2016 Eagles Offseason (With Updated Team Tracker)

      Here's what you need to know about the Philadelphia Eagles and their organization structure as I list the moves the Eagles have made so far in 2016 NFL Free Agency.  Owner Jeffrey Lurie fired Head Coach/General Manager Chip Kelly before the 2015 season had completed, meaning Howie Roseman could come back out of the Equipment Manager's role essentially and take over the GM role again.  Roseman and Lurie brought in first time Head Coach, Andy Reid protege, Doug Pederson to also head the Offense along with former Chargers Offensive Coordinator Frank Reich, who will retain same position with team.  An ever bigger point to make is that the team brought in former Detroit Lions Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator specialists with the Bills and Titans.  As you will see Schwartz has had a major part in the majority of the moves the Eagles have made so far in Free Agency.

Before we get into Free Agency let's look at the moves that took place before.

Key Signings

• On January 25th, 2016 the Philadelphia Eagles signed TE Zach Ertz to a 5-Year, $42.5 Million contract with $21 Million guaranteed.  Good move for the team.  Ertz has shown his potential time and time again, but Chip wanted to use him as much as a blocker as much as a pass-catching TE, which is not his strong suit.  Hopefully Pederson can get everything he can out of Ertz. 

• Following the TE trend on the next day the Eagles also re-signed Eagle-lifer Brent Celek to a 3-Year $13 Million contract with $6 Million guaranteed, most likely keeping him in Philly to finish career.  Celek has always been a good player and a fan favorite, but he has gotten older and is more of a role player/good team guy than anything.  They didn't break the bank to bring him back and hopefully he can help with blocking up front. 

• The only successful Offensive Lineman brought in under the Chip Kelly regime was 4th Overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft Offensive Tackle Lane Johnson from the University of Oklahoma.  Johnson's efforts since joining the team have not gone unnoticed as he was rewarded with a 6-Year $63 Million contract extension with $35.5 Million guaranteed.  Good lineman who I believe can solidify the edge for many years to come at a good price.

• Defensive Lineman Vinny Curry actually fell victim to loss of playing time due to the 3-4 Defense that Kelly insisted on playing, even though the team has been loaded with 4-3 talent.  That being said Curry was very effective in his limited role and has more to show, which may be a plus for the team and prolong his playing career.  The Eagles brass knew they had a stud on the Defensive Line, so they gave a contract that shows how much potential the team thinks he can have as an every down type player with a 5-Year $46.25 Million contract with $18 Million guaranteed.  Great move, I honestly do not think we haven't seen anything close to his best yet.

• A move that the Eagles needed to make for their secondary was to extend Safety Malcolm Jenkins, who since he arrived here in Free Agency in 2013, has gotten better every season, essentially become a Captain of the Defense with his leadership, and made his first career Pro-Bowl this season.  This is a move that I'm very glad they made and think he will strive again this year and so on with a 5-Year $40.5 Million contract with $21 Million guaranteed.

 

•  And then we have the Sam Bradford 2-Year $36 Million contract(essentially 1-Year $22 Million Franchise Tag deal type of deal) contract that Eagles signed him to just 21 minutes after the Franchise Tag deadline on March 1st.  I wrote a whole article on it titled "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: Sam Bradford Deal". 

Releases

• Won't spend too much time here, but the most notable of the only two(which most expected) was the Release of WR Riley Cooper that many would say has been long overdue. 

•  The other move, like I said before, that most expected was coming was the release of Oft-injured, Veteran Linebacker DeMeco Ryans.  A solid player but the age and injuries and high cap number was bound to have Ryans released but I would say was a leader on the field and much appreciated by the fans during his time here.

 Beginning of the NFL New Year: Free Agency

• A Trade actually Headlines the beginning of NFL Free Agency, but not just in Philadelphia, this trade had football fans all across the country talking.  Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles were able to fleece Miami Dolphins General Manager Mike Tannenbaum in a trade that would send both under-achievers and new-comers Corner back Byron Maxwell (Signed last year by Eagles to a 6-Year $63 Million contract) and Line backer Kiko Alonso (Traded to Eagles last year from Buffalo for Eagles All-time leading rusher LeSean McCoy) along with the 13th Overall pick in the First Round of the 2016 NFL Draft to the Dolphins for the 8th Overall pick in the same draft.  Benjamin Allbright, a credible league source who seems to have the scoop before many from Denver, also originally had the Eagles receiving a 4th Round pick with the 8th pick but I believe the Dolphins may have pulled that off the table and we may never know.  Overall a great trade made by the Eagles to move up into the Top 10 of a draft loaded with talent at the top for a really bad contract with Byron Maxwell, who now seems to have shoulder issues, and a Line backer who has had many injury issues and was a shell of himself from his 2014 Rookie year with the Buffalo Bills.  What the Eagles will do with the Number 8 pick no one knows but that will be for another day.

Jets WR Brandon Marshall Poking Fun at the Dolphins (via Instagram) for bringing up the fact that he's going to eventually make toast out of the Dolphins Defense...In other words as what I take from that.

Pictured as a Cowboy cause I don't want to remember his time here.

•  Wait! Another trade?  Yes, that is right! Another great one by the Eagles? Yes, again that is correctamundo!  The Philadelphia Eagles managed to get a team to take on another really bad contract just after one year.  The Tennessee Titans took on the remainder of extremely disappointing and miserable former Dallas Cowboys-Cockroach Running Back, DeMarco Murray and his 5-Year $42.5 Million deal he signed with the Eagles just last year.  In return, the Eagles were able to swap their Mid 4th round pick for the Titans Top of the 4th round pick.  The return of swapped picks is good but the greatness of the deal is shedding a bad contract of an under-achiever who didn't want to be here anymore.  What I say to that...Good Riddance!

• Before the Official start of Free Agency began the Eagles were able to sign former Buffalo Bills Veteran CB Leodis McKelvin, who performed well for Jim Schwartz when not injured.  The deal is a team-friendly 2-Year $6 Million contract for a player who will compete for a starting Corner back job at a great price.  As you will see Jim Schwartz will have all say on Defensive players that the Eagles will bring in.

• Once the Eagles knew for sure the trade with the Dolphins was going to go through(which freed up more cap money), the Eagles got right to work in Free Agency.  The Eagles signed former Rams Safety Rodney McLeod to a 5-Year $37 Million contract with $17 Million Guaranteed.  McLeod, is a young, hard-hitting Safety who can do it all!  The last notable Eagles Free Agent (actual) Safety to sign was Malcolm Jenkins and we all know how that turned out, hopefully McLeod brings more of the same.  Side note: the reason why I say actual in my last statement was due to last year the Eagles signing Walter Thurmond, CB turned Safety, who will probably walk as he wants to be a CB and get paid as one even though he had a good season in the Eagles secondary.

•  As I mentioned earlier, Chip Kelly did nothing to solidify the Offensive Line besides Lane Johnson in his three years here, which as we all know in the NFL you win in the Trenchs (Offensive and Defensive Lines).  Well the Roseman/Pederson regime finally helped to address the O-Line with former Houston Texans Offensive Guard Brandon Brooks to the tune of 5 Years, $40 Million contract with $21 Million Guaranteed.  Brooks is a key signing solidifying one of the two Guard spots that needed to be addressed.  Brooks was drafted in the 3rd round in 2012 with high upside, who from what I've heard has potential, only negative he doesn't have the greatest motor but think that will change here.

• 3-Years $21 Million with $12 Million guaranteed for 7-Year Veteran, former Kansas City Chiefs backup Quarterback Chase Daniel out of University of Missouri where he played with former Eagle WR Jeremy Maclin.  With Pederson being the Offensive Coordinator for the Chiefs, Daniel has been linked to the Eagles since Pederson got here.  The total package for Daniel is that his contract can reach up to $36 Million with incentives and suggests he may compete with Bradford for the starting QB position.  Very interesting since Daniel has very, very, very, little experience in regular season games.  A lot of money for a backup but we will see what happens when training camp comes around and unless the Eagles are able to trade current backup QB Mark Sanchez this move will most likely lead to him being released by the team.  Daniel is not a terrible move but it is not a great one either, again all I can say is...we'll see.

•  With LB Kiko Alonso gone now there is a LB void that needs to be replaced and Schwartz had another one of his former players in mind.  That player, former Buffalo Bills LB Nigel Bradham agreed to a 2-Year with money still unknown(Will update when numbers become available).  Some sources close to Buffalo and around NFL have used such ways to describe Bradham's impact on this team as a "stud" and that he may be a "gem" in Schwartz's Defense.  From what I've heard and hope, Bradham will come in and rotate in a good Eagles line backing core and cause havoc.

•  Another former Buffalo Bills player to come in on Day One of Free Agency is CB/ST and Rapper Future look-alike Ron Brooks for a 3-Year $6 Million contract which can reach up to $8.7 Million in incentives.  Schwartz is very comfortable with "his" guys and has brought in Brooks for depth and Special teams help.  With Schwartz's Defensive track record I trust him to bring in his guys if he feels comfortable doing so an applaud Howie for trusting and meeting the needs of his Defense Coordinator.  Also, Brooks walked up to the mic this afternoon at his press conference and said "My name is Ron Brooks obviously".  Love this guy already and as I said he looks like Future, he sounds like him too. 

 Updated: March 17, 2016

• With the signing of Doug Pederson's clone of 7-Year Veteran Backup QB Chase Daniel(not Daniels), the Eagles were able to move Chicken Finger/Hot Dog on the sideline eating Backup QB Mark Sanchez in a trade to the Denver Broncos for a conditional 2017 7th round pick.  You might be thinking to yourself, "ok, a 2017 conditonal 7th, so what?"  The pick probably wont lead to much but Sanchez was going to be cut if they could not find a dance partner, but instead were able to free up an extra Million dollars in cap space with the trade.  I was a fan of Sanchez as a backup but its a good move for the team.

• Many thought CB Nolan Carroll would definitely leave the team in Free Agency at seasons end, but when the Eagles traded CB Byron Maxwell there was hope that the Eagles would lock up their own.  Then the team brought in two of DC Jim Schwartz's corners from Buffalo (Leodis McKelvin and Ron Brooks) and again you would think Carroll would leave.  After all of that the Eagles were able to bring Carroll back on a 1-Year $2.36 Million deal to temporarily sure up their secondary for this season at least.

•  In a minor move, to replace WR Riley Cooper's veteran presence, the Eagles signed former Sam Bradford teammate in St. Louis WR Chris Given to a 1-Year 760K deal with 180K guaranteed.  The move is a very low-risk/medium reward, but him and Bradford didn't do much together, especially since his career numbers are 105 catches, 1,779 yards and 5 TDs in his 4 year career.

• In another minor move the Eagles released Defensive Lineman Brandon Bair.  Another Chip Kelly guy to get shipped off the island of the NovaCare Complex.

• As of this current moment there are still rumblings across the NFL that Corner back turned Safety Walter Thurmond may retire.  This year he is a Free Agent and played well in his new role, but he has said in the past how concussions are an issue he does not want to face and he has many endeavors outside of football he make go after such as filmmaking.  But with the Rodney McLeod signing, it would be safe to assume the Safety position is taken care of.

 The Eagles have done a good job this year going after guys who can be core for this team for years to come.  The Eagles have made moves more for the future, which I am obviously hoping will pay off.  Most of the moves I am good with but the signings of both QB's were a little expensive for a team that is not on the cusp of winning it all.  As of St. Patrick's Day 2016 the Eagles seem to have made most of the moves they will make in Free Agency.  The Eagles have a very crucial draft coming up, which I think will be pivotal to the future of this team for years to come, but one thing I really believe is that newly acquired Safety Rodney McLeod will be a real player for this team for years to come.  

• This page will be updated as more moves become known.