Even at 4-4, Eagles Have a Long Way to Go Before Becoming True Contenders in NFC

Chip Kelly has no one to blame but himself for the Philadelphia Eagles' current predicament.  

His team is now 4-4 overall and a half-game behind the New York Giants in the NFC East, yet the Eagles have yet to reach serious-playoff-contender status this season. 

The primary reasons behind the slow start fall directly on Kelly and his poor personnel decisions this year. 

Sunday's contest against the Dallas Cowboys ended in overtime when quarterback Sam Bradford found Jordan Matthews streaking across the middle of the field before the wide receiver eventually turned it up for a 41-yard walk-off touchdown. 

"When games like this happen, it's not like it's the greatest thing in the world," Matthews said after the game, per the Philadephia Inquirer's Zach Berman. "I did my job. I did what I'm supposed to do."

It's a rare occasion when two of Kelly's handpicked players were actually on the same page and contributed to winning football instead of stagnant play. 

Let's get something out of the way quickly: This year's Eagles offense isn't the same compared to the previous two seasons. 

Entering Sunday night's game, Philadelphia ranked 17th overall in total offense and averaged 353.1 yards per game. In Kelly's two previous seasons, his team finished among the top five teams in said category. This year's unit dropped dramatically off last year's pace by averaging 44 yards less per game. 

Sunday's performance was a bit of a resurrection, though. The Eagles racked up 459 total yards against their division rival. 

Despite the magnitude of the win, the Eagles remain a deeply flawed team based on Kelly's decisions as the team's current roster czar. 

Quarterback 

Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press

When Kelly traded Nick Foles to obtain Bradford in a deal with the St. Louis Rams, visions of Bradford's time with the Oklahoma Sooners must have been floating around the head coach's mind. 

After all, the organization offered the Heisman Trophy winner a $72 million contract before he ever played a down with the team, according to 94WIP’s Howard Eskin, via CBS Philly. Bradford denied the claim, per CSNPhilly.com's Reuben Frank, but the franchise's interest in retaining him beyond the remaining year of his current contract became obvious. 

The relationship hasn't exactly gone according to plan since the regular season started. 

Bradford played well Sunday night. He finished 25-of-36 for 295 yards and the all-important touchdown toss to seal the deal. One performance does not a season make, though. 

The sixth-year veteran is now completing 62.9 percent of his passes, but he's still thrown 10 interceptions compared to his 10 touchdowns. 

Bradford's approach affects the entire offense, and it's problematic. 

The zone read isn't necessary for Kelly's offense to succeed. It's merely a wrinkle that expands the overall offense. However, a quarterback with some athleticism can open up the offense with his ability to slip out the back door from time to time. 

Foles showed a stationary quarterback can perform well in the system, but his magical 2013 campaign was predicated on quick decisions and accurate throws. 

Bradford hasn't played at nearly the same level seen during Foles' Pro Bowl year. He's not getting the ball out quickly nor is he as decisive or aggressive. The quarterback remains skittish in the pocket. And he missed throws he should regularly make. 

After being selected No. 1 overall, everyone continues to wait for the light to go on, but after half a dozen years in the league, maybe everyone should accept this is simply who Bradford is. 

Fortunately, the Eagles didn't sign Bradford long term, and the organization can weigh its options in the offseason. 

The same can't be said for the rest of the backfield. 

Running Back

Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press

Eventually—no one is exactly sure when—Kelly will figure out Ryan Mathews is the team's best running back for the system he employs. 

The head coach signed both Mathews and DeMarco Murray during a windfall free-agency period. Their inclusion on the roster was supposed to give the Eagles the NFL's best backfield. Yet, Murray struggled to perform in Kelly's spread offense. 

Through the first seven games, Murray only ran for 305 yards and averaged a meager 3.5 yards per carry. 

The Oklahoma product might have led the NFL in rushing a year ago, but the league is all about "What have you done for me lately?"

Lately, Mathews has shown he is the better running back. 

Before Sunday night's game, Murray actually received 100 more snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. The running back rotation clearly wasn't based on production, since Mathews entered the game as the team's leading rusher with 342 yards. The Fresno State product also averaged 6.1 yards per carry. 

Nothing changed during Sunday's performance. Murray played well, but Mathews was better when given the opportunity. 

The former first-round pick matched his season average of 6.1 yards per carry, which was better than Murray's respectable 4.6 yards per carry. 

A shift needs to occur. The Eagles coaching staff can't remain obstinate with its running back rotation. Eventually, Mathews needs to become a bigger part of the rotation or be outright named the team's starting back. 

Wide Receiver

Michael Perez/Associated Press

Where have you gone DeSean Jackson? Or Jeremy Maclin? Or Nelson Agholor?

The Eagles head coach made the mistake of thinking his system was more important than the players in it. Not every player can be viewed as an interchangeable part, though. 

Prior to Kelly's arrival, Jackson and Maclin were already on the roster. Eventually, the team released Jackson due to off-the-field concerns. Maclin was also allowed to leave via free agency a year later. 

The flaw in this thinking is anyone could replace either of those tremendous talents. Both accumulated over 1,300 yards receiving during their final seasons with the Eagles. 

Who currently leads Philadelphia in receiving yardage? Second-year wide receiver Jordan Matthews with 531 yards. 

Obviously, Matthews isn't on pace to put up numbers comparable to Jackson and Maclin. Plus, the team's chosen heir apparent continues to deal with injuries and inconsistency this season. 

Philadelphia spent the 20th overall pick in this year's NFL draft on Agholor. He's currently recovering from a high ankle sprain, but his usage became a concern even before the injury. The rookie only had eight receptions in his first five games. 

Just because a promising young wide receiver can be added, it's not always the right decision. It takes time to properly develop at the next level. 

At least the team addressed wide receiver in the draft over the last two years. Offensive line wasn't as fortunate. 

Offensive Line

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Kelly adheres to a philosophy: "Big people beat up on little people." Yet, he hypocritically ignored the offensive line over the last two drafts and foolishly allowed two solid veterans, Evan Mathis and Todd Herremans, to walk prior to this season. 

Not only did those departures create massive holes up front, but left tackle Jason Peters is currently dealing with back spasms. 

As such, the team's starting offensive line against the Cowboys was (from left to right): Lane Johnson, Allen Barbre, Jason Kelce, Matt Tobin and Dennis Kelly. 

Essentially, only one of those offensive linemen was a projected starter going into this year at the position he played Sunday. 

The organization hasn't spent a draft pick on an offensive lineman in two years, and the depth simply isn't there. The two current backups—Tanner Hawkinson and Josh Andrews—played in 12 career games without a single start among them. 

Big people only beat up on little people if the right big people are in place. The right big people aren't in place for Philadelphia at the moment. 

Outlook

Even if the team eventually overcomes its issues, Philadelphia is still fighting to earn its way into the playoff conversation. 

At 4-4, six NFC teams already have a better record. The Eagles are currently in a three-team race just to catch up to the final playoff spot with the Seattle Seahawks and St. Louis Rams at .500 overall.  

The team's best option would be to outlast the rival Giants this season. The NFC East is one of the league's weakest divisions. A half-game lead isn't significant at this point in the year, and the two teams face off during the final week of the season. 

In order to surpass the Giants this season, the Eagles must perform better in all phases of the game, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. 

Chip Kelly built a team that was supposed to fully reflect his values and beliefs in his system. So far, he has failed to properly address multiple key positions.

In the second half of the season, the head coach's handpicked choices at quarterback, running back, wide receiver and even offensive line must be molded into a more cohesive unit for the Eagles to realize a playoff push. 

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL and NFL draft for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @brentsobleski.