Chance Warmack can flourish with Philadelphia Eagles
By Ryan Quigley
The Philadelphia Eagles signed Chance Warmack to a one-year deal Thursday, which could prove to be one of the team’s best offseason moves.
Most of this week’s attention for the Philadelphia Eagles was directed towards newly acquired wideout Alshon Jeffery. To some, the signing of guard Chance Warmack may be nothing more than an afterthought. But it shouldn’t be.
The Eagles signed Warmack to a one-year “prove-it” deal Thursday. According to USA Today’s Tom Pelissero, the deal is worth just $1.51 million. He can also earn an extra $1.25 million in incentives.
Warmack may not be making a ton of money, but he is a low-risk, very high-reward signing for the Eagles. After all, it wasn’t long ago that he was selected by the Tennessee Titans with the No. 10 overall pick of the 2013 NFL Draft.
To find out more about Warmack, we reached out to Matias Wodner over at Titan Sized for insight on the former first-round pick (You can follow Matias on Twitter @matiwod for Titans news and analysis).
"We had very high expectations when we drafted him No. 10 overall. He was among the safest options in the draft and we needed help on the interior of the line. He struggled in his rookie year, but put it all together in a really solid sophomore season. Ever since that year, though, Warmack had been a liability on the Titans line. His last season in Tennessee was cut short by an injury, but the Titans’ line thrived without him.There’s no denying his potential; we saw it throughout his entire college career and for a year in Tennessee. He’ll bring a mauling type of attitude to the run game, but he really needs to fine tune his pass protection. Perhaps the Eagles’ offensive line coaches can get the best out of him."
Matias brings up a good point. Will the Eagles’ coaches be able to get the best out of Warmack?
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Yes.
Warmack had a hugely successful college career at Alabama, where he was named a two-time All-SEC player and a unanimous All-American. He also helped the Crimson Tide win three national championships in four years. Jeff Stoutland, his offensive line coach at Alabama, was a major driving force behind Warmack’s dominance.
Like Warmack, Stoutland has since joined the Eagles and the two will be working together once again in 2017. During Warmack’s introductory press conference Friday, he said he turned down offers from other teams so he could reunite with Stoutland.
"Yes, I did [get other offers]. But this is the best option. This is the best option for me. I feel like coach Stoutland, he’s gonna take me to the next level in terms of our communication and I honestly feel like this is the best option for me."
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Of course, Warmack isn’t guaranteed a starting spot on the Eagles’ offensive line just because he’s buddies with Stoutland. He will have to compete with Allen Barbre, Isaac Seumalo and Stefen Wisniewski, who the Eagles re-signed to a three-year deal Friday. If Jason Kelce is traded this offseason, which is a possibility, Warmack would have a much easier time earning a starting role as Seumalo and Wisniewski compete for the starting center job.
But whether Warmack starts or not, the Eagles are adding an extremely useful player to their offensive line. His relationship with Jeff Stoutland is strong and their reunion will make Warmack a much better player than he was in Tennessee. How much better remains to be seen.