Eagles Armchair: Players Affected By Kelly’s Departure

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WALK THROUGH

The Eagles season mercifully came to an end yesterday when the Eagles defeated the New York Giants without their head coach. Chip Kelly’s departure leaves most of the Eagles roster in limbo as Jeff Lurie begins his search for the team’s next head coach.

Here are a few notable Eagles whose status’ will be up in the air as the off-season unfolds.

Sam Bradford – Bradford is the big name that we will be hearing a lot about in the coming weeks, and rightfully so. His status directly affects the Eagles timeline to contend. The Eagles new head coach has to decide if he wants to commit to the Heisman-winner or bring in his own quarterback. I wouldn’t be surprised if Shurmur is retained as offensive coordinator if Lurie decides to hire a defensive-minded coach, considering Bradford’s need to stay in an offense for more than one season and his affinity for Shurmur. Chances are, Bradford is one of the first topics the Eagles will bring up in interviews with potential coaches.

DeMarco Murray – Lurie pays Murray’s paycheck and knows how important it is to make him a productive member of the offense. A new coach will have to be willing to adjust his scheme to accommodate Murray’s preference of running the ball from under center. His 54-yard touchdown yesterday showed that he still can be a good NFL running back, but he must be in the right system in order to be effective on a consistent basis.

Pass Rushers – Kelly’s insistence of using a 3-4 defensive scheme left a lot of players in the front seven playing out of their comfort zone. Fletcher Cox, Vinny Curry and Brandon Graham would all be better fits in a 4-3 defense. A new coach who runs a 4-3 or is more willing to change things up could really unlock the potential of the Eagles’ young pass rushers and really turn this into a disruptive unit. However, Connor Barwin has never played in a 4-3 and could be an odd fit. A creative defensive coach could utilize him like Seattle uses Bruce Irvin, making him the strong side linebacker in base defense and putting him at defensive end on obvious passing downs.

Oregon Ducks – Much has been made of Kelly’s love for his former Oregon players. As of today, five Ducks are on the Eagles’ roster: Walter Thurmond, Kiko Alonso, Taylor Hart, Josh Huff and Kenjon Barner. Of those five, Hart is the only one whose spot is in serious jeopardy, with the rest of that group either showing flashes of potential or, in the case of Thurmond, established as an above-average starter. At the very least, the 90-man roster won’t be littered with Oregon alumni like it has the past two years, which could be a breath of fresh air for the fans.

INJURY REPORT

The Eagles didn’t suffer any more injuries yesterday, but there are quite a few Birds who finished the season on the injured reserve. These players have an off-season of rehab ahead of them and need to get healthy in order to impress the Eagles new coaching staff.

Nolan Carroll – Pending free agent, with the emergence of Eric Rowe, re-signing him may not be worth it, especially while he’s coming back from a broken leg. Expect him to sign elsewhere in the offseason.

Jerome Couplin – Couplin’s injury opened the door for Ed Reynolds to get some playing time and he had a game-sealing interception against the Bills. Couplin was signed off the Lions’ practice squad due to his ridiculous wingspan and if the Eagles new coach doesn’t value measurables as much as Kelly, he won’t be back.

Andrew Gardner – Gardner is currently signed through 2018, but none of that money is guaranteed. He won the starting right guard job before hurting his foot so at the very least he will be back in training camp. The Eagles need to revamp their offensive line, but Gardner could be a decent depth guy when healthy.

Jordan Hicks – Hicks emerged as a star before tearing his pectoral muscle against the Cowboys. Expect him to comeback next season and prepare to be a starter for 2016 and beyond.

Travis Long – Long impressed in training camp before tearing his ACL for the second straight season. He was a guy that Kelly really liked, but a new guy won’t feel obligated to keep him around. His status is up in the air at this point.

Cody Parkey – Parkey struggled early in the season before revealing a torn groin muscle and sitting down for the rest of the year. Caleb Sturgis has been pretty good in his absence and could remain with the Eagles to give Parkey a push in training camp next year.

JaCorey Shepherd – Shepard was supposed to be the Eagles’ nickel back after the trade of Brandon Boykin, but he tore his ACL in training camp. His presence could be a huge upgrade to a depleted secondary if his knee is fully healed.

MEASURABLES

78.9% – Bradford set an Eagles’ single-game record for completion percentage yesterday, completing 30 of his 38 pass attempts, good for 78.9 percent. Bradford’s effort also earned him the Eagles’ single-season mark for completion percentage. Imagine if the Eagles wide receivers could catch the ball.

450 – Zach Ertz has racked up 450 receiving yards in the Eagles last four games, including a career-high 152 yards yesterday. At the beginning of the year, I said that Ertz’s production would disappoint, but after this run, it is easy to see what he is capable of if he becomes a focal point in an offense.

5 – Odell Beckham Jr. has just five career games where he registers less than 90 receiving yards and is held without a touchdown. Three of those performances have come against the Eagles, including yesterday. No idea what that means, considering he gained 185 yards in his other game against the Eagles, so it isn’t like he struggles against Bill Davis or his imposing secondary.

SECTION 140

Yesterday’s game was such a tank-fest, Shurmur should’ve upped the ante by making this happen. But like Murray, Peters would probably struggle running east to west.

Greatest. Nickname. Ever.

WEEKLY AWARDS

The Power Struggle Award – Howie Roseman

A win like Roseman had this week needs to be documented. Not many people can get fired from a job then get the guy who replaced him fired only to reassume his original position. Not bad, Mr. Roseman. Not bad at all.

The “Hey, Maybe I Can Actually Be Good” Award – Marcus Smith

For the first time in two years, Smith actually looked like someone worthy of a first round pick. He picked up his first career sack and provided constant pressure on Eli Manning late in the game. The new coaching regime will have to take a long look at Smith during the off-season, but a fresh start could be exactly what the Louisville product needs.

NO HUDDLE

• Shurmur deserves a lot of credit for his work this week. After the game, he didn’t sound like a guy who was ready to take another head coaching job, but his ability to get this team ready to play on a short week after their head coach was fired should be commended. Lurie would be smart to interview Shurmur and he will probably get another shot at being a head coach at some point down the road, but he could stay in Philadelphia as the offensive coordinator if the Eagles hire a defensive-minded head coach.
• As of right now, Walter Thurmond, Vinny Curry and Cedric Thornton are the Eagles top free agents, outside of Bradford. Before Kelly’s firing, Curry was a foregone conclusion to leave, but if the Eagles’ transition to a 4-3 defense, he could stay and Thornton could be gone. Thurmond had a pick six yesterday to cap off his first season as a safety. There is a shortage of safeties in the league, so Thurmond may be coveted by multiple teams. Remember, Nate Allen got $25 million on the open market last year, so Thurmond’s price tag could get really high, really quickly.
• The Eagles’ upcoming rebuild will be a interesting one and most of it revolves around the team’s quarterback situation. If Bradford is retained and deemed the QB of the future, the Eagles could potentially start contending again in just a couple years, which is good because of this stat: Of the 30 coaches that won a Super Bowl, 25 won their first championship in five years or less.
• The Eagles will hold the 13th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. As of right now, the team’s biggest need is at offensive line where they not only need starters, but some depth too. Hopefully the Eagles’ brass recognize this and go heavy on offensive linemen to protect their quarterback and help jump-start their running game.

Next: Eagles Have McAdoo, Austin 'on Their Radar'

WHAT’S NEXT

The Eagles will spend the next few weeks searching for the man they will entrust with the franchise’s future. This week, I will explore commonalities among the 30 men who have coached a team to a Super Bowl championship.