Prefacing The Offseason

Let's just jump right into this.

Offensive Coordinator:

The first thing to drop is likely going to be coaching changes. Marty Mornhinweg might be a head coach in Oakland or Indianapolis. If he goes there are 4 obvious candidates for the job.

Brad Childress: "Chilly" might make his return to Philadelphia. Chilly loved to pass the ball but he was far more dedicated to the run game than Marty was. In Chilly’s Philly tenure the Eagles had a three headed beast at RB with Staley,Westbrook and Buckhalter and once he got to Minnesota he made Adrian Peterson the center-piece of his offense, so much so that it was actually a problem (he was too conservative). Andy loves the guy and he has said he would welcome him back with open arms. He is also reportedly close friends with Steve Spagnuolo.

David Culley: Culley has been an assistant here for 13 years now, right along with Andy Reid so you know that Andy Reid is comfortable with him. He last coordinated an offense at Texas El-Paso in 1990. But he is a "senior offensive assistant" for the Eagles so he appears primed for a promotion. It likely wouldn’t excite the people but when was the last time Andy Reid listened to the people? But you know what will excite the people? Culley was born in Sparta (Tennessee but who really cares?) and that could lead to some classic signs and wordplay.

George Stewart: Stewart hasn’t worked with Andy Reid which probably hurts his chances but he has ties with Andy Reid. Stewart worked with Steve Mariucci and Marty in San Francisco back in the 90s and most recently, Brad Childress hired Stewart to be his receivers coach. Andy has worked with all three of those coaches in the past. Scouts respect Stewart, Dave Razzano (former scout who worked with Stewart in San Francisco) notes his ability to command the field.

James Urban: Remember this guy? He was our QB coach for two years before being promoted to "assistant offensive coordinator" for like a week. Then he took a coaching job with the Bengals. He has ties with Andy Reid, he was actually an assistant to the head coach for 3 years and Andy is notorious for promoting his former assistants. He was the wide receiver coach in Cincinnati and he did a fantastic job with AJ Green in his first year.

Defensive Coordinator:

I know that there is a growing number of people who think that Juan is coming back but lets look at some quotes from the most powerful man in our organization to dispel this ridiculous notion.

"We proved we could dominate the last four games of the year against teams that weren’t that competitive. There’s a lot to be said for the players coming together and the coaching staff holding this group together in a way that was impressive, but to hold onto that as the reason to be completely optimistic I think is fool’s gold."

"But the first half of the season, it’s just ridiculously unacceptable to have a fourth quarter lead and blow all those games. And if we just blew one less game we’d be playing Atlanta next week, so that’s where it’s at."

"Another aspect of Andy, I’ll just say, he’s not afraid to make changes. Sometimes the changes work and sometimes that don’t, but very few coaches will change quarterbacks and succeed, change schemes and succeed, changes GMs and succeed. This is a man open to change."

"Fool’s gold", "ridiculously unacceptable", "not afraid to make changes" and those are just three quick quotes that I found glossing over the transcript. Juan is gone. There is a reason that we’re being attached to defensive coordinators, where there is smoke there is fire. And if you really need to know why Juan Castillo is toast, read the fanpost I wrote earlier. Fool’s gold indeed.

So, who are the Eagles going to take a look at? The Eagles have the personnel to run a 4-3 defense and in a year where Lurie is expecting a Superbowl I don’t think the Eagles are going to drastically change the scheme by completely switching defensive concepts. You can expect that the Eagles will stick with the 4-3 defense.

Steve Spagnuolo: The obvious candidate that makes all the sense in the world. He has worked with Andy in the past, he has said that he has a tremendous amount of respect for Andy and he is a Superbowl winning coordinator. He is the most successful disciple of Jim Johnson too. He has extremely strong ties to Andy Reid and the Eagles.

Jack Del-Rio: Jack Del-Rio is one of the more under appreciated defensive guys in the NFL. He was a coach on the dominant Ravens defense at the turn of the century. He then moved on to coordinate the Carolina Panthers’ defense in 2002 where he had the 2nd ranked yardage defense and the 5th ranked scoring defense. In his time as a head coach in Jacksonville Del Rio had 4 top 10 yardage defenses and 3 top 10 scoring defenses. He always had solid linebackers and he appears to be a guy that would be well suited for a coordinator spot. Also, little known fact: Andy Reid actually wanted to hire Marvin Lewis as his defensive coordinator when he first came to the Eagles but Lewis declined. Del Rio has ties to Marvin Lewis.

Jeff Fitzgerald: Like I said for Del-Rio, Andy Reid wanted to hire Marvin Lewis back in 1999 but couldn’t snag him so it would be logical to assume that Andy might take a look at a guy with close ties to Marvin Lewis, a guy Andy respects. Jeff Fitzgerald has been a good position coach for a long time. He worked with Rex Ryan in Baltimore, helping him produce a litany of pro-bowl linebackers and he has been a good coach under Mike Zimmer too. He has good pedigree and NFL experience, could the Eagles give him a shot?

Mike Trgovac: He is the defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers but before he was part of a 3-4 defense, he was the coordinator of John Fox’s 4-3 defense. He was on the Eagles’ target last year but he wasn’t available because of the Packers’ playoff run. That isn’t the case this year. In Trgovac’s six years of experience as a defensive coordinator in Carolina, he had 3 top 10 yardage defenses and 3 top 10 scoring defenses.

Joe Woods: A low-key defensive coordinator candidate. Woods has been the secondary coach for the Vikings for a few years now but prior to that, he was an assistant with the 2005 Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they had the top ranked defense. He came to the Vikings with Mike Tomlin and Adam Schefter has actually compared Woods to Mike Tomlin saying that he has a "similar makeup". He has worked under Leslie Frazier and Brad Childress, both of whom Andy has strong ties with.

Jon Hoke: The Eagles interviewed him last year and he is one of the stronger under-the-radar candidates on the market. He was the defensive coordinator at Florida from 1999-2001. He worked under Dom Capers in Houston with the Texans. And since 2009 he has been the defensive backs coach under Lovie Smith with the consistently good Chicago Bears defense. He ran a 4-3 zone blitz scheme at Florida. He worked in a 3-4 zone blitz scheme under Capers. He worked with the Tampa 2 scheme in Chicago. He is scheme diverse, has strong pedigree and experience as a defensive coordinator.

Expiring Contracts:

Vince Young: There have been some rumblings that Vince Young might come back because of the poor QB market this offseason. I don’t see it, Vince Young did nothing positive for this team and there is nothing that I saw this season that would suggest that Vince Young should be brought back. He didn’t display any understanding of the scheme and he showed next to zero game management skills. He threw more than twice as many interceptions as touchdowns and he completed less than 60% of his passes. Mike Kafka is the superior player and he appears more than ready to be the primary back-up to Michael Vick and according to the Eagles’ organization, that is the plan. The story with Kafka has always been that he would take over as the back-up in his 3rd year.

Ronnie Brown: Ronnie Brown was brought in to compliment LeSean McCoy but he didn’t do that very well. He barely averaged over 3 yards per carry and he only notched 136 yards on the year. The Eagles have a history of increasing a running-backs usage in their second pro year which would suggest that Dion Lewis is in line to become the primary back-up to LeSean McCoy.

Owen Schmitt: I’ll admit that I’m not particularly adept at watching and processing full back play but my intuition tells me that Schmitt shouldn’t be going anywhere. He surely isn’t the best fullback around but he gets his job done well enough to keep his job. He’s also one of the better receiving options as a fullback. Could he be upgraded? Absolutely but I fully expect him to at least get a shot to defend his job.

DeSean Jackson: This is by far the toughest decision the Eagles will face this offseason. What do you do with DeSean Jackson? This is such a big decision that I don’t think writing a little snippet would accurately capture the gravity of the situation. I’ll write more about this later.

Steve Smith: Be gone oh useless one and don’t come back! Your lack of effort was truly sickening.

King Dunlap: King Dunlap has transformed himself, he was once one of the worst tackles in the NFL but as he has gained experience, he has gotten significantly better. King Dunlap has played over half the snaps in a game in 7 games since his debacle against Justin Smith in 2010. In those 7 games King Dunlap has allowed only allowed 1 sack, 2 QB hits and 9 QB pressures. He has shown the versatility to play LT, RT and OG. At only 26 years old, King Dunlap is a guy that should be kept.

Evan Mathis: You absolutely must keep Evan Mathis, he is the best guard the Eagles have (not much of a compliment though). He allowed zero sacks this year, LeSean McCoy averaged 5.8 yards per carry when running up the middle and he did a good job playing in space too. That might be a bit misleading though, as Evan Mathis is a very mediocre in-line blocker and he doesn’t generate a ton of movement. He is a huge believer in Howard Mudd and he really seems to enjoy playing for Mudd. He’s a versatile guy too, he can play both guard spots and he can move out to RT in case of an emergency.

Victor Abiamiri: Be gone oh cursed one.

Juqua Parker: Parker had his least productive season as an Eagles since his 2005 effort, he saw his snaps cut in half and towards the end of the year he saw Phillip Hunt really take up a bunch of his snaps. And the Eagles are an organization that focuses on youth; Juqua Parker is going to be 34 this year. The writing is on the wall for Parker: his time is up. Hunt stepped up and flashed and Brandon Graham is going to need playing time next year. Bye Parker.

Antonio Dixon: Antonio Dixon had a stellar year in 2010. Dixon's average tackle on a running play came after a gain of just 1.1 yards, the 5th best figure in the league and his run stop rate of 88% was 8th in the NFL. He was truly one of the best run stoppers in the NFL. Then came 2011 where he very clearly was not comfortable in the Wide 9 scheme, he was uncoordinated and unbalanced moving forward and attacking as opposed to taking on blockers. He was slow off the snap, he bumbled forward, he missed tackles and he struggled to make plays away from his frame. He still has potential but 2011 brought him back to earth. We’ll see how he further adjusts his game to fit Jim Washburn’s scheme. I don’t think he’s the slam dunk that everyone says and if he doesn’t improve, he’ll be fighting for a roster spot.

Trevor Laws: Much like Dixon, Laws flashed in 2010 but he fell flat on his face in 2011 in a scheme that was supposed to be tailor made for a guy with his skill set. He got his snaps taken away by Derek Landri and at this point its fairly clear that Laws won’t be back.

Derek Landri: Landri turned out to be a keeper, he fit the wide nine scheme like a glove. Landri played a total of 355 snaps this year and in those snaps he had 21 tackles, 17 stops, 6 TFL, 2 sacks, 5 QB hits and 13 QB pressures. He was clearly a very productive player this past season and he’s done enough to get a spot next year.

Cuts & Trades:

Asante Samuel: Getting rid of Asante would free up 7.5 million dollars in cap space.

Darryl Tapp: Getting rid of Tapp would free up 2.575 million dollars in cap space.

Jamaal Jackson: Getting rid of JJ would free up 1.875 million dollars in cap space.

Winston Justice: Getting rid of Justice would free up 2.344 million dollars in cap space.

If you part ways with all 4 players (either by cutting or trading them), the Eagles would free up approximately $14.5 million in cap space. That’s a lot of cash and it would give the Eagles $28.63 million in cap space (estimated via Eagles Cap).

At this point there is one very clear trade prospect: Asante Samuel. We know that he is on his way out but what exactly are these is he worth? Lets look for some precedent, shall we? For the Asante Samuel deal, there isn’t much precedent as good/great corners aren’t typically on the trade market. There are three examples that pop into my head right away when I think of traded cornerbacks: Antonio Cromartie, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Lito Sheppard.

• -Antonio Cromartie got traded for a 2011 3rd round pick that turned into a 2nd round pick because he played so much. At the time of the trade Cromartie was 25, had 15 interceptions in the 3 years prior and had a recent all-pro nomination.
• -Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was part of a package (with a 2nd round pick) that landed the Cardinals their "QB of the future". DRC was 25 at the time of the trade, had 13 interceptions in the 3 years prior and had a recent pro-bowl nomination.
• -Lito Sheppard was traded to the New York Jets for a 5th round pick in 2010 and a conditional pick that could’ve been as high as a 2nd round pick but turned into a 4th. Lito was 27 at the time of the trade, had 12 interceptions in the 4 years prior to being traded and recent pro-bowl nomination.

Asante Samuel is quite clearly a better player than all of these players. He is a better coverage corner than all of these players as he has been completely shut down the past two years. And he has 39 interceptions in the past 6 years. It would appear that the Eagles should be expecting a relatively high pick, probably a 3rd round pick due to age and immediate compensation (2 of those deals involved future picks). Here is a statistical comparison of all 4 players the year before they were (or potentially) traded:

Potential destinations include:

• Atlanta Falcons – Grimes is leaving in free agency and the rest of their corners struggled this past year.
• Baltimore Ravens – The Ravens were interested in Asante at the trade deadline.
• Buffalo Bills – The Bills had a bad pass defense and they could use a shut-down corner like Asante.
• Carolina Panthers – The Panthers pass defense struggled and didn’t make plays, could Asante reunite with McDermott?
• Chicago Bears – The Bears corners were abused this year and adding a veteran like Asante would give them a boost.
• Cleveland Browns – The Browns struggled to make plays and the Eagles have strong ties with the Browns.
• Detroit Lions – They very nearly traded for him during the year and their secondary is still bad.
• Indianapolis Colts – Colts need a corner and a playmaker, they could kill two birds with one stone.
• New Orleans Saints – The Saints really struggled to generate turnovers and Asante would end that.
• San Francisco 49ers – The 49ers were interested in Asante at the trade deadline and Carlos Rogers is a free agent.
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Talib might be in jail and Barber is old. Plus their secondary was awful in every facet.

The DeSean Jackson Decision:

The Good: On one hand DeSean Jackson makes as many explosive plays as anyone in the NFL and has shown in the past that he can be as dynamic (inconsistent too) a punt returner as there is in the NFL. He’s got some of the best speed in the NFL and simply put he can make plays. He is capable of making jaw dropping plays and that is something that you might just gloss over as you read this but it really is a huge positive to DeSean’s game. He’s only 25 and he is the most productive young receiver in franchise history. His role in the "Miracle At The Meadowlands Number 2" has already cemented his role as a Philadelphia legend.

The Bad: At the same time DeSean Jackson is an attitude problem that does not give consistent effort and appears to be more worried about his pocket book than how he plays on the field. He has not displayed the on field skills that would suggest that he dedicates time to his craft. He is a poor route runner. He struggles to make difficult grabs that top receivers should make. Over the past two years he has been one of the league leaders in drops. And DeSean still struggles with physical corners four years into his career. And his combination of size, poor route running, finesse mentality and poor hands make him a complete non-factor in the red-zone. His work ethic and desire to be great have to be questioned and everyone here knows that he is just one hit away from being useless for the remainder of his career as his entire game is built around his speed.

What I think should happen: At one point I thought that DeSean could develop into a guy similar to Marvin Harrison, who was a small speedy player that had a fantastic career. But it is apparent to me that DeSean lacks the same professional mentality that Harrison had and he doesn’t take the same amount of pride in his craft as Harrison did. DeSean’s hit and miss nature is a big part of the reason that this offense is so inconsistent. For example, the Eagles offense was 4th in yards this year but red-zone struggles held them to 8th in scoring and they were the 9th overall 3rd down offense. DeSean’s 9 drops certainly contributed to that. And 7 of DeSean’s targets were intercepted which was the 3rd most in the NFL.

Rumor has it that DeSean Jackson wants about 9 million dollars per season. That number would make him the 4th highest paid receiver in football. That is not market value as DeSean Jackson is nowhere near the 4th best receiver in the NFL, as a matter of fact saying that he isn’t close doesn’t even cover it. If DeSean’s contract demands truly are what is being reported, I wish him luck on his new team. You could probably end up getting two receivers for that price. And the Eagles might not have the cap space to commit 9 million to DeSean Jackson if they plan on keeping LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin (both of their contracts expire in the next two years).

Think of it like this, the Eagles could sign Robert Meachem or Mario Manningham and then draft a guy like Brian Quick, Dwight Jones or Rueben Randle in the second round and probably only commit about $4-5 million to the WR spot (Roughly 4 to the FA and 1 to the 2nd round pick). Or you could even draft a guy like Joe Adams or TY Hilton in the 3rd or 4th for even cheaper. If I were the Eagles (this is assuming that reports of DeSean’s demands are accurate) this would be the route I would take, sign a midlevel receiver with upside and draft a guy relatively early. The receivers need to be upgraded as they really hurt us early in the year.

And while we’re talking about receivers, I think Jeremy Maclin needs to be defended a bit as he is under siege from Eagles fans for some reason. Did Jeremy Maclin take the big step we thought he would? No, but remember that he was recovering from a cancer scare and he was nicked up all season. He still caught 67% of his targets and only 2 of them were intercepted. He still came out with a 14.9% DVOA rating which was good for 23rd in the NFL, only one spot behind Hakeem Nicks. He was hurt and he wasn’t targeted as much so his numbers dropped but he is still our best receiver and he is still one of the best young receivers in the game. Jeremy Maclin has showcased the ability to take over games at times; he has four 140 yard performances in his career.

The Red Zone Problem:

This seems to be a consistent problem with the Eagles year in and year out. It never gets solved. It is truly baffling. How do you solve it? In order to answer that question I think you need to look at the offenses that have success.

The top 6 red-zone offenses this year (in order):

1. New England Patriots
2. Detroit Lions
3. New York Jets
4. Green Bay Packers
5. Tennessee Titans
6. New Orleans Saints

Right off the bat you must know that the Titans are the clear outlier here, they scored when they got into the red-zone but they were 28th in the NFL in red-zone attempts so their numbers are a bit skewed. The New England Patriots had Rob Gronkowski (6’6") who ended up having 15 touchdowns in the red-zone and Aaron Hernandez (6’1") who ended up having 7 touchdowns in the red-zone. Also having a precise QB like Tom Brady tends to help things.

The Detroit Lions had Calvin Johnson (6’5") who ended up having 11 touchdowns in the red-zone, Brandon Pettigrew (6’5") who ended up having 5 touchdowns in the red-zone and Tony Scheffler (6’5") who ended up having 5 touchdowns in the red-zone. And having a precise QB like Matt Stafford doesn’t hurt.

The New York Jets had Plaxico Burress (6’6") who ended up with 7 touchdowns in the red-zone and Dustin Keller (6’2") ended up with 5 touchdowns in the red-zone. And having a grinding offensive line with a couple good backs doesn’t hurt.

The Green Bay Packers had Jordy Nelson (6’3") rack up 7 red-zone touchdowns and Jermichael Finley (6’6") had 8 red-zone touchdowns. And Aaron Rodgers ability to create with his feet and also throw the ball accurately didn’t hurt.

The New Orleans Saints had Jimmy Graham (6’6") and Marques Colston (6’4") rack up a combined 14 touchdowns in the red-zone. And again, the QB (Brees) didn’t hurt them either.

So after quickly glossing over the top red-zone offenses you’ll discover one thing, they utilize their size and athleticism in the red-zone (particularly with their passing game). The Eagles have LeSean McCoy who is an end-zone magnet (20 red-zone scores) and Michael Vick who is capable of creating plays with his feet. But Michael Vick isn’t a top "mental" QB and his accuracy and decision making is not on the same level as the elite passers in the game so that is a hindrance we’re stuck with (and one that I’m perfectly okay with as long as Vick is so good everywhere else). But our size and athleticism in the receiving game could use some upgrading. Brent Celek is a nice target but he has short arms and he doesn’t have the athleticism to make tough grabs in tight quarters. Jeremy Maclin was a nice red-zone weapon in 2010 and he’s not a part of the problem, or at least he’s not nearly as much to blame as DeSean is. The Eagles could really use some added size at the receiver spot and I know it’s become a tired demand at this point but it really is still a need and I believe it’s part of the reason we continually struggle in the red-zone.

Our Offensive Line:

I know I’m going to catch heat for this but our offensive line is overrated. There, I said it. Now, hold on. Before you burn me at the stake, let me explain. I’ll start by saying this: Our offensive line is much improved but it isn’t the best in the game. Sorry. Why am I saying this? Well, lets look at the stats.

The Eagles graded out as ProFootballFocus’ 15th best pass protecting unit (includes RBs, TEs etc.) The Eagles allowed 2.1 sacks per game and that average came out as the 12th best mark in the NFL and the Eagles’ QBs were sacked on approximately 5.62% of all their drop-backs, again leaving the Eagles ranked 12th in the NFL. The Eagles line as a whole did really well, Peters, Mathis, Kelce, Watkins and Herremans only allowed 7.5 sacks combined. The performance was especially impressive when you consider the previous year; the Eagles dropped their sacks allowed per game by an entire sack (that’s 16 sacks for those of you who don’t like math). Vick and Young were assigned the blame for 10 sacks. Great numbers.

So how is our unit overrated? We’re not very good at run blocking. Now I’m sure you’re ready to put your fist through the screen but hear me out. The Eagles were 26th in adjusted line yards (3.89). How many of you remember that KC Joyner "good blocking stat"? Well this is essentially the same thing. This would imply that the offensive line was not generating a ton of movement off the line and that LeSean McCoy played a huge role in our successful running game. This is supported by the fact that the Eagles ranked 2nd in second level yardage and 4th in open field yardage. LeSean McCoy and the Eagles struggled to generate yards inside the tackles as the team averaged 2.98 yards when running behind the left guard (29th), 3.68 yards when running behind the center (28th) and 4.19 yards when running behind the right guard (21st).

So I guess my point is this: LeSean McCoy is incredible and our offensive line is pretty good (not great). Now when I say they're a poor run blocking team, I mean that they're not a powerful unit that knocks you off the line. Which is fine, that isn't what they're designed to do. The offensive line runs a diagonal running scheme that puts more emphasis on getting out into space and picking your spots to run base runs inside. So in someways this is a byproduct of scheme. The offensive line is probably one of the best in the NFL in space as a unit, if not the best.

But here is where things get interesting; the Eagles had the 10th oldest offensive line in the NFL on June 15th according to JimmyK. And we’ve only gotten older since then as we’ve brought in Evan Mathis (who is 30). By the end of next season, the average age of a starting offensive lineman on the Eagles will be 28.8 years old and the 3 best players (Peters, Mathis and Herremans) will all be on the wrong side of 30. And as JimmyK points out, offensive lines tend to regress quickly as they get older. It happened to the Cowboys in 2010 and it happened to the Giants in 2011.

But here is something you might not know, Todd Herremans’ contract expires in 2 years and Evan Mathis isn’t likely to be inked to a very long term deal (3 years would be my expectation). That means in the next 2-3 years, the Eagles could lose two of their better offensive lineman. Would the Eagles invest a relatively high pick in an offensive lineman so they could develop them and plug them in later? It's what Howard Mudd did with the Colts a few years back, they stocked up on offensive linemen when the unit was getting older.

The Eagles need young bodies that they can develop and they need depth along the interior of the offensive line. What’s my point about the age of our guys? The Eagles would be wise to invest in young players that can step in immediately when Peters, Mathis and Herremans hit their inevitable decline and potentially part ways with the Eagles 2-3 years down the road.

The Defensive Line:

The rankings are for players that had more than 20 pass rushing snaps (for Pass Rushing Productivity) or more than 20 run defense snaps (for stop percentage).

As you can clearly see, our defensive line was more effective than any line in football. And that is only taking the players who are likely to be back next year into account. Phillip Hunt and Brandon Graham appear to be primed for breakout years next year with Hunt coming back for his second year and Graham fully recovering from his ACL injury. Both has nice seasons in limited snaps.

The defensive line is the best in the NFL, hands down. There is no defensive line that can generate the same sort of havoc that ours can. Only the Giants can even stand up in a comparison and that is only if Tuck, JPP and Osi are all healthy. But there is a problem; there is no youth on the defensive line. Jenkins, Cole and Babin will all be on the wrong side of 30 next year. Brandon Graham is the guy the Eagles need to step up this year since he’ll be 100% healthy.

The Eagles appear to be ready to part ways with Darryl Tapp, Trevor Laws and Juqua Parker this offseason so some added depth is surely on the way. The question is, how early do the Eagles draft a defensive lineman? With some depth guys leaving look for the Eagles to fill up their depth chart with some low-key signings and some mid-round draft picks. Spots that appear to be the most "up for grabs" are the #5 and #6 defensive ends spots along with the #4 DT spot. There are three targets in the draft (mid-rounds) that I think are particularly intriguing if Jim Washburn does end up staying.

1. Brett Roy DL Nevada
2. Jake Bequette DE Arkansas
3. Tyrone Crawford DE Boise State

Linebackers:

The Eagles need all sorts of help at linebacker. There are a few things to keep in mind here. First, our linebackers were very young this past year, the average age of the Eagles’ linebackers was 24 this past season. Second, there are a bunch of middle linebackers that are about to flood the market in free agency. Here is a quick overview of middle linebackers that are going to hit the market this March.

Stephen Tulloch is the short and stocky middle linebacker that we all wanted a year ago (he's 5'10" and about 245 pounds). Tulloch is a physical and intense player who has a nose for the football. He is one of the best run stoppers in the business and he has proved his worth on two teams. He is also experienced behind the wide 9 defense.These 3 are the premier expiring contracts on the market. All three are established studs in the middle and they're all in the middle of their primes. Each on has their little nuances but all in all, when at their best they're pro-bowl caliber players.

Curtis Lofton is probably the key to all of Atlanta's defense. If we were able to nab him we would be adding a pro-bowl linebacker (who is only 25) and the Eagles would significantly weaken a big conference rival. He has a skill-set that is very comparable to Stephen Tulloch, he's just a bit bigger (6' tall and about 250 pounds). He has a good nose for the football, plays downhill (60 stops and 8 TFL) and is underrated athletically. If the Eagles signed Curtis Lofton, it would be a complete and total coup. He's a stud.

D'Qwell Jackson had one of the best years of any linebacker in football this past year and he has always been extremely productive when he is on the field. But that's the problem, he isn't always on the field; Jackson has missed 31 games in his career. He's a smallish linebacker at about 6' tall and 230 pounds but he really flies all over the field and he has an aggressive temperament. If the Eagles signed him and he stayed healthy, it would be a fantastic signing.

David Hawethorne is an explosive young linebacker who plays with near unrivaled intensity. He is a guy who probably possesses the best athletic skill-set of any of the free agents. He can thrive in every aspect of the game, he is a good run defender, pass defender and blitzer. He's a guy who could anchor this defense for years and stay on the field for every-down. And should the Eagles switch schemes at some point, he is scheme transcendent (he fits in multiple schemes).

This is the second tier of players available.

London Fletcher will undoubtedly play like a first tier option but the problem is that he is already 36 and the length of his services would be in question. He could just be a one year stop gap option. He's really had a hall of fame type career and he's probably one of the most underrated players of this generation. Despite all the hype around guys like Urlacher and other flavor of the year players, it has been Fletcher who has been pacing Ray Lewis for the past decade and a half. He's a savvy veteran who does all the little things and is a good all around player who can still do anything you ask.

Dan Connor was really, really productive this year when you consider that he only played a little under 500 snaps this year. He is one of the better run defenders in the NFL whenever he hits the field but unfortunately for him, he's been buried behind Jon Beason a bit and he lacks the pass coverage skills that would get him recognized as a top tier linebacker. As a two down run stuffer it would be hard to do much better than Dan Connor. Durability is an issue with him too.

Jonathan Goff is coming off a torn ACL (which practically means the ink is probably drying on his contract now!) but he was really productive in 2010, especially as a run stuffer. He is a guy who isn't the most physically gifted but he's a masher who gives his all and will mix it up. He's a top notch run stuffer if he can regain his pre-ACL form. He's still only 26 too.

Why does the name Joe Mays sound so familiar? Probably because we traded him for JJ Arrington in 2010 training camp. Why does JJ Arrington not sound familiar? Because we cut the bum in the same training camp. And because we cut him we got a 2012 6th round pick, YAY! Joe Mays has since become one of the most underrated run stopping linebackers with the Broncos while we haven't even gotten anything in return... Just sign him again. The guy is everything we thought he could become, he is a short and powerful run stopper who can be a very good 2 down linebacker.

Kirk Morrison got the shaft in Buffalo this year but he is still only one year removed from starting in Jacksonville. Prior to this year he had 720 tackles in 6 seasons. He is an experience player who is a proven run stopper. I'd welcome him with open arms.

EJ Henderson's skills aren't what they once were but he's still more than serviceable and a considerable upgrade over what we've got. He is still one of the best run defenders in the NFL today thanks to his powerful frame and instincts.

The Eagles should look into grabbing one of these players in free agency and then grabbing the best player available on the board at #15.

Casey Matthews flashed late in the year, he started taking snaps away from Jamar Chaney and he actually looked better than Chaney for the most part. It was as if the game had slowed down for Casey by the end of the year. He really proved that he is a worthwhile prospect who should be developed as a back-up MLB and nickel linebacker who can eventually take on more playing time down the road.

Jamar Chaney might be the odd man out here, he isn’t versatile, he got taken off of the nickel defense and he doesn’t play special teams.

Moise Fokou should stay because he is probably our second best special teams player and he is a very aggressive SLB who has game experience.

Brian Rolle proved that he belongs in the NFL this year with a strong rookie performance; he showed that despite being small he was physical and played smart.

Keenan Clayton took on a bigger role down the stretch and he too looks like someone that you keep as a nickel linebacker and a guy who you can match-up with the athletic tight ends in the NFL today as a joker S/LB type player. I said it last year and I’ll keep saying it, Clayton needs to see the field. He is our most athletic linebacker and he just makes plays whenever he is on the field.

If you add a good veteran and hit on an early pick or two, this could be a good linebacker unit very fast. Lots of youth, just needs time and a few more talented bodies. A lot of these guys who aren’t top-notch starters are quality depth options.

Safeties:

The Eagles safety situation is somewhat similar to the linebacker situation, the players were very young and they appeared to be overmatched in various ways. At some point you just can’t sign free agents, you just have to let guys develop and let the chips fall as they may. The Eagles have two high picks invested in the safety spots and they need to get them on the field. Kurt Coleman is a versatile back-up type who can play special teams and both safety spots. The Eagles might look for a safety to draft in the middle of the draft but I think they’d be more likely to sign a veteran at a discounted rate as a veteran voice and back up at the safety spot. Perhaps the Eagles take a look at Mike Adams from Cleveland and sign him? He's a solid veteran safety. I think the Eagles are going to sign somebody along those lines, a cheap but solid veteran safety.

Cornerbacks:

Despite all the talk of a down year for Nnamdi, he actually still had a very good year. He was first in the NFL in snaps per target and he was first in the NFL in yards per snap. He was still top 10 in yardage allowed and he had the second least amount of targets. He still had a shutdown year despite all of Juan’s ineptitude. Incredible.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is an interesting case, he really struggled as a slot corner. He simply couldn’t do it. But as an outside corner, he thrived. In the last 3 games where he was strictly the LCB, Rodgers-Cromartie was only targeted 10 times and he only allowed 3 receptions for 35 yards. Fantastic numbers and he was even doing well before that on the outside but I have no way from separating his outside corner data from his slot corner date. Oh well.

Joselio Hanson had his typical decent season, he’s not awful but he isn’t good. He can only play slot corner and he gets burned whenever he steps outside (see the New England game). He is replaceable but finding a good slot corner is easier said than done. The Eagles have shown the willingness to upgrade and part ways with Hanson in the past year.

Hughes had a horrible year. He didn’t do anything on special teams and he looked lost in coverage when he hit the field. He’s got some potential but needs to reach it fast if he wants to keep his job.

Curtis Marsh would’ve played more if he wasn’t stuck behind 3 probowl corners, he wasn’t beaten once in the pre-season and despite being targeted when he saw the field, he still didn’t allow any completions. He’s a very good athlete and he should be counted on to step up as the primary back-up to DRC and Nnamdi this season. Lots of potential and he appears to be ready to get there. He is a terrible special teams player though, there is no denying that. Personally, I'm really rooting for him because there is a lof of nickname potential for a corner with the last name "Marsh".

Look for the Eagles to attempt to upgrade the nickel spot and Brandon Hughes. The big nickel-back prospects (oxymorons are fun) are Brandon Boykin, Shaun Prater and Alfonzo Dennard, all of whom could be available in the 2nd round.

Quarterback:

The Eagles are going to be in the market for a back-up QB but what exactly are they going to be looking for? Lets take a look at the roster trend in Andy Reid’s tenure. 11 different QBs have thrown passes while Andy Reid coached and the average QB is 6’2". But the height of the QB itself doesn’t matter, what the height indicates is what really matters. Smaller guys tend to be lighter on their feet and that allows them to move around the pocket, quickly reset there feet and get off an accurate throw. Also smaller guys have less moving parts and thus their delivery is typically naturally faster than that of a tall guy. If you look at guys that Andy Reid likes, you’ll notice that they all know how to move. You don’t have any plodding pocket QBs, they can all move around, gather their feet, create new throwing platforms and get the ball off at a number of different angles. He likes guys who can run too. I know that Andy’s "ideal" QB is Troy Aikman because of his unparalleled accuracy, ability to move and because of his poise. I remember the big story after McNabb got traded was that Andy hoped Kevin Kolb could become a Aikman type passer.

Running Back:

The Eagles need a depth option at running back too. I know that everyone loves to talk about how the Eagles need a big-back but the Eagles really don’t. The Eagles were the 6th best power situation team in the NFL, thanks in large part to LeSean McCoy. And you’d have a hard time finding a big back that fit the Eagles run concepts. The new running scheme is not straight ahead, mash and grind. The new scheme is all about being able to string a defense out wide and attack diagonally. You need players who can get to the corner, square their shoulders to the hole and get upfield. You can’t have a heavy footed, big back in this scheme. You need a guy who can get to the perimeter quickly and attack the defense downhill. LeSean McCoy and Dion Lewis are great fits for this scheme. Ideally I think that you want whomever the Eagles bring in to have some special teams ability.

Guys who fit this mold include Cyrush Gray, Isaiah Pead, Davin Meggett, Chris Rainey and Bobby Rainey are guys who fit the slasher/returner role. Personally I love Bobby Rainey (pictured), he's a small, compact runner who has evoked comparisons to Brian Westbrook, Ray Rice and Brian Mitchell. He's a pocket hercules type who is being slept on because of his height despite having the strength necessary to succeed.

Special Teams:

The Eagles had the 5th worst net punting average in the NFL and they only downed 19 punts inside the 20, the 4th worst mark in the NFL. Chas Henry struggled in his rookie year and he didn't put the defense in good positions. A new punter would be fantastic as the field position battle is an underrated reason why we didn't do so hot this year.

Speaking of the field position battle, our returners did nothing to help. We had the 2nd lowest kick return average and we had the 5th worst punt return average. A return specialist is desperately needed on the Eagles, as we haven't been this terrible at returning kicks and punts since the glory days of Reno Mahe.

The offseason is kinda fun actually. Feel free to point out any errors as I'm sure there are some, I wrote this late at night for the most part.