We're at a lull during the NFL post/off-season in which the teams not in the Super Bowl are going through the motions until the new league year starts.
The lull for the Eagles has included countless debates of Wentz vs Foles, which Pederson shut down with the declaration of Wentz being the quarterback, and the bogus story of Wentz being "selfish", in which I decided to reintroduce you to the Eagles quarterback.
But this is a time where one could wonder what's going to happen with the roster, as there are many free agents on the team. So let's take some guesses as to who will become cap casualties, who will and will not be re-signed, who will be the newest Eagles via free agency, and who will be lucky enough to be the first round pick for the Eagles in April.
State of the Cap
Currently, the Eagles are over the cap by $14.4 million. This would prove very difficult for general manager Howie Roseman to maneuver through resigning players and signing new additions. A few players will likely be cut to make room in the cap, so who could that be?
Nick Foles
This is almost a foregone conclusion that Foles will be gone this off-season. Whether it be via trade, and you can see what they could get here, or his option isn't picked up, his departure will bring the team under the salary cap at $3.8 million.
Cap: $2.854 million
Nelson Agholor
Nelson Agholor has been through a roller coaster of a career with the Eagles. Fans were calling for his head after the first few years of his career, due to drops and lack of production, as he totaled 648 total receiving yards in his first two seasons. However, he topped that number in one year in 2017 with 768 and followed that up with another strong year in 2018 with 736 yards.
But there's a big decision on Howie Roseman's hands regarding Agholor. If Agholor is cut, the team saves another $9.3 million in cap space. With the report that the Eagles will be targeting elite pass rushers this off-season, Roseman may decide that he can look elsewhere for a new slot receiver.
Cap: $12.241 million
Timmy Jernigan
This one is tough. The defensive line played immensely better when Jernigan returned from his back injury. If you don't remember, Jernigan missed all but three games in 2018 after surgery to correct a herniated disc. He wasn't great in those three games, but his presence was felt as opposing offensive lines had to account for him, which led to less double teams on Fletcher Cox.
But in the end, this is a business and Jernigan costs $13 million against the cap. If the Eagles cut him before June 1st, he costs $6 million in dead cap. If they make him a post-June 1st cut, he's only $2 million in dead cap.
This is the route I believe Roseman will take. Even though it doesn't help the cap in March, after June 1st an additional $4 million will be available for the team.
Cap (in March): $19.241 million
Cap (in June): $23.241 million
Jason Peters
Another tough decision, but not due to production.
As an Eagles legend, Peters will always be remembered for the years of protecting the blindside. But age and injury have caught up to the 37-year-old. Despite starting all 16 games this season, Peters played 100% of the snaps six times, and 90% or more 12 total times. The other four games were 10%, 54%, 69%, and 7%.
In the playoffs, Peters played 100% of the snaps in the win versus the Bears but played in 73% of the snaps in the loss versus the Saints.
One could say that at just a little over $10 million towards the cap, Peters is still a bargain. as he was the 16th highest paid tackle in the league last year. But I believe the Eagles will give Peters the Brent Celek treatment and cut him.
Cap (in March): $27.241 million
Cap (in June): $31.241 million
Note: If defensive end Chris Long retires, it saves an additional $5.3 million.
Taking Care of Their Own
The Eagles currently have 20 players set for free agency. The biggest name of them all may be Brandon Graham. But do the Eagles think they can afford to bring him back? What about the other positions? Let's see who will still don the Eagles colors next season.
Golden Tate
The Golden Tate era was one of ups and downs this year. Coming from the Lions for a third round pick, his production during the season did not live up to that price tag. In four games with the team, Tate averaged 25.3 yards per game, down from his 73.9 yards per game with the Lions prior to the trade.
He did make up for his season woes with these two spectacular catches in the Bears game:
https://twitter.com/TRSNNFL/status/1082043619387850752
https://twitter.com/DefPenSports/status/1082075025157570560
I honestly do not think Howie Roseman would've paid such a steep price for a three month rental of a player. I do believe Roseman wants him back and will take him over Agholor. Tate has also expressed interest in coming back:
https://twitter.com/ShowtimeTate/status/1086804972216315905
Prediction: 4 years $24 million deal with $8 million guaranteed & $7 million signing bonus
Cap (in March): $19.491 million
Ronald Darby
To say this secondary was decimated with injuries this season would be an understatement. The team lost Rodney McLeod, Ronald Darby, Jalen Mills, Sidney Jones, Rasul Douglas for a period of time, and Avonte Maddox for a period. The silver lining is that the Eagles may have found their starting nickel corner next season in Cre'Von LeBlanc, who has been ProFootballFocus' highest graded corner this offseason:
https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1088100851103739904
But even with him in the fold, the only healthy member of the secondary under contract for next season is Malcolm Jenkins. At only 25 years old, it makes sense for Darby to take a one year deal to reestablish his value for 2020 free agency and cash in at 26.
Prediction: 1 year $4 million deal with $1 million guaranteed and $1 million signing bonus
Cap (in March): $14.491 million
Jordan Hicks
Another player with injury issues at a position with depth issues, Jordan Hicks has shown flashes of excellence in his four-year career with the Eagles, but he has only played in 16 games once.
In his second year in the league, Hicks played all 16 games, totaling 86 tackles and five interceptions. This was after a rookie year that saw him play eight games.
The arrow was pointing up for Hicks, but a ruptured Achilles in 2017 ended his season after seven games.
This year was a productive one for Hicks, despite missing four games. He totaled 91 tackles, five more than his 2016 season, and no interceptions. But despite that productivity, the injury bug bit again.
So could Hicks still break the bank with another team? Sure. But I'd expect he'd want to shed the injury label and bet on himself in 2019.
Prediction: 1 year $3 million with $1 million guaranteed and $1 million signing bonus
Cap (in March): $10.491 million
Nate Sudfeld
Nick Foles is gone. But the Eagles have another quarterback decision on their hands, whether or not to retain third-string quarterback Nate Sudfeld as their back up for 2019.
This shouldn't be a hard decision. Sudfeld is talented, and as our own Liam Jenkins wrote, Doug Pederson is a big fan of him.
I could see the Eagles allowing Sudfeld to test the market, but with a second-round tender attached to his restricted free agent status. Thus, allowing the Eagles to retain him as I do not expect a team to give up a second round pick for Sudfeld.
Prediction: Second round tender for $3.1 million
Cap (in March): $7.876 million
Other FA expected to re-sign: Jake Elliot, Paul Worrilow, Darren Sproles, Rick Lovato
Estimated cap going into Free Agency: $5.056 million
If Chris Long retires: $9.786 million
Incoming Players
A lot has been talked about the notion that the Eagles will tag and trade quarterback Nick Foles, even I looked at the possible players/picks the Eagles could net in a trade. But with the recent report that the Eagles will most likely let Foles walk in free agency, it's looking more likely that those trade scenarios will stay as fantasy.
So with just a little more than $5 million in cap space, could the Eagles be players for big name free agents?
You could never trust Howie Roseman out, but it'll be difficult to land the likes of DeMarcus Lawrence, Dee Ford, or Jadeveon Clowney. Who else could come and be an impact player on the cheap?
Preston Smith
Poaching a player from a rival is always a good thing. Poaching a good player is even better. Preston Smith would provide much-needed depth at linebacker and he had over 50 quarterback pressures and 20 run stops last season. This is the type of production the Eagles need, especially if they want to get back to the run-stopping dominance everyone has seen in the past.
Prediction: 6 years $24 million with $12 million guaranteed
Za'Darius Smith
Another addition to the defense, Smith had a breakout year that could net him a nice pay raise. However, teams may be wary of giving him a big check in the event his 2018 performance was a fluke. I think the Eagles will give him a shot to prove he's the real deal and allow the team to have two young dominant defensive ends, alongside Derek Barnett.
Prediction: 4 years $12 million with $2 million guaranteed
Tevin Coleman
The popular prediction for running back is that the Eagles will tag and trade Nick Foles and send him to the Jaguars for Leonard Fournette. Well, that doesn't look like it's happening and it'll be the draft and/or free agency that helps the Eagles replenish their running back depth.
Enter Tevin Coleman. Entering free agency at age 26, Coleman is set to be a highly sought after commodity this offseason. Coleman is coming off an 800-yard rushing season and added 32 receptions for 276 yards. His 4.8 yards per carry average would like nice in an Eagles uniform next season. Pairing Wentz with Coleman for the next 5-6 years would be a very good thing.
Prediction: 6 years $30 million with $9 million guaranteed and $6 million signing bonus
Of course, there will be more signings, but with a couple of restructurings (Lane Johnson and Alshon Jeffrey for example) of the base salaries into roster bonuses, the Eagles could fall between $5 million and $8 million after these three signings.
Of course, more reinforcements will come via the draft, so who will be the first round pick in April?
With Their First Round Pick, The Eagles Select....
Currently, the Eagles have the 25th selection in the first round of the 2019 draft. Last year they had the 32nd pick, for reasons we all love to remember.
They ended up trading that pick to the Ravens for this year's second-round pick, giving them two in the 2019 second round.
I do believe the Eagles will be selecting in the first round this year, but who that could be has been widely contemplated.
Our own Liam Jenkins has them selecting offensive tackle Andre Dillard. Which makes sense in my scenario, since Jason Peters is gone. As Liam states, Dillard isn't the most fluid in terms of fundamentals. Could the Eagles trust Dillard right away against powerful edge rushers? Could they really entrust Vaitai to man that position until Dillard is deemed ready?
Another popular pick is Zach Allen out of Boston College, whom Dalton Tinklenberg of SportsMediaPass has them selecting. Allen is a talented defensive end but needs to develop more pass rushing moves. He is a great run defender, and can help reclaim the run dominance title that the Eagles defensive line has been known for.
My selection would be cornerback Greedy Williams out of LSU. It's possible he wouldn't be available at pick 25, but with teams trading up to overdraft quarterbacks, talented players like Williams could fall.
Williams would provide some much-needed depth in the secondary for the Eagles and joining him with Maddox, Mills, LeBlanc, Jenkins, Jones, Douglas, and McLeod could make a once weak point of the team into a strength.
What do you think Eagles fans? What are your predictions for the offseason?
