Nine of the Eagles' starters from 2014 are gone heading into 2015

The Philadelphia Eagles report for 2015 Training Camp on Saturday, Aug. 1. Bleeding Green Nation is already breaking down the Philadelphia Eagles roster in a position preview series, but we're also going to be running a countdown series that's more geared towards unique thematic angles. We start that series by taking a look at the veterans on Philadelphia's roster. [The Veterans] - [The New Faces]

Additions

The Eagles added 34 new players this offseason. Read more about that here.

Subtractions

The following players from 2014 are no longer on the Eagles roster.

TE James Casey - Released, signed with the Denver Broncos.
OG Todd Herremans - Released, signed with the Indianapolis Colts.
OLB Trent Cole - Released, signed with the Indianapolis Colts.
CB Cary Williams - Released, signed with Seattle Seahawks.
RB LeSean McCoy - Traded to the Buffalo Bills.
QB Nick Foles - Traded to the St. Louis Rams.
WR Jeremy Maclin - Signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency.
CB Bradley Fletcher - Signed with the New England Patriots in free agency.
S Nate Allen - Signed with the Oakland Raiders in free agency.
LB Casey Matthews - Signed with the Minnesota Vikings in free agency.
RB Chris Polk - Signed with the Houston Texans in free agency.
OG Evan Mathis - Released, free agent.
RB Matthew Tucker - Released, free agent.
WR Will Murphy - Released, free agent.
WR Brad Smith - Free agent.

This list of 15 is bigger than last year's count of only nine players. The Eagles parted ways with a number of significant contributors: their starting quarterback, starting running back, starting offensive guards, starting wide receiver, starting cornerbacks, starting outside linebacker, and starting safety. That's a total of nine starters gone.

Chip Kelly felt the Eagles reached a ceiling with those players and needed to make changes to move upwards. Time will tell how those changes play out. It'll also be interesting to see how quickly the new players can get adjusted to the system and the locker room.

Player Development

The Eagles are counting on a few players from their 2014 NFL Draft class to step up in Year 2. Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff will be tasked with helping to replace Maclin's production. There's pressure on former first round Marcus Smith, who added weight this offseason, to be the top backup at outside linebacker. Jaylen Watkins, Taylor Hart, and Ed Reynolds are competing for depth spots while Beau Allen will likely be a backup yet again.

Looking back a little further, the 2013 class could make a jump as well. Lane Johnson is trying to go from "good starter" to "elite tackle" on the right side. Zach Ertz is poised to have a big year if he can get on the field more. Bennie Logan can further cement his status as a good starter in the middle of the defensive line.

Coaching staff

For the second year in a row, the Eagles lost their quarterbacks coach. Bill Musgrave is now the offensive coordinator of the Oakland Raiders and Philadelphia has decided to replace him with former Boston College offensive coordinator Ryan Day. Day doesn't have any NFL experience, so it'll be interesting to see how he adjusts to the pros. It's up to him to help Sam Bradford return to playing at a high level.

One of the biggest additions to the coaching staff was defensive backs coach Cory Undlin. Undlin replaces John Lovett, who was originally moved to the Eagles' scouting department before recently being hired by the Cal Bears. Undlin had some success with Denver's defensive backs. Now he'll be working with a group that was a major weakness for the Eagles in past years.

Schemes

Running back coach Duce Staley admitted the Eagles got away from the run a little bit at times last season. The Eagles are clearly trying to revive their run game with the additions of players like DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews. Those players also represent a shift in running style. The Eagles physical, down-hill runners who can pound the rock. "Four yards and a cloud of dust," as Staley put it. Look for the Eagles to rely on the run game to open up things in the passing game to make life easier on Sam Bradford.

As far as the defense goes, the Eagles still run a 3-4 two-gap system. It seems like the Eagles are trying to run more press coverage with their remodeled secondary, however. That much has been indicated by Undlin.

Overall

The biggest difference from this time last year is that Kelly now has full control over the team's player personnel department. Howie Roseman is no longer the general manager. The Eagles will live and die by Kelly now.