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Philadelphia Eagles: Who’s Next to be Banished?

By Jesse Shuter

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It is no secret that Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly likes things done his way. Anyone that doesn’t follow his philosophy is kicked to the curb and anyone that does is sought after. Over the years under Kelly we have seen a lot of high level talent kicked off the team.

The latest casualty to this philosophy was Eagles’ All Pro offensive guard Evan Mathis. Mathis was not happy with his contract, and frankly had a right to be unhappy. Mathis was ranked by Bleacher Report’s talent evaluator Matt Miller as the second best guard in the NFL. However, he was set to be paid as the eight best guard in 2015. He was also going to be paid as the 31st best offensive lineman in 2015.

You would be hard pressed to find 30 offensive lineman better than Evan Mathis and yet that is how he was paid. All he wanted was one million extra dollars but the Eagles wouldn’t give it to him. I understand why he was unhappy.

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That being said he was very, very vocal about his concerns and Kelly heard him. He heard that he was unappreciative and not a team player and decided he no longer needed his services. What was the most shocking was that he was unable to find a trade. This has been a problem for Kelly, showing his willingness to dump a player so that no one will offer him a trade knowing that he will cut the player.

At this point the question is, who is the next player to go?

Kelly has expressed his discontent with the work ethics of star inside linebacker Mychal Kendricks and top slot cornerback Brandon Boykin. The other candidate to go would be wide receiver Riley Cooper.

Of the three, the fans’ choice to go is clear. Riley Cooper has been a liability for the team on offense and also was a part of a big scandal where he made some very racist remarks. He was extended under former general manager Howie Roseman after a highly productive season but has been inconsistent at best since that time.

I have no doubt that Chip Kelly would love to get rid of Cooper and his salary, however, no one is interested in a trade and his salary is immovable. By this I mean that even if the Eagles cut him his salary would still count against the cap, therefore there is no reason to cut him. Unless the Eagles can sell him from the right angle to the right buyer I don’t expect him to leave.

As far as Boykin goes, his skill set is very specific. Because of this he wouldn’t warrant a large return, and he has a small salary. I realize he was not part of Chip Kelly’s regime, but I believe it would be foolish to dump Boykin.

It is because of this that I believe the next player to go will be Mychal Kendricks. I don’t want to see Kendricks go because is highly talented and one of the fastest sideline to sideline players the Eagles have had in a while. Kendricks is a star in the making, but for whatever reason Kelly doesn’t want him around.

From what I have heard, the reason is that when Kendricks was injured this past season he did not make great enough of an effort to rehab the injury. Now Chip Kelly is trying to sell him and apparently it isn’t going well because he didn’t get blown away with a good offer. To me this means he is barely getting offered a fourth rounder because Kelly would be willing to give him away for very little.

Whether Kendricks makes it to the regular season as a Philadelphia Eagle or not, I am not sure, but I would be surprised if he isn’t the next Eagle to go.

Next: Are The Eagles Relying Too Much On Walter Thurmond?

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