The Eagles Offseason Signings

Start The Philadelphia Eagles entered their second offseason under Chip Kelly without any glaring holes on the team. Philadelphia Eagles The offense was one of the best in the NFL in 2013, Philadelphia Eagles setting a single-season franchise record for points scored. Philadelphia Eagles The defense was one of the NFL's most improved during the second half of the season, Philadelphia Eagles at one point surrendering 21 or fewer points in nine straight games. Philadelphia Eagles That means the Eagles didn't have to look to fill four or five starting spots for the future this offseason. Philadelphia Eagles They added one new starter on the defensive side of the ball and took away one starter on the offensive side of the ball. Philadelphia Eagles The rest of their additions were purely value pieces, Philadelphia Eagles and that's what you like to see a contending team do during the offseason. Philadelphia Eagles The following slides will highlight six different acquisitions for the Eagles, Philadelphia Eagles three underrated moves and three overrated moves. Philadelphia Eagles The Eagles may or may not have added an extremely valuable offensive weapon in multi-talented running back Darren Sproles, who was acquired for a fifth-round draft pick. Sproles, 31, isn't an ordinary running back. He's never carried 100 times in a season and at 5'6'', it's highly unlikely that he could carry the load if LeSean McCoy went down with an injury. Sproles was signed for his abilities as a receiver and a return man. Chip Kelly's offense is all about creating mismatches and a shifty, elusive player with Sproles' speed will be a nightmare for defensive coordinators. My only concern is that Sproles is past his prime, maybe even significantly past his prime. It's hard to imagine a 31-year-old running back not being on the decline and Sproles' numbers in 2013 indicated that he is. Although he caught 71 passes, he averaged just 4.2 yards per carry and scored just four total touchdowns. He also averaged just 6.7 yards per punt return and 21.3 yards per kick return. Those are easily the worst combined return numbers of his career. Sproles benefited from a top-10 quarterback in NFL history and an offensive genius in Sean Payton. He still plays with a very good quarterback and a potentially brilliant offensive mind. It's just a stretch to think that Sproles doesn't see his numbers decline again in 2014. Flash back to the postseason in the wild-card round after the 2013 season. With the Saints clinging to a 13-7 lead midway through the third quarter, Drew Brees and company faced a 3rd-and-12 from their own 42-yard line. Brees promptly hit rookie receiver Kenny Stills for a 14-yard gain and a first down, beating little-used Roc Carmichael for the key gain. Carmichael had only been inserted into the game when Bradley Fletcher had to leave with an injury just a play earlier. That one play led to the Saints' second touchdown of the game, giving them a 20-7 lead in a game they would eventually win 26-24. Although the Eagles chose to keep veterans Cary Williams and Fletcher as their starters for another year, they greatly increased their depth by adding Nolan Carroll from the Miami Dolphins. In 2013, Carroll allowed just a 47.8 completion percentage and a 65.0 passer rating. Only one cornerback in the NFL bettered both marks last year. Although Carroll has an outside chance to defeat Fletcher and earn the number two starting cornerback spot, he'll likely be the fourth corner (Brandon Boykin has the nickel spot locked up). The difference between a seasoned veteran like Carroll and an unproven player like Carmichael is tremendous. In fact, if Carroll had been covering Stills in that playoff game, there's a chance the Eagles would have stopped the Saints and won the game. The Eagles tried everything they could to convince their fan base that they made the right decision in signing veteran safety Malcolm Jenkins instead of Pro Bowlers Jairus Byrd or T.J. Ward. I'm certainly willing to give the franchise every benefit of the doubt. But at this point, I remain unconvinced that Jenkins will be able to cure the Eagles' woes at safety. In 2013, Jenkins rated as one of the worst safeties in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. He surrendered a 103.3 passer rating and missed 16 tackles. No safety in the league rated worse on both marks. Jenkins' biggest asset is his versatility. Originally drafted in the first round as a cornerback, he switched to safety after his rookie year. The Eagles will be able to use Jenkins to cover in three and four wide receiver sets instead of replacing him with another defensive back. While I appreciate Jenkins' versatility, I still remain largely skeptical about the signing. He's just not very good at safety. Let's hope Billy Davis' scheme is able to bring out the best in him. The Eagles signed outside linebacker Bryan Braman with the intent of using the 27-year-old to improve their special teams. After all, the Eagles allowed arguably their best special teams player from the past few seasons, Colt Anderson, to walk in free agency this offseason. Braman's biggest asset is his abilities on special teams but he's been a very pleasant surprise on the defensive side of the ball during OTAs. At least one Eagles writer, Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com, thinks Braman could push for serious playing time as Connor Barwin's backup at the "jack" linebacker position. The Eagles lacked serious depth on defense in 2013, but they managed to stay relatively injury-free. If Barwin, one of the most important defenders on the team, suffers an injury, Braman is going to need to be able to step in and fill the void. The Alex Henery hate reached a breaking point following the team's postseason loss to the New Orleans Saints. The third-year kicker missed a 48-yard field goal in the team's eventual two-point playoff loss, capping off easily the worst year of his short career. In 2013, Henery proved to be inconsistent. He couldn't handle any field goals of longer than 50 yards. And his distance on kickoffs consistently ranked among the worst in the NFL. Naturally, the Eagles brought in competition for Henery this offseason. The new kicker, Carey Spear, is known as Murderleg. and a cool nickname is about all he brings to the table. Spear has been thoroughly outplayed by Henery in camp, to the point where Henery appears to have the job all but locked up for a fourth straight year. It's been bad enough that the Eagles should look at bringing a veteran into training camp because Spear clearly can't give Henery the competition he desperately needs. Philadelphia Eagles The Jordan Matthews bandwagon has been through the roof since the Eagles drafted the Vanderbilt wide receiver in the second round of the draft. Matthews, a cousin of the legendary Jerry Rice, Philadelphia Eagles has already been called the best wide receiver at camp by Eagles reporter Jimmy Kempski. Philadelphia Eagles He's big, fast, strong, intelligent and an extremely hard worker. Matthews is expected to open the season as the slot receiver, per Chip Kelly, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him emerge as the go-to receiver for Nick Foles by the end of the season. Philadelphia Eagles I'll go as far as to say that Matthews has almost no bust rate. Philadelphia Eagles He could easily win Offensive Rookie of the Year. He'll be a Pro Bowler within three years. Philadelphia Eagles I wouldn't be surprised to see him become the best receiver in the draft. Philadelphia Eagles The sky is the limit for Matthews, especially if remains in Kelly's offense, Philadelphia Eagles.

Eagles Sign Taylor Martinez

Philadelphia Eagles Taylor Martinez, the former Nebraska quarterback who went undrafted over the weekend, will be joining the Philadelphia Eagles in training camp. However, he will not be competing with Mark Sanchez and Matt Barkley for a backup quarterback job. Philadelphia Eagles Martinez, who was ranked as the 5th highest-rated undrafted player, also worked out as a safety and wide receiver during his pro day at Nebraska. Philadelphia Eagles  Martinez is a “tweener” with a high athletic upside and a long list of accomplishments during his tenure as the Cornhuskers’ quarterback. Philadelphia Eagles He averaged 5.1 yards per carry at Nebraska and ran a 4.41 40-yard dash at the combine at 6’ 1’’. He was one of the most athletic players at the combine, as he led quarterbacks in 40 time, vertical, and shuttle and was second in the cone drill. The Eagles have four quarterbacks on their roster already; starter Nick Foles, backups Mark Sanchez and Matt Barkley, and practice squad thrower GJ Kinne, so he probably won’t even be considered as a QB. Instead, Chip Kelly must have liked what he saw during the receiver and DB drills, and signed him to play safety or wide receiver. Philadelphia Eagles His speed and athleticism will be a huge asset on special teams, Philadelphia Eagles as the Eagles struggled to contain players like Darren Sproles on returns last season, Philadelphia Eagles.

the Villanueva

Philadelphia Eagles It was a nice spring story when the Eagles signed former Army Ranger Alejandro Villanueva. Now that summer is here, Philadelphia Eagles the story gets more complicated and quite a bit more interesting. Philadelphia Eagles It's one thing for Chip Kelly to give a chance to a man who served his country with distinction. But it's quite another thing for a man to make the transition from full-time soldier to professional football player. "He's doing a real nice job," Kelly said at the end of last week's minicamp. Philadelphia Eagles "I think you forget what he's transitioning from. Not only did he spend his stint with the Army, but his last year at West Point, he was a wide receiver, and now he's playing defensive line in the National Football League. "So, not only is it a transition because he has not played football in a couple years, it's he's playing really a new position. He played some defensive end I think his sophomore, junior year at Army, but then he was moved to offensive line. Then he went from offensive line to wide receiver, so he's had a real varied background." If Villanueva has a real chance with anyone, it's Kelly. The second-year coach is not exactly married to NFL orthodoxy. And Kelly has been to some international hot spots in support of American troops. He has studied the Navy SEALS and their training methods, as well. "He's given me the opportunity," Villanueva said of Kelly last week. "For me, it's all uphill. That's the only way I can look at it." Villanueva said it has been "fun" to work out and practice with the Eagles' defensive linemen. "The D-line squad that we have here is really fun," Villanueva said. "I love working with [line coach Jerry] Azzinaro. I hope I can stay with the D-line and do some good things." Kelly doesn't know how it will shake out, but he's intrigued to see if Villanueva can earn a spot on his roster. "He's a guy that I think you can really keep an eye on just because he's got such an upside," Kelly said. "I really don't know how the whole thing will pan out, but in terms of a work ethic and things like that, his is kind of second to none. He was running five miles a day. We're certainly not asking our defense linemen to run five miles a day. There was one day here, I think he went from here to an Army training session and went out and had a couple PT tests that he had to pass and actually one of them was a five-mile test. Philadelphia Eagles He nailed it and came back and didn't miss a day. "He's been just a guy that you see every day just getting a little bit better, Philadelphia Eagles getting a little bit better. As I said the other day, Philadelphia Eagles a real intriguing prospect but just amazed at everything that Alejandro does, to be honest with you." If Villanueva can continue to progress in training camp the way he did through the spring, Philadelphia Eagles there's a chance this feel-good story will get even better, Philadelphia Eagles.

Taylor Hart

Taylor Hart seems quiet and unassuming off the field. 

On the field, it's a completely different story.

The Philadelphia Eagles will have another chance to monitor how their fifth-round draft pick is doing when organized team activities (OTAs) begin Tuesday.
Hart, who played for Eagles coach Chip Kelly at the University of Oregon, is a 6-foot-6, 280-pound defensive end with tremendous upside. 

 And the Eagles believe they took a player in the fifth round who could have been nabbed in the third round. 

 “I mean, we had a third-round grade on Taylor,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman told reporters at the conclusion of the NFL draft. “Because when you look at it, it’s interesting because really the last two years of the -- first two years in my career that I've been part of looking for 3-4 defensive ends, and when you really get down to it, there’s not a lot of guys in the draft that kind of fit the description you’re looking for, and so, again, Taylor, it’s easy to see what he does. His production really is off the charts. [Defensive line coach Jerry Azzinaro] likes to talk about contacts with the ball, and his ability to make contacts with the ball is extremely impressive. 

 “He can run, he’s got instincts. Obviously he’s big, he’s long, and so we did have that third-round grade, and because you know half the teams don't run a 3-4, when we study other teams that run a 3-4, they sometimes look for different -- there is variation on the 3-4 scheme, so we just kind of looked at it," Roseman continued. "You also kind of look at top 30 visits and who's worked them out privately. I felt like we had a good handle on Taylor and the teams that are interested in him, of the teams that are interested in him had they addressed that pick with a different player at that time. Were they going to go back in the first four rounds and get the second guy?"

The Redskins

There’s no question that most of the NFL and its fans were shocked when the Eagles pulled off a victory against the Washington Redskins on the opening Monday Night Football game of the season. After seeing the following three weeks of football played by both Philadelphia and Washington the picture is a whole lot clearer.

The Redskins are not the NFC East champs they were last year, nor is Robert Griffin III back to his normal playing abilities. We thought the Eagles were going against a potential powerhouse when they pulled off their win but now it appears the two were evenly matched.
The losses to San Diego, Kansas City and the stomping by Denver speak much louder than that single win in DC. While 1-3 sounded about right for Philadelphia’s record at the end of September, the losses were worse than expected.
There are a couple of things that we now know about the Philadelphia Eagles under the direction of first-year coach Chip Kelly. First, it appears the secondary is incapable of stopping any passes even if the ball matched the size and speed of a float in a Thanksgiving parade. Yes, Peyton Manning is one of the best quarterbacks of all time but no professional players should allow anyone to complete 28 of 34 pass attempts for 327 yards and four touchdowns.
The defense isn’t marking receivers too well, either. It doesn’t matter what a receiver’s name is, when Manning is throwing the balls everyone will get a taste. But there is no question that Wes Welker is the go-to guy for the Broncos and Manning was able to find him too easily seven times yesterday. This is similar to the San Diego game when all three of the Chargers’ touchdowns came on passes to Eddie Royal. Philly’s D has some awesome athletes, but they just aren’t coming together to play collective defense.
Even in the darkness of 1-3, there is some light that can be cast upon Philly’s season so far. Thanks to the Redskins, Cowboys and especially the Giants also coming up short early and often this year the Eagles are still just one game out behind 2-2 Dallas. Should Philadelphia find a way to turn things around, they could easily be in the playoff race at the end of the season.
The offense isn’t always perfect, but when it’s clicking it is really good. They’re the eighth team in league history to record 400 or more yards of offense in the first four games and set a franchise record with 1,835 yards so far this year. LeSean McCoy’s 468 rushing yards are also the most by an Eagles back through this point in the season.
One thing Kelly has to be careful of in blowouts is what he does at the end of games. He put in backup quarterback Nick Foles to run the offense in the fourth quarter and Foles found Jeff Maehl in the end zone for a touchdown. Kelly made it clear that this is Vick’s team, but that could get a little tricky if Foles continues to come in and succeed in garbage time.