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The 2016 NFL offseason has begun for the Philadelphia Eagles, which means Howie Roseman and new head coach Doug Pederson will spend the next couple of weeks evaluating the 2015 roster. The team went 7-9 last season and improvement is clearly needed. By the time NFL free agency starts on March 9, the Eagles will have a good idea of which players they'll want to bring back for the 2016 season. Today we'll continue this offseason review series by looking at the kicker position.
The Players
CODY PARKEY
Field Goal Stats:
| Field Goals | FGM | FGA | % | LONG | 1-19 | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stat | 3 | 4 | 75.00% | 46 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 1-2 | 0-0 |
Parkey's missed attempt was 44 yards long. It came in Week 1 when the Eagles lost to the Atlanta Falcons by a final score of 26-24.
Kickoff Stats:
| Kickoffs | No. | TB | TB% | Avg. Distance | Max. Hang Time | Avg. Start | % Returned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stat | 13 | 3 | 23.1% | 61.6 | 4.24 | 20.5 | 61.5% |
Extra Point Stats: Perfect 7 for 7.
Overall: Parkey's season ended early when he re-aggravated a groin injury that first took place in the summer. Parkey reportedly tore three groin muscles, which sounds very painful and unpleasant. It's a testament to his toughness that he was able to play through that injury early on in the season. Parkey showed a lot of promise as a rookie in 2014. He broke the Eagles' single-season record for points scored. He also did a nice job on kickoffs. He wasn't healthy in 2015 so it's hard to get a good read on his performance. Hopefully for his sake he'll be able to recover and get back to kicking well this summer.
CALEB STURGIS
Field Goal Stats:
| Field Goals | FGM | FGA | % | LONG | 1-19 | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stat | 18 | 22 | 81.80% | 53 | 0-0 | 4-4 | 8-10 | 4-4 | 2-4 |
| Rank | 26th | 26th | 26th | t-20th | N/A | t-1st | t-30th | t-1st | t-23rd |
Sturgis got off to a rough start after signing with the team in late September. He missed one field goal and two extra points combined in his first two games. The Eagles stuck with him, though, and it kind of paid off. He wasn't great or anything but he ended up being serviceable enough to deserve his roster spot. Moving forward, there are obviously concerns. His two misses from 50+ are understandable but he missed a total of four kicks from the 30-39 range when you include extra points. Sturgis is the underdog in this upcoming kicker competition.
Kickoff Stats:
| Kickoffs | No. | TB | TB% | Avg. Distance | Max. Hang Time | Avg. Start | % Returned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stat | 68 | 39 | 57.4% | 66.1 | 4.49 | 20.9 | 38.20% |
| Rank | t-24th | t-22nd | 14th | 33rd | t-18th | t-11th | 15th |
Sturgis was surprisingly decent when it came to kickoffs. His touchback percentage was better than Parkey's 46.9% figure in 2014.
Extra Point Stats: Sturgis missed two extra point attempts. He went 35 for 37.
Who Could Leave
It seems like the Eagles are going to keep both kickers around this summer. Sturgis wasn't amazing but he played well enough to earn a spot on the 90-man offseason roster. The 24-year-old Parkey is going to get another chance to show he can build on that impressive 2014 season.
The loser of the Parkey vs. Sturgis battle will probably be cut. If the Eagles get lucky and both kickers looks good, Philadelphia might be able to trade one of them for a conditional seventh round pick or a fringe player. Exciting.
Who Could Sign
Nobody. The Eagles won't be looking to add a kicker in free agency or the NFL Draft. Two is enough.