Chip Kelly The GM’s Five Best Moves

Aug 16, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Indianapolis Colts linebacker Trent Cole (58) acknowledges the crowd against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter in a preseason NFL football game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

4. Knowing when to cut-bait with expensive veterans

Kelly took a lot of slack for moving on from both Trent Cole and Todd Herremans, two pieces that had been both great players and locker-room leaders. The fan-base, and others within the locker-room, obviously held these two in high regard, which made parting with them an unpopular decision.

As it’s turned out, Kelly heard a lot of backlash for two moves that now look as though they were pretty obvious cap decisions.

Cole has just 18 total tackles this season, and hasn’t recorded a single sack.

According to Derrick Gunn of CSN Philly, the team did try to re-sign him after releasing him, which he clearly wasn’t interested in. However, given that he was scheduled to have a higher cap-hit than DeMarco Murray, Byron Maxwell or Connor Barwin in 2015, and his cap-hit got even higher in 2016, ripping his deal up and trying to re-do it may have been the only realistic way to try to keep him.

At this point, the Eagles may have ended up being better off without Cole altogether.

They for sure are better off without Herremans, who was benched at right-guard earlier this season by the offensive-line needy Colts. While the Eagles have had inconsistencies of their own at both offensive guard positions, Matt Tobin and Allen Barbre have both been better than Herremans this season, and the team saved close to $3 million by not having Herremans on the roster.

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