Best and Worst Moves Philadelphia Eagles Can Make This Offseason
With extremely limited cap space and some serious holes to fill, the Philadelphia Eagles need to walk a tightrope with their offseason moves as they approach the draft in April.
The Eagles are blessed with having a small amount of free agents to make decisions on, but they still need to clear up salary cap room to address a couple of important contributors who could walk when the new league year begins on March 9. Some of the upcoming decisions will need to be made in the weeks before then, while the rest will slowly materialize once free agency opens.
Needless to say, Philadelphia could either kick-start its new era under head coach Doug Pederson and quarterback Carson Wentz, or put them behind the eight-ball in building a true championship contender. A lot of that comes down to the following moves and whether or not the Eagles decide to make them.
Good Move: Trade Mychal Kendricks
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Linebacker Mychal Kendricks looked to be a bad fit for defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz's defense on paper before 2016, and that materialized through the season as his impact could hardly be felt in Year 1 of the new Eagles era.
Kendricks made just 32 combined tackles on the season, an eye-popping number (not in a good way) compared to totals of 86, 83, 106 and 75 in his first four seasons. It's easy to see why. Kendricks is a lethal blitzer and a supremely athletic pass-rusher who fits a 3-4 defense well, but Schwartz's 4-3 requires heady linebackers who sit at the second level and sniff out plays.
The least surprising rumor to come out of the Eagles beat is the team exploring a trade for Kendricks, as reported by Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com, and it's probably the easiest personnel decision the front office can make. The 26-year-old can command decent value in the trade market, and it will save the team $1.8 million in cap space, per Over The Cap.
Finding a serviceable weak-side linebacker to go alongside Nigel Bradham and Jordan Hicks will be a big need in the wake of Kendricks' likely trade.
Bad Move: Retaining Ryan Mathews
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Behind Carson Wentz, the Eagles backfield left a lot to be desired in 2016, and a lot of that had to do with more injury woes for veteran Ryan Mathews.
Mathews appeared in 13 games on the season, but he only started eight, and his 4.3 yards-per-carry average was the second-lowest mark of his career. Mathews produced near the goal line with eight scores, but his impact wasn't felt nearly enough around the rest of the field as he only surpassed 100 yards in two games.
The back will turn 30 during the 2017 season, and it's time for the Eagles to look to the future at the position. They can save $4 million in precious cap space by releasing him, giving more carries to Wendell Smallwood and perhaps a high draft pick to give Wentz more options in the air and on the ground.
Looking to cut corners wherever they can with a severely limited salary cap, the Eagles would be foolish to hold on to Mathews, who's been plagued by injuries throughout his NFL career.
Good Move: Push for Alshon Jeffery
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If and when the Eagles free up enough cap space to go after a top-dollar free agent, Alshon Jeffery should be priority No. 1 on their list of dream signings.
Jeffery embodies exactly what the Eagles are missing on offense—a reliable, skilled target who can take the top off of defenses and fight through tight coverage for key chain-moving receptions. They haven't gotten it from stop-gap veterans and they surely haven't gotten it from former first-round pick Nelson Agholor.
The Eagles would have to win a bidding war to obtain Jeffery's services, but they appear at least willing to kick the tires. CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora reported the Eagles are interested in the upcoming Chicago Bears free agent, and it's easy to see how he would immediately take the Philadelphia offense to a level it hasn't been in years.
Wentz has some decent young weapons around him, but a lot is lacking in the vertical game. By signing Jeffery, the Eagles would effectively end all of those worries and inject a ton of excitement into the 2017 season and beyond.
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Bad Move: Bringing Back DeSean Jackson
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DeSean Jackson had a lot of great moments in midnight green. His position represents a huge need, and the person most responsible for his departure in the first place is no longer in Philadelphia. He's even addressed a potential return in the media, most recently telling ESPN's Adam Schefter that a return would be a "great story."
It's a match made in heaven, right? Maybe not.
The Eagles are hard-pressed for cap room, and that's not a situation where it makes sense to over-pay for a wideout on the wrong side of 30. After Jeffery, Jackson is one of the top potential free agents on the market, and that will drive his price up. In all likelihood, the Eagles talk is probably more of a ploy to get the Redskins to pony up and retain their speedy target.
Jackson can be a game-changer, but he's not likely to be a consistent one. The Eagles need someone they can rely on drive in and drive out to make plays if they are going to sign a big name at wide receiver. Jackson may be able to take the top off the defense, but there isn't enough to depend on in the middle of the field for Wentz to be able to truly take advantage of the deep ball with Jackson.
Good Move: LeSean McCoy Reunion
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Fear not, Eagles fans who are dying for a big-name reunion. There could be one in store, and an even bigger one than Jackson.
LeSean McCoy is still under contract with the Buffalo Bills, but he may not fit with new head coach Sean McDermott, and the team may opt to jump-start a minor rebuild by making him a surprise cut. NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal sees it as a possibility.
McCoy does turn 29 before the season, but he's still easily one of the best backs in the NFL. His return to Philadelphia would do a lot more than allow fans to recycle old jerseys; it would fill an increasing need for the Eagles offense and give Wentz a dependable workhorse.
The Bills running back would command a pretty sizable contract and make it pretty impossible to go after the likes of Jeffery or another top signing on offense. But there's no understating just how big it could be for Wentz's continued development and the Eagles' chances of taking off.
Bad Move: Breaking the Bank for Bennie Logan
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The Eagles only have one big-time upcoming free agent on their roster, and that's Bennie Logan. Despite him flourishing into a top-caliber run-stuffer and completing a great pairing in the interior with Fletcher Cox, shelling out the dough to keep him just doesn't make sense.
For all intents and purposes, Philadelphia may have made its decision on Logan last offseason, when they made Cox one of the highest-paid players in the NFL. Logan wouldn't command that type of money, but he still deserves a top-10 contract for a defensive lineman and he'll get that on an open market where he'll be arguably the best run-stuffer available.
If the Eagles were in a more favorable cap situation, it could easily be argued that keeping Logan is worth the financial investment. But they're one of the most cash-strapped teams in the league entering free agency, and none of the money-saving moves on the horizon will put them in a position where they can invest $30-plus million per year in their defensive line pairing.
The Eagles need to be smart with what little cap room they have, and that will make retaining Logan a mere pipe dream.
Good Move: Cut Connor Barwin
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To get to a point where they can even begin having conversations with some of these marquee free agents listed, the Eagles will need to cut some corners, and Connor Barwin may be an inevitable victim.
Barwin is a 4-3 defensive end who definitely fits the system that the Eagles are going after on defense, but his impact has been diminishing over the last couple of seasons. In fact, Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus reported that Barwin's rate in pressuring the quarterback off the edge was the third-worst among edge-rushers in 2016.
Not only does Barwin's contract number escalate over the last two seasons of his deal, but the Eagles could save a whopping $7.75 million in cap space by cutting or trading him, per Over The Cap. As it currently stands, making that move would almost double the Eagles' current cap space and be a huge benefit to making the necessary moves in free agency to improve the team.
Barwin has been a fan favorite for years with the Eagles, but his time is coming to an end in Philadelphia.
Bad Move: Making Another Band-Aid Fix at CB
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In recent seasons, the Eagles front office has looked for stop-gap options to fix the issues in the secondary. It hasn't worked. Philadelphia's cornerback unit has been among the league's worst, and that was more apparent than ever throughout the 2016 season.
General manager Howie Roseman even admitted that the temporary fixes, signing veterans like Leodis McKelvin, Ron Brooks and Nolan Carroll, haven't worked. He told USA Today's Turran Davenport as much.
“You can put Band-Aids on some things,” Roseman said. “I mean, I think you look at the cornerback position and what we’ve done at the cornerback position is put Band-Aids on things.”
They may opt to re-sign Carroll to a minor contract to keep a little continuity and retain some veteran presence in a cornerback room that is likely to be infused with young talent in the draft. But they already released McKelvin, showing that Roseman is dedicated to finding longer-term solutions at cornerback rather than to stick with what hasn't been working.
If the Eagles don't use their limited cap space to go after a top free-agent cornerback like Trumaine Johnson or Stephon Gilmore, expect them to target a cornerback or two early in April's draft and develop them for the future.
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