The NFL has released the official list of free agents and the Eagles have 15 players who will be unrestricted and can sign with whomever they like this week. We're going to take a look at each guy and assess his whether he should stay and what the chances are of him doing so.
David Akers, K - When the Eagles drafted Alex Henery, the departure of the greatest kicker in franchise history became fait accompli. The Eagles don't need him and he's still plenty good enough to be in demand by other teams. 0% chance he's back.
Stewart Bradley, LB - The market will probably decide whether Bradley comes back. Obviously the Eagles like him as a player, but his spotty injury history likely has them a bit worried. Combine that with the fact that Jamar Chaney played so well in his place and they drafted two middle linebackers (Casey Matthews & Greg Lloyd) and seems like Bradley could be gone. If he was willing to sign a one year deal, I think the Eagles would be interested. 40% chance he's back.
Quintin Mikell, DB - With the three kids at safety, Nate Allen, Kurt Coleman & Rookie Jaiquwan Jarrett, it doesn't seem likely that the soon to be 31 year old Mikell is in the Eagles plans. It's a shame though, because he really was one of the most underrated and best safeties in the NFL last year. He should also be in demand this year, which further hurts the chances of the Eagles bringing him back. That said, if the Eagles are "going for it" this year, it's not crazy to think they would make a real effort to bring back one of their defensive leaders who is still in his prime. 30% chance he's back.
Nick Cole, G, Dimitri Patterson, DB, Max Jean-Gilles, G - I'm going to group all of these guys together because my thought on them is the same. These are backup players that have shown that they really aren't good enough to be starters, so the Eagles may be happy to simply try someone else as a backup to see what happens. That said, with rosters being expanded to 90 this year, there's a better than normal chance that these guys could be back for competition. You can only have so many undrafted rookies in camp and the Eagles could see value in having some of these vets around in a year like this. 30% chance they are back.
Omar Gaither, LB - I considered putting Omar in the above group, but he's been here long enough and the team has brought in enough linebackers that I think his time has come. For the reasons listed above I'll say there's a chance, but not much. 10% chance he'll be back.
Jerome Harrison, RB - A really good back that would be valuable here, but might finally get a chance to do more elsewhere. Plus, the Eagles probably drafted Dion Lewis to be their backup. 20% chance he'll be back.
Ellis Hobbs, DB - If he plays at all next year, it won't be here. 0% chance he's back.
Akeem Jordan, LB - Useful guy that can play all linebacker spots. With all the youth at LB next year, Jordan will likely be an important guy to have around, especially since he can play special teams as well. It's doubtful he'll get any big offers from anyone else, so he should be back. 70% chance he's back.
Sav Rocca, P - There's really not any punters of note on the market and Rocca has turned into a solid NFL punter. No one has ever really made a big offer to a punter, so if the Eagles want him back they should get him. Presumably, they will. 80% chance he's back.
Ernie Sims, LB - He is exactly who Lions fans told us he was. 0% chance he's back.
Antoine Harris, DB - Frankly, I don't even know who this is. So I assume that means he won't be back. 0% chance he's back.
Reggie Wells, G - 0% chance he's back.
Bobby McCray, DE - 0% chance he's back.