didn’t look much better in the same spot.
Add in the fact that the Eagles can save all of Carroll’s nearly $3 million salary for 2015, according to Spotrac, and it’s difficult to see what the veteran corner brings to the table.
To be fair, Carroll has been serviceable as the fourth cornerback in Philly’s dime package. He also contributes on special teams, perhaps his one saving grace.
Clearly, the Eagles weren’t thrilled with the former Miami Dolphins corner's ability to cover No. 1 or No. 2 wide receivers, however. Now that veterans Byron Maxwell and Walter Thurmond are in the nest and draft picks were spent on Eric Rowe, JaCorey Shepherd and Randall Evans, it’s difficult to see how Carroll still fits in here.
Matt Barkley
5 of 5
In a way, Matt Barkley has been on notice ever since he arrived in Philadelphia. There was a notion that the 2013 fourth-round pick would compete for the starting job—if not immediately, certainly at some point down the line. That’s never proved to be the case.
In fact, the Eagles have done a good job of consistently burying him. In 2013, he was behind Mike Vick and Nick Foles, clearly the front-runners for the starting job. When the job was obviously Foles’ in 2014, the organization went out and signed Mark Sanchez—and there was a competition for the backup role in lip service only.
Now the Birds have gone out and signed Tim Tebow, and while this is a signal-caller who has a track record for being a poor passer and has been out of the league the last two years, Barkley’s roster spot is seemingly in jeopardy.
Those of us who realize Tebow’s winning record in the NFL was accomplished with smoke and mirrors may think Barkley is the better option for an emergency quarterback. Then again, nobody knows for sure what Kelly is thinking at any time, and the decider thought it was a good idea to bring Tebow in.
It should be noted that while Barkley looked bad in two meaningful appearances as a rookie, he entered both games while trailing, and all four interceptions he threw came in the fourth quarter. It’s hardly enough of a sample size to judge a player on. Then again, it seems that the Eagles feel they have seen enough to at least bring in competition, and that alone should give Barkley pause.
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