Philadelphia Eagles: Creating the Blueprint for Optimal Offense in 2015

The Philadelphia Eagles have an injury-prone quarterback and a cast of largely unproven or underwhelming receivers. No wonder they invested large sums of money in one of the deepest and most expensive running back fleets in the NFL.

In fact, can any team in the league boast a better trio than DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles? Doubtful. With the offseason additions of Murray and Mathews, it's evident the Eagles are planning to exert their will on the ground against opposing defenses this year. And it just so happens with Sam Bradford under center, that's likely the optimal blueprint for the offense.

Bradford catches flak from some critics of the trade who brought him to Philadelphia because the former No. 1 overall pick posted disappointing numbers and a mediocre win-loss record in five seasons with the St. Louis Rams. Then again, Bradford never had the quality of weapons, protection or coaching he will with the Birds.

GMS	CMP%	YDS/GM	YDS/ATT	TD	INT	RATING	W-L
49	58.6	225.8	6.3	59	38	79.3	18-30-1

David Richard/Associated Press

Yet that's not even the biggest issue with Bradford.

Health is.

His last two seasons were cut short by torn ACLs, limiting him to just seven appearances total. Bradford also missed six games in 2011 and almost the entirety of his final season of college ball.

Sports injuries are often random and luck-based, but when one guy has enough of them, it becomes a legitimate concern.

Fortunately, Bradford doesn't necessarily have to do all of the heavy lifting now that he's in Philly. According to Spotrac, only the Minnesota Vikings are scheduled to spend more on ball-carriers in 2015. It seems the quarterback will be in a position to hand the ball off and watch the offense go much of the time.

It's no secret head coach Chip Kelly likes to run the football. Last season, the Eagles finished seventh in rushing attempts. In 2013, the club was fourth in attempts, with LeSean McCoy leading the NFL in rushing yards. For the most part, only teams with mobile quarterbacks are running the ball more often.

	GMS	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
D. Murray	16	392	1,845	4.7	13	57	416	7.3	0
R. Mathews	6	74	330	4.5	3	9	69	7.7	0
D. Sproles	15	57	329	5.8	6	40	387	9.7	0

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

McCoy is gone, after being shipped to the Buffalo Bills in a trade, but Murray is the league's reigning rushing champion, and some would argue his one-cut rushing style makes him a better fit for Kelly's offense. Murray is certainly a workhorse, too, as he touched the ball nearly 500 times last year between the regular season and the playoffs.

Murray won't be asked to endure quite as much of the load as he did for the Dallas Cowboys last season, thanks to the underrated signing of Mathews from the San Diego Chargers. According to ESPN Stats & Info, no free-agent back rushed for more yards out of the shotgun formation the last two seasons, which is almost all the Eagles use.

Like Bradford, both Murray and Mathews have experienced their share of injuries through the years. The nice thing about this situation is they can divvy up the carries as long as both are healthy, but if one is unavailable, the other can pick up the slack.

The presence of two traditional backs should allow Sproles to return to being more of a hybrid back. His 40 receptions in 2014 were the fewest since he became a regular player in the NFL, but with so many more carries going to Murray and Mathews, expect Sproles to be a bigger factor in the passing attack.

Speaking of the passing attack, which wide receivers and tight ends will be on, the field plays a role in the running game as well. The Eagles typically operate out of a three-receiver set, but who's out there in terms of blocking is almost as important as who's catching the football.

	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
J. Matthews	67	872	13.0	8
Z. Ertz	58	702	12.1	3
R. Cooper	55	577	10.5	3
B. Celek	32	340	10.6	1
J. Huff	8	98	12.3	0
N. Agholor (R)	-	-	-	-

For that reason, expect Jordan Matthews to retain his spot as the predominant slot receiver, as his size (6'3", 212) creates mismatches against nickel cornerbacks. Likewise, either Josh Huff or Riley Cooper is probable to start at one of the outside spots, as both are capable blockers, with 2015 first-round pick Nelson Agholor at the other.

At tight end, expect Brent Celek to hold off up-and-coming Zach Ertz for the starting job. Celek is one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL, which is a huge plus in any run-first offense.

	2012	2013	2014
LT J. Peters	16	0	0
LG E. Mathis	0	0	7
C J. Kelce	14	0	4
RG A. Barbre	-	-	15
RT L. Johnson	-	0	4

At this point, it all comes down to the health of the offensive line, which, sorry to say, has been dicey the past three seasons. All five projected starters have missed at least four starts in a season once during that time frame. When the entire group was healthy, it paved the way for McCoy's rushing title and kept quarterback Nick Foles upright for a historic season in 2013.

Last year, we saw the flip side to that. McCoy had trouble finding holes, averaging 2.8 yards per carry in the month of September, while Foles was leading the NFL in turnovers until he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 8.

It was plain to see how much strain the lack of consistent ground attack was putting on Foles. Because the team was constantly in unfavorable down and distances, Foles was forced to attempt almost as many passes through seven-and-a-quarter games in '14 as he did in 10 starts and 13 appearances total in '13. It's not surprising he struggled.

Bradford, or whoever is under center for the Eagles, will probably struggle as well if the offensive line is banged up, and he's asked to drop back that often. This offense is built on running the football to maximize efficiency. Fortunately, they have the personnel to do it, but the health of the line, the backs, and even the passer are all potential factors.