Philadelphia Eagles Unlikely To Be Active in Free Agency
By Matt Giraldi
Free agency brings the possibility of bringing a quality veteran to the Philadelphia Eagles. Most of the time however, the Eagles have enough cap space to warrant those dreams and wishes. Unfortunately, this season the Eagles do not have the ability to break the bank as they are sitting in the middle of the pack for remaining cap space. While this means that the Eagles are unlikely to be active in the early stages of free agency, they will certainly be targeting inexpensive veterans that can provide quality depth, particularly on defense.
Philadelphia Eagles In House Free Agents
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Philadelphia Eagles receiver Jeremy Maclin is certainly the most prevalent free agent this offseason. Maclin set career highs in every major receiving category this season. Perhaps the most vital statistic for Jeremy Maclin was staying healthy for all 16 games. Unfortunately, Maclin is also a free agent wide receiver in a class that is very top-heavy with not much else.
Both Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant and Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas are highly unlikely to ever see the light of day in free agency. This makes Jeremy Maclin one of the top three or four receivers available. What this likely means is that there is a legitimate chance the Eagles will be forced to apply the franchise tag to Maclin in order to prolong long-term negotiations.
Aside from Maclin however, there is little reason to believe many of the Philadelphia Eagles pending free agents will be resigned. Defensive end/linebacker Brandon Graham came on strong as a role player, but is likely to demand money that isn’t worthy of his production. All of the pending free agents in the secondary are as good as gone. Backup quarterback Mark Sanchez is the most intriguing on the list however. This is one of the weakest free agency (and draft) classes ever for quarterbacks. This means there could be a market for Sanchez, but it’s likely he resigns with the Eagles.
Outside Free Agent Targets For Philadelphia Eagles
Devin McCourty (Safety – New England Patriots): Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly has seen what McCourty is capable of during joint practices with the New England Patriots. Eagles fans likely have seen what McCourty did while at Rutgers. And with the most pressing need for the Eagles being at the safety position, McCourty is at the top of the free agent list. In the unlikely event that the Patriots don’t put the franchise tag on him, expect the Eagles to pursue Devin McCourty very aggressively.
Ron Parker (Defensive Back – Kansas City Chiefs): One of my more favorite players hitting free agency this offseason is Ron Parker from Kansas City. A perennial journeyman in the NFL, Parker really came on in the absence of Eric Berry and provided quality support in both the passing and running game for the Chiefs. The best part about Parker is that he can provide depth at an affordable price.
Byron Maxwell (Cornerback – Seattle Seahawks) : We all know how much Philadelphia Eagles fans have clamored over Maxwell since the end of the season. Simply put, the Eagles front office needs to push for his services.
Sam Acho (Linebacker – Arizona Cardinals) : If the name looks familiar, that’s because Sam is the brother to current Philadelphia Eagle Emmanuel Acho. Sam Acho graded better than average in 2015 according to Pro Football Focus and could be a good pass-rushing replacement should Brandon Graham leave. Additionally, Arizona ran a 3-4 base defense last year which could make the transition seamless.
Next: Five Rookie Sleepers On Defense