Eagles, Nolan Carroll reportedly have mutual interest in a new contract

Impending free agent cornerback Nolan Carroll recently appeared on CSN Philly and said he would love to stay in Philadelphia. According to a report from Eliot Shorr-Parks, the Eagles might have some mutual interest.

Nolan Carroll and the #Eagles have had preliminary talks about a new contract, per source....Mutual interest, but I think he'll hit FA

— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) February 24, 2016

As you can see, ESP notes he still thinks Carroll will hit free agency. That doesn't necessarily mean the veteran cornerback won't be back, however. It's possible the Eagles plan to let him test his value on the open market before bringing him back on a reasonable deal. Or if another team wants to overpay Carroll they can simply let him move on.

Carroll's situation is a little tricky. He played reasonably well as a starter for Philadelphia in 2015 before suffering a season-ending ankle injury on Thanksgiving. Carroll was replaced by second round pick Eric Rowe. The rookie cornerback played well and showed potential to be a starter during Carroll's absence. So Carroll might not have a starting job available for him in Philadelphia with Rowe and Byron Maxwell projected to be starters on the outside.

Keeping Carroll around for depth would be ideal. Along with Carroll, fellow defensive backs E.J. Biggers and Walter Thurmond are scheduled to be free agent. If the Eagles don't retain any of their veterans, they'll be relying on a bunch of unproven young guys (such as JaCorey Shepherd, Randall Evans, and/or Denzel Rice) as backups. They'll probably need to add another veteran to the mix if they don't keep Carroll.

The Eagles don't need to break the bank to keep Carroll around, but it doesn't hurt to look into what it would take to bring him back. It's a good sign that there's at least some mutual interest.