The Eagles have parted ways with Chip Kelly, leaving the future of their roster in turmoil. Whoever comes in to take over the team will be stuck with a collection of hand-picked Chip Kelly players as well as a few of Andy Reid’s guys as well.
They will also have to deal with the following expiring contracts come this offseason:
Philadelphia Eagles 2016 Free Agents[helmet team=”phi”]
Sam Bradford QB
Like the Redskins, the Eagles will have to deal with their starting quarterback being a free agent after week 17. Bradford made the jump into Kelly’s system this season, and with the fast-paced tempo came the good as well as the bad.
While Bradford has had some comically bad plays, he has actually faired pretty well overall – throwing 17 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. The Eagles likely won’t be in a position to draft a top quarterback, so whoever takes over as the coach will likely want to keep Bradford.
Moving Bradford back into a more traditional offense should also help the Eagles get the most out of DeMarco Murray, which could quickly fix a lot of the other issues they have had on offense.
Walter Thurmond FS
How many former Oregon Ducks will survive on the Eagles roster for 2016? That is the question surrounding Walter Thurmond, who was brought in on a one-year deal this season after struggling with the Giants last year.
The Eagles secondary certainly needs help, and I expect them to at least make an effort to bring back Thurmond on a short deal.
Nolan Carroll CB
Carroll is at the end of his two-year deal with the Eagles, and has started to show some signs of decline. I could see the Eagles going either way with the defensive back by signing him for another one of two years or cutting their losses and moving on.
Cedric Thornton DE
Fourth year DE Cedric Thornton has recorded just one sack in each of his first three years with the team and has just one entering the Eagles’ final game this season. Thornton has still seen the third most snaps along the talented Philly defensive line this season, so he is likely a piece they can afford to keep – as they only have a total of 12 free agents this offseason.
Vinny Curry DE
Curry had a breakout year in 2014 with nine sacks and has followed that performance by adding another 3.5 this year. If the Eagles were in a worse situation free agent wise, Curry could be a likely departure. However, I expect them to make resigning the pass rusher a top priority and bring him back for 2016.
Leading up to Sunday, I’ll take a look at the Giants before breaking down the upcoming free agency situation for our Dallas Cowboys.
