Could Eric Weddle be a Philadelphia Eagle in 2016?

On Monday, June 1st the San Diego Chargers announced that they will not pursue an contract upgrade or extension with their current all pro free safety Eric Weddle. Weddle has been considered one of if not the best safety in the NFL for quite some time now.

The announcement is a shocking one since usually a team wouldn’t want to tell a player who is still under contract that he doesn’t have future with the organization. However, while this may be bad news for Chargers fans, this could be fantastic news for Philadelphia Eagles fans.

It’s no secret that the Philadelphia Eagles have struggled in the secondary for quite some time, especially at safety. Last offseason they solved part of the problem by adding safety Malcolm Jenkins who was very solid for the Eagles. This offseason the Eagles made it a point to fix their secondary by overpaying to sign the premier cornerback on the market, Byron Maxwell. However, if he takes us to the Super Bowl like he promised then it will be money well spent.

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Eagles

Then in the draft the Eagles added more pieces to the puzzle by selecting cornerback/safety Eric Rowe from Utah. Rowe looks to be the other starter opposite Maxwell. They also added depth late in the draft with cornerbacks JaCorey Shepherd and Randall Evans.

Assuming that these additions all pan out, which they very well may not, the Eagles are still left with one gaping hole at free safety. Right now it looks like a battle between safeties Earl Wolff, Jaylen Watkins and cornerback Walter Thurmond III. If the Eagles added Eric Weddle then their secondary would be in the elite discussion, propelling their entire defense into the discussion for best in the league.

On the surface, Weddle is the perfect fit. He is versatile, he plays with every thing he has and works very hard. He is highly intelligent; he is highly talented; he fits the Eagles’ scheme as the back end free safety. He is from the Pac-12 and he is a great person in the locker room. Weddle certainly checks off all the boxes, leaving the question what is left to be desired. In short, he is a Chip Kelly kind of guy. You might even say he is the ultimate Chip Kelly kind of guy.

First of all, Weddle is going to command a large sum of money. Not only is this hard to give up for a player of the wrong side of 30, but after a big spending offseason the Eagles are pressed against the cap and still have to extend defensive ends Fletcher Cox (given the fifth year option), Cedric Thornton and Vinny Curry, quarterback Sam Bradford, linebacker Mychal Kendricks, and slot cornerback Brandon Boykin among others (assuming of course that Chip Kelly wants to).

This past offseason the Eagles were very open about the fact that wanted to sign New England Patriots safety Devin McCourty and in fact quite possibly made the largest offer. McCourty in the end opted to return to New England and the Eagles decided to bring in running back DeMarco Murray with the money. However if money frees up, I could see them making a play at this offseason’s top safety.

Next: Is the Philadelphia Eagles Offensive Line a Concern?

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