5 Biggest Question Marks Facing the Philadelphia Eagles This Season

Chip Kelly, the Eagles' general manager, initiated a tremendous amount of turnover for a team on the heels of back-to-back 10-6 seasons, showing he was not happy with just being good.

It's arguable whether the Eagles are better today than January 3, when their season ended. But Chip Kelly has his guys now, and they're full of expectations one month shy of the start of the regular season.

Some problems have been solved, some have remained stagnant and some new problems have been discovered. 

Here are a few of the biggest question marks that will prevent the Eagles from hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in February.

Which Young Receiver Will Step Up to Be the Guy?

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Who's going to replace Jeremy Maclin?

The Pro Bowl receiver left Philadelphia and headed home to Kansas City to join his former coach, Andy Reid, with the Chiefs. He left behind a 1,318-yard- and 10-touchdown-sized void.

First-round draft pick Nelson Agholor, whom defensive end Brandon Graham picked as his early favorite for rookie of the year, is the obvious choice. Agholor is a similar build and playing style as Maclin; now he'll be expected to replace him.

Along with 2014 draft picks Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff, the Eagles have a trio of young wideouts eager to pick up the slack.

Matthews is the proven commodity of the group, posting 67 receptions, 872 yards and eight touchdowns. He spent most of 2014 operating out of the slot and is expected to continue that role this season.

Huff, who had a 107-yard kickoff return touchdown for the longest play in Eagles history, missed the end of training camp and the first month of the season with a shoulder injury. He never got back on track after showing immense potential, according to NJ.com's Eliot Shorr-Parks.

He recorded just eight receptions, 98 yards and a touchdown as a rookie. But this season, Shorr-Parks reported he's come back ripped and ready for a breakout year.

With all the positive hype, you have to wonder if they'll head for a crash to reality, especially if Huff and Agholor don't progress quickly. Seeing too much of Miles Austin and Riley Cooper will be a bad sign for Eagles fans.

Can the Eagles' Guards Protect the Franchise Players?

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For years, there has been a long standing belief that games are won and lost in the trenches.

In 2014, the trenches were a bit of a roller coaster. The line struggled to create consistency early in the season, mostly because the starters couldn't stay on the field.

This year, the majority of the line looks set with left tackle Jason Peters, center Jason Kelce and right tackle Lane Johnson all in the midst of their prime. The interior lines are where the question marks are currently.

Chip Kelly all but guaranteed the left guard job to Allen Barbre, who spent most of last season on injured reserve with an ankle injury. The right guard spot is not as clear. Matt Tobin, Andrew Gardner and newly signed John Moffitt all have a legitimate shot to win the job.

None of those guys (Barbre, Tobin, Gardner, Moffitt) have been a full-time starter in the last two years, and only Moffitt has more than eight career starts under his belt.

Of the top six guys on the offensive line coming into the season last year, only one—left tackle Jason Peters—played all 16 games.

Inexplicably, the Eagles did little to remedy their situation this season. For the second straight year, they failed to draft an offensive lineman, leaving the team vulnerable if anyone goes down for good.

What's Behind Connor Barwin and Brandon Graham?

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The Eagles fielded one of the strongest and deepest front seven groups in the league last season led by Pro Bowl snub defensive end Fletcher Cox, jack-of-all-trades outside linebacker Connor Barwin and reserve pass-rusher Brandon Graham.

Their outside linebacker depth took a huge hit this offseason. Trent Cole's departure to Indianapolis was expected, but paired with top reserve Travis Long's torn ACL, the position now becomes a place of need.

Enter Marcus Smith, the Eagles' 2014 first-round pick, who played only 74 snaps and didn't record a single tackle as a rookie, according to NFL.com's Marc Sessler. On Comcast SportsNet last season, former Eagles assistant coach Tra Thomas described Smith's body stature as a "high school athlete."

He'll have to grow up quickly. The Eagles will need him to play that third outside linebacker role that Graham parlayed into 47 tackles and 5.5 sacks last season.

If not, free-agent offseason pickups Brad Jones and former seventh-round pick Brandon Hepburn will be the next two in line.

Graham, who was the No. 1-ranked pass-rusher among 3-4 outside linebackers by Pro Football Focus last season (via The 700 Level's Andrew Kulp), said he plans to get 32 sacks this season. If he gets that, outside linebacker won't be an issue at all.

Will the Eagles' Secondary Hold Up?

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The Eagles' secondary spent the second half of the year being embarrassed by nearly every component quarterback who lined up against them. 

They gave up the second most passing yards and tied for fourth most passing touchdowns in the league. This offseason led to a complete secondary overhaul, dumping secondary coach John Lovett in exchange for Cory Undlin and adding three new projected starters.

Among those competing for the open safety spot is converted slot corner Walter Thurmond III. He's switching to a position he's never played before and appears to be the front-runner for the gig, according to NJ.com's Tim Hawk. Other options include the oft-injured Earl Wolff, former practice squad phenom Jerome Couplin and special teams aces Chris Maragos and Chris Prosinski.

They have a combined 16 starts at safety.

The prized offseason acquisition is former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Byron Maxwell, who signed a six-year, $63 million deal ($25 million guaranteed). He'll likely man one of the cornerback spots with last year's dime corner Nolan Carroll and rookie second-round pick Eric Rowe battling for the other spot.

A lot of inexperience and lack of depth will leave the Eagles in trouble if they face early struggles or injuries.

Can Sam Bradford Take the Eagles to the Promise Land?

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After a head-scratching Chip Kelly move that jettisoned Nick Foles to St. Louis, Eagles fans had a new man under center in Sam Bradford. For a position that always seems to be the biggest question mark, the trade left more holes than filled gaps.

Bradford hasn't played more than seven games in a season since 2012 due to two ACL tears. And although Kelly's sports science scheme has left the Eagles as one of the healthiest teams over the last two years, there's no guarantee Bradford can be trusted to stay on the field.

Kelly is betting this season on Bradford's health and higher potential than Foles as a franchise quarterback. But health doesn't guarantee Bradford's success.

Bradford had his best numbers in 2012 with 3,702 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions with 59.5 completion percentage. But an 82.6 passer rating placed him 18th among eligible quarterbacks.

According to CSN Philly's Geoff Mosher, Bradford has looked good in offseason workouts, but forgive us for taking a wait-and-see approach.