Philadelphia Eagles Offseason State of the Union
The next time the Philadelphia Eagles take the field, it will be for training camp, the unofficial beginning of football season. All the conjecture of the past six months will finally be answered, either at practices or in games.
Still, there are six weeks to go until the Eagles open camp, and there are more questions than answers about the state of the roster. In his first offseason in charge of personnel, head coach Chip Kelly overhauled the team in a way that's rarely seen in the NFL, with as many as 12 new starters projected to emerge on offense and defense.
If we're being honest, the state of the Eagles is one of uncertainty. You can see how the pieces may fit together and in unison with Kelly's vision, but until we see the final product in action, it's difficult to say whether such massive change can produce immediate results.
Ahead, we take a look at where the Eagles stand in each major phase of the game—passing offense, rushing offense, pass defense and run defense—and assess the strengths and weaknesses. We'll then bring it back for an overview and see if we can't address the state of the union for a franchise in the midst of great transition.
Passing Attack
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Perhaps the greatest unknown for the Eagles is the passing attack. Much is dependent upon the health of Sam Bradford, and as of minicamp, the former No. 1 overall pick wasn't a full participant in practice.
The good news is if Bradford can get back on the field and stay healthy, he'll enjoy a far better supporting cast than he ever had as a member of the St. Louis Rams. True, Philadelphia lost its No. 1 receiver for the second year in a row, this time watching as Jeremy Maclin bolted in free agency. Plenty of weapons remain, however.
The Eagles weren't caught entirely off guard by Maclin's departure, using second- and third-round picks on Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff in the 2014 draft. The team went on to spend the 20th-overall selection this year on Nelson Agholor out of USC, giving the offense an impressive young trio of pass-catchers. If any of the three isn't ready to step up, veterans Riley Cooper and Miles Austin are in the mix as well.
Let's not forget 2013 second-round tight end Zach Ertz, who appeared on the verge of having a breakout season last year, or running back Darren Sproles, one of the most dangerous receivers out of the backfield in the NFL. The Eagles have no shortage of ways to burn defenses through the air.
Of course, it all comes back to Bradford and his recovery from a torn ACL. If he can get back on the field and earn the starting job, he could post career-best numbers with this skill around him, not to mention a stronger offensive line than he has ever had in front of him.
Then again, if Bradford isn't ready and doesn't earn the starting job, it falls on Mark Sanchez to lead the Eagles passing game. That's a decidedly less exciting option.
Running Game
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More good news for Bradford: In addition to having a strong collection of weapons and superior offensive line to what was in St. Louis, it would appear the responsibility of keeping the chains moving won't fall entirely on the quarterback's shoulders.
The Eagles didn't go out and invest large sums of money in running backs DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews for nothing. Kelly loves running the football, and now that he has not one, but two workhorse backs to pound the rock, you can expect Philadelphia to be among the league leaders in rushing yards and attempts.
Murray, of course, is the NFL's reigning rushing champion, and while he won't carry the ball 392 times again in 2015, he should see plenty of action as the club's bell-cow back. Mathews is a No. 1 back as well, so don't expect him to take too much of a back seat, as the carries will likely be somewhat evenly distributed.
This situation is good for both players, actually, as each has had durability issues throughout their NFL careers. Now that neither has to carry the load all by himself, it should keep both players fresher, which hopefully will make them more effective.
The only question is up front, where the Eagles are replacing both offensive guards this offseason, including All-Pro Evan Mathis. Philly struggled to run the ball with a revolving door of guards early last season, although Mathis was far from the only player out of the lineup. Ultimately, with a pair of straight-ahead runners in Murray and Mathews, not only will the ground attack likely do fine, but those guys are gonna eat.
Run Defense
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While Philadelphia's defense has a reputation for being rather porous the past two seasons, that's been an unfair assessment of the front seven, which has actually been among the best in the league. Despite having one of the worst secondaries in the NFL behind them, the Eagles have ranked tied for fourth in yards per carry allowed in each of the past two seasons.
The fact of the matter is that the Eagles are strong up front. Fletcher Cox, Bennie Logan and Cedric Thornton form one of the better defensive lines in the league, especially at stopping the run. Outside linebackers Connor Barwin and Brandon Graham are great at setting the edge, and while he's getting up there in years, few interior linebackers are better at diagnosing the play than DeMeco Ryans.
And here's a scary thought: The Eagles improved up the middle this offseason, acquiring Kiko Alonso in a trade with the Buffalo Bills. Alonso is likely to start alongside Ryans, although budding Pro Bowler Mychal Kendricks will still be in the rotation on the interior as well.
Simply put, defending the run has been a strength of Philadelphia's for the past couple of seasons, and life didn't get any easier for opposing ball-carriers this offseason. If teams are going to beat the Eagles, they're going to have to do it through the air, and that probably won't be a picnic anymore, either.
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Pass Defense
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If any one area has been responsible for holding the Eagles back the past few seasons, this is it. Philadelphia's defense has been utterly defenseless against the pass, ranking 32nd and 31st through the air in in 2013 and '14 respectively. The secondary has been an unmitigated disaster.
So for the second time in three offseasons, the Eagles are introducing three new starters in the defensive backfield with the hopes of getting it right. The big move was signing free agent Byron Maxwell to a blockbuster deal in March. Maxwell isn't exactly an established star, with just 17 starts in the NFL, but he brings the right mix of size, physicality and winning experience coming over from the Seattle Seahawks to solidify one half of the field.
Outside of Maxwell and safety Malcolm Jenkins, the other two spots remain up for grabs, although Walter Thurmond appears to have a strong grasp on the other opening at safety. The converted cornerback and free-agent pickup simply hasn't had much in the way of competition there since Earl Wolff has been limited in practice, and at this point, Thurmond just seems like the best option.
At corner opposite Maxwell, the current front-runner is veteran Nolan Carroll. That seems dicey, as Carroll couldn't beat out Bradley "Burnt Toast" Fletcher for playing time last season, but we'll see if one of three rookies can't create more of a push at camp. Don't count out second-round pick Eric Rowe out of Utah to challenge for the vacancy.
Are the Eagles better off in the secondary than they were a year ago? It's difficult to say for sure. This probably isn't going to turn into a top-10 unit overnight, but it doesn't have to, either. If they're merely average, and the run defense remains as strong as it's been, opponents are going to have a harder time outscoring the Birds.
The Eagles added plenty of talent to the defensive backfield this offseason. Now it's simply a matter of finding a configuration that works.
Overall
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Essentially, the Eagles face two huge questions that will define their season. Can Bradford stay healthy and become the quarterback scouts imagined when he was taken with the No. 1 overall pick? And can Philadelphia's secondary improve to the point where at the very least it's no longer a complete liability?
There's no way to answer these until the Eagles take the field and get a few games under their belt. However, it's easy to see how Kelly has put the franchise in position to succeed in these areas.
Bradford has never had so much talent around him. In St. Louis, he never had a receiver total more than 700 yards, and he never had an offensive lineman reach the Pro Bowl. In Philly, there are several candidates to go for more than 1,000 yards and as many as three Pro Bowl linemen.
As for the secondary, at least there are options. The Eagles stuck with Fletcher, Cary Williams and Nate Allen for as long as they did because they couldn't do better. Now between Maxwell, Thurmond, Carroll, Rowe, Wolff, Brandon Boykin, JaCorey Shepherd, Randall Evans and so on, they should be able to find some combination that isn't a total sieve.
Even modest improvements in these areas will go a long way thanks to Philadelphia's prowess both at running the football and stopping opponents from running. The Eagles can control games on the ground to an extent, which is why even if this team isn't a contender, they shouldn't find themselves out of many games.
As for whether or not the Eagles are contenders, there was simply too much turnover this offseason to say exactly how all the pieces fit together. There's a lot of talent here, though, which is a good start.
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