Adam Schefter got Eagles fan’s excitement boners just a little bit harder the other day on 97.5 The Fanatic, saying that he expects the Eagles to be aggressive in free agency.
Schefter’s hunch isn’t based on any factual evidence, but rather he’s just going off of how Howie Roseman usually runs things. When Howie sees a player he likes, Howie usually gets that player; this is the one aspect of being a GM that he has always aced. The one down side to this is that Howie always sets his sights too high, He’ll never eat burger, he always has to have filet mignon. It’s this refined taste that led to the Dream Team and Chip Kelly eras.
In Howie’s last two seasons as GM, when he worked alongside Chip Kelly, the Eagles were active, but relatively quiet on the free agent market. Instead of going after bigger name players, the Eagles signed guys like Connor Barwin and Malcolm Jenkins to smart, relatively modest contracts. Both paid major dividends and have been far more productive than some of the other bigger name free agents from each go their classes *cough* *cough* Jarius Byrd *cough* *cough*.
So far this offseason, Howie has made some smart moves. He has resigned young players to long term, team friendly deals just as they are about to reach their prime. Im optimistic about how Roseman will go about free agency, but the ghost of offseasons past will be haunting me pretty bad.
As of right now, the Eagles have something around 19 Mil in cap space, so there shouldn’t be too much room for Howie to go out and get the big name guy that has burned the team so often in the past, which does put me a little more at ease. With that said though, the team could stand to dump some unnecessary contracts, Mark Sanchez, Ryan Matthews, and Jason Peters (maybe), if they’re looking to add a little bit of wiggle room to the cap.
With all that said, here are some names the Eag:
Chase Daniels, QB KC Chiefs: The Eagles already have their QB of the (short term) future in Sam Bradford, but the guy will be learning his sixth new offense in just as many seasons. For those of you counting at home, that’s one for every season he’s been in the league. To help ease this transition into this new offense, the team could bring on Chase Daniels to help mentor the QBs on the roster. I’ve already mentioned how the team could stand to cut ties with Mark Sanchez, or better yet just dump him off in the middle of the woods somewhere. I think Daniels may be the more affordable and beneficial option at back up QB.
Cory Harkey, FB St. Louis Rams: Philly Mag recently did a piece on the importance of full backs in Doug Pederson’s system. KC used full back Anthony Sherman as a bull dozer to help clean up running lanes and pick up any defenders who may of slipped through the cracks in the offensive line. With how often DeMarco Murray got touched in the backfield, Im sure he’d appreciate a little bit of lead blocking. Cory Harkey has great size for his position at 6’4 259 lbs and also served as a back up tight end for the Rams. At only 25 years old, Harkey posted the fourth highest run blocking grade according to PFF, thats 13 spots higher than KC’s Anthony Sherman. Considering his age, size, and the potential to get the most out of DeMarco Murray, Harkey may be a better option than anyone in the draft. (Although I wouldn’t complain if the Eagles drafted Glenn Gronkowski)
Anquan Boldin, WR SF 49ers: Middle tier wide receivers are about to make BANK this offseason. With the top free agent at the position being Marvin Jones, a number two receiver with some solid upside and an ugly injury history, this is a pool I’d dip my toes in, but not one I’d try to jump into head first. Despite it being his age 35 season, Anquan Boldin still finished 2015 with 69 (ha) receptions, 789 yards receiving and four touch downs, that’s better production than almost every receiver on the Eagles’ roster. Oh and he only had two drops on 111 targets, so there’s that too. Boldin turns 36 in October so there’s no guarantee he can continue to produce at this level, but I am a firm believer in the value of the on the field coach. I would love to see what knowledge Boldin could pass down to a guy like Nelson Agholor.
Jeff Allen, Guard KC Chiefs: I would like to use this space to talk about the possibility of the Eagles signing a young, solid tackle like Mitchell Schwartz or Kelvin Beachum, but until the team does something with Jason Peters I doubt they’ll make a major move at the position prior to the draft. Instead, let me be a little bit of a basic bitch and explain why the Eagles should sign Jeff Allen. Ranked as the 10th best guard in football according to PFF, Allen is one of the best run blockers in the league and, at only 26 years old, should be just hitting the prime of his career. I normally find that teams should stay away from high profile guards because they can be too scheme specific, but seeing as how the Eagles should be running an offense reminiscent to that of KC’s, Jeff Allen shouldn’t skip a beat. The one down side to Allen is his injury history, dude has a laundry list of ailments that would make even Sam Bradford pull his shirt collar. Maybe Im exaggerating a little, but he missed all but one game last season due to elbow surgery, suffered an MCL sprain this season, and has struggled with shoulder and ankle issues in his 4 year career.
If Allen’s price gets a little too high or he decides to go elsewhere, Alex Boone could be a decent consolation. The 6’8 Boone leaves a little to be desired in the run game, but he one of the league’s best in pass protection and that’s where the Eagles need the most interior help.
Mario Williams, DE Buffalo Bills: Let me preface this by saying I don’t want Mario unless he’s being paid back up money, with that said, HOLY SHIT THE EAGLES MIGHT WANT TO SIGN MARIO WILLIAMS. The Eagles are set on both ends of the defensive line with Vinny Curry and Brandon Graham, but behind those two the team is sorely lacking. Right now, the only depth the team has at DE is Taylor Hart, Connor Barwin, and Brandon Bair, and I think Bair might be the only one suitable to play in a 4-3. There’s also Marcus Smith, but he’s still Marcus Smith. Williams is coming off one of his worst seasons as a pro registering only five sacks, but the season prior, when he was playing in Jim Schwartz scheme, set a career high with 14.5 sacks.
Williams comes with his fair share of red flags though, he is already 31 years old, he has been labeled selfish and many think he quit on his team down the stretch, and his high profile name may cause him to expect big money in free agency; some of his flaws though depend on which narrative you want to read into about the player. If the Eagles can get this guy on a low cost deal or something highly incentive based, it could go a long way. Rotating a player like Williams in with Brandon Graham may be the team’s best option, especially considering Graham has to get his body back into DE shape after moving to OLB.
Nick Fairley, DT St. Louis Rams: The Eagles defensive line is easily their biggest strength, but hey a little depth never hurt nobody. Nick Fairley played very well this season in limited snaps for the Rams, although it doesn’t really show up on the stat sheet. I doubt he’ll ever live up to the hype he had coming out of Auburn, but I think the guy can still play some decent football. Fairley has already played under Jim Schwartz in Detroit, so his familiarity with the scheme could prove beneficial, especially considering Bennie Logan has never played in a 4-3 defense. Plus, Fairley’s strength has always been getting to the quarterback and the thought of him lining up next to Fletcher Cox makes me a little giddy.
Mark Barron, LB St. Louis Rams: Please ignore the number of St. Louis Rams I have on this list, I really wasn’t expecting it to be this many. With the Eagles making the switch to a 4-3, I think it may be in their best interest to get their hands on one of those hybrid linebacker-safeties that have become all the rage in the NFL, something like a Shaq Thompson or Deone Bucannon type. Jim Schwartz’s pass rush had such great success in Buffalo because his defense had unbelievable pass coverage skills, the Eagles don’t. Mychael Kendricks is the team’s weakest player in coverage, he has natural play making skills but he gets exposed when he drops back. Mark Barron is a former top ten draft pick at safety who made the transition to linebacker this past season and showed a little bit of promise, in his first game at the position he finished with 16 tackles, two for a loss, and two forced fumbles. Although he isn’t exactly the league’s best in coverage, he’s much better than anything Kendricks showed last season, finishing with a league worst 28.7 coverage grade. Barron has a natural nose for the football and is constantly around the ball, if the Eagle can pry him from the Rams, he could be a nice rotational option for Kendricks on passing downs.
George Iloka, S Cincinnati Bengals: If there was one position I expect the Eagles to shell out the buku bucks, it’s safety; the only problem is Im not too sure what the Eagles will be looking for in a safety. During his time in Buffalo, Jim Schwartz was able to run whatever coverage scheme his heart desired alternating between man, zone, and man under primarily out of a 4-3 base or a nickel defense. Some times Schwartz would roll out a three safety look, sometimes he’d go with a zero safety look, the Bills’ defense gave him that much versatility. Schwartz may be looking for a number of different things in his safety, but luckily for the Eagles there’s a pretty diverse free agent safety pool. George Iloka is the cream of the free agent safety crop, he’s a young player who’s already established himself as one of the position’s better players. the 26 year old Iloka doesn’t have one WOW aspect of his game, but he’s all around solid. He won’t make a lot of highlight reel plays, but neither will the guy he’s playing against. At 6’4, 225 lb, Iloka has great size for his position and is just as capable dropping back into coverage as he is playing up at the line of scrimmage.
Because I think the Eagles will shell out the cash for a solid safety, and I know how much Howie Roseman loves his big name players, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Eagles make a play for Eric Weddle. The 31 year old Weddle finished the season with the second highest coverage grade among safeties according to PFF, but showed some signs of regression. His run defense was a little bit iffy at times, as he posted an unimpressive run defense grade and had the fewest total tackles since his rookie season. For comparison sake, Eric Weddle 2015 season was very similar to that of Charles Woodson’s with way less turnovers.
If the Jim Schwartz wants his safety to play up close to the line of scrimmage, a player like the Detroit Lion’s Isa Abdul Quddus could interest the Eagles. At 26 years old, the 6’1 201 pounder finished with a top ten run defense grade and was ranked five spots higher than Walter Thurmond. Isa’s impact was clearly visible as the Lions lost every game were he absent from the starting lineup and won almost every game he started. He played a big role in the Lion’s midseason defensive turn around. If the Eagles are looking for more of a center fielder who can just roam the middle of the defense, the recently released Rahim Moore could be tempting. Before turning into a complete hot mess with the Houston Texans, Moore established himself as one of the league’s best center fielders with the Denver Broncos. He doesn’t offer much in terms of run support, but he more than makes up for it with his coverage skills, or at least he use to. Perhaps a reunion with his former defensive backs coach, Cory Undlin, could have him playing like his former self.
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