Philadelphia Eagles: Is Chris Maragos fighting for a roster spot?

Could the Philadelphia Eagles put an end to their relationship with the veteran safety, Chris Maragos?

Injuries can affect an NFL players career at any given moment. Whether the injury actually prevents guys from playing or not, factoring in a players age, contract, and value could really shake things up during the recovery process. Every year there are hard-hitting decisions for NFL front offices and coaching staffs concerning injuries. Unfortunately, the Philadelphia Eagles will have a few tough decisions that involve injuries and potential cuts heading into training camp.

This past offseason, nobody expected the Eagles to hold onto certain veterans. Considering that Jason Peters is 35-years-old coming off of a torn ACL and MCL, everybody thought that he would be the first veteran that would be used to clear up cap space. Then, we heard rumors about Timmy Jernigan’s potential release after he was announced to be out four-to-six months to start the season.

Clearly, the Eagles held onto both guys as they have proved to have way more value than the player sitting behind them. Unfortunately, that is not the case with everybody, though. Eagles veteran safety and special teams ace Chris Maragos could potentially be shown the door if he does not go above and beyond this offseason.

Could Maragos be on his way out?

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Maragos ended up being one of the multiple players on the Eagles who suffered a non-contact knee injury. For that, his season wrapped up prematurely as he was forced into surgery and had to watch the Super Bowl run from the sidelines. Although Maragos isn’t exactly a top-tier safety, his special team’s contributions have not only been significant enough for the Eagles to want to keep him around. But he has also been named a team captain this past season.

So why exactly would the Eagles want to let Maragos go? Well, while it is unfortunate to say, it is quite simple to understand. Having a 31-year-old special teamer on the payroll for 3.75 million dollars over the next two seasons is not exactly an ideal situation. Especially if said contract is on a team with the worst cap situation in the NFL.

Basically, the Eagles could find a younger and healthier prospect to play backup at safety along with special teams for much cheaper than what Maragos is currently costing. Obviously, you won’t get the same veteran leadership and experience, but sometimes teams are going to have to be willing to take that risk.

How would the Eagles do without his services?

Looking back, the Eagles didn’t exactly collapse with the absence of Maragos. They finished off the 2017 regular season by letting up only 171-yards off of punt returns, which ranked inside of the top ten statistically. Also, Pro Football Focus chipped in with special teams power rankings to conclude the season, and they respectfully named the Eagles as the seventh-best special teams unit in the NFL.

Next: Eagles training camp preview: The wide receivers

Considering that Mack Hollins made quite the name for himself on the unit during his first season, the decision just might come easier for the Eagles when the regular season rolls around. But by the looks of it, the Eagles need more help with talented safety depth rather than help at special teams. So if Maragos doesn’t enter into the preseason ready to shut down the second and third teams, he could find himself released before September.

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