Yesterday the first stage of Free Agency presented itself to the Philadelphia Eagles, with the franchise tag window opening up. Free Agency itself doesn’t start until March, but the Eagles have nine players set to leave Philadelphia if a new contract isn’t signed between now and then and with around an estimated $25m in cap space set to be available..the birds are going to have to be smart The question is, who stays and who goes?
For this scenario, we’re assuming that no further cuts will be made (despite a very high possibility) just to see how manageable the situation currently is. Would the Eagles have any room left after negotiating with nine players? Would they need to make cuts to free up some cap space? They’re both questions that will also be answered during the course of this evaluation.
Walter Thurmond:
The signing of Walter Thurmond proved to be one of the best off-season moves the Eagles made. The versatile safety enjoyed a career year and played a full 16 times for the first time since joining the NFL. The Thurmond and Jenkins partnership began to rock Offenses all over the league as the season progressed and at one stage both were ranked inside PFF’s top 5 safeties in the NFL list. 3 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles and 7 pass deflections were complimented by a total of 71 tackles in his first season in midnight green, but will it be his last?
Thurmond himself is very aware of the situation and has spoken about it to the press numerous times, but Walter was one of the signings in Free Agency last year by the Eagles and it helped repair a very leaky Secondary. The problem is that not only does the Secondary currently lack in both depth and elite talent as far as the defensive backs go, that problem could only amplify if the team were to let Thurmond walk. The asking price wouldn’t be that much (a single season $4m deal would probably be a likely offer) and he’s only going to get better under Jim Schwartz. This is a no brainer for the Eagles, they either keep one of their most impactful Secondary players for what’s a relatively light cap hit, or they let him walk and risk ripping open very fresh Secondary wounds.
Verdict: Stay
(Cap room est. $22m)
Nolan Carroll:
Carroll was another standout for the Eagles Secondary in 2015 until he fell injured against the Lions late in the season. His absence however was very noticeable as the Secondary suffered a brief collapse before the much needed emergence of rookie Eric Rowe. Carroll ended his season with 2 picks and 57 tackles and like Thurmond, enjoyed a career year.
Carrol’s last deal was comprised of a two year deal worth $3.6m, it’s a very affordable contract for the Eagles to replicate, if not slightly improve. Again, letting Carroll walk would leave Byron Maxwell and a group of corners who enjoyed their first season in the NFL if Biggers is allowed to walk. His experience and talent is not only needed by the Eagles but very easily attainable if he wants to come back. Carroll may well wish to test Free Agency however if he feels like he has earned a more rewarding contract, but the Eagles should be doing their best to keep Carroll and retain some kind of structure in a very insecure Secondary.
Verdict: Stay
(Cap room est. $20.5m)
Sam Bradford:
This was always going to be the most interesting player to evaluate but the question here isn’t about his talent..it’s about his very hard nosed agent negotiating with a very hard nosed Howie Roseman to see who cracks first. Under Pederson and a very Quarterback friendly coaching core, Bradford could be set to enjoy an even better season than the last as he may finally have some support on the ground and some weapons around him. His final seven games were extremely promising and we have spent months giving every statistic and game tape analysis possible trying to justify bringing him back, but by this stage it comes down to one thing..money.
It’s easy to forget that the Rams rejected a $20m contract offer from Bradford’s agent which in part led to his arrival in Philadelphia. If Bradford did want to test Free-Agency, he would definitely have a market. From an on-field stand point, the Eagles should absolutely do everything they can to secure the future of Bradford. Whether that’s on a short-term deal or spreading the funds out to reduce the cap-hit as they did with Ertz and Johnson. From a financial standpoint, things get more complicated as it becomes more of a clash of titans in the board room, the question is will Bradford’s agent settle for a deal that likely undercuts his generous valuation of his client?
Verdict: Stay if the money is right. Expect a 3-5 year deal that starts with a salary of $15-$18m and potentially rockets up to anywhere between $20m-$25m by the end of the deal if he does resign.
(Cap room est. $1m-$3m)
Cedric Thornton:
Thornton has been a force to be reckoned with since being signed as an undrafted-rookie free agent by the Eagles but has already expressed an interest in testing the waters of Free Agency. When you take his future plans into account and look at his stats this season, the decision is that much easier to make. Thornton declined picking up just 33 tackles and missing 3 games. He was nowhere near as dominant in 2015 and with Jim Schwartz in charge, the future of Vinny Curry secured and a linebacker core growing ever stronger..it may be wise to grant his wishes and let Thornton see if he can find a new home away from the city of Brotherly love.
Verdict: Go. If his heart isn’t in it and his form is declining anyway, it’s hard to find reasons to pay out a big sum for Thornton. He has been a huge impact player, but in a 4-3 defense..Vinny Curry and Fletcher Cox are going to be the stars of the show.
(Cap room est. $1m-$3m)
E.J Biggers:
Biggers endured a rollercoaster season in Philadelphia. The veteran corner made some big plays but also allowed some big Offensive ones too. Considering his age, it would make much more sense to try and replace Biggers in the draft during the late rounds due to the amount of talent at the position set to come into the league. The direction of the unit has already been set. Rowe, Shepherd, Rice and Evans were all in their first season this year as Byron Maxwell and Nolan Carroll were set to try and help nurture the youngsters. It would make much more sense to add some intimidating shutdown talent to the roster as opposed to resign an inconsistent veteran at this stage.
Verdict: Go. Schwartz is likely going to want a young and hungry Defense and with some of the pieces already in place, it makes sense to build on those through the draft as opposed to placing your hopes on a corner who could well be compared to the Mark Sanchez of CB’s.
(Cap room est. $1m-$3m)
Thad Lewis:
The Eagles have a very friendly Quarterback coaching core as aforementioned and if the team can cut Mark Sanchez to free up some more funds, they’d be wise to let Lewis walk and start a fresh. There’s no guarantee that the Eagles are going to resign Bradford and if they don’t, building a completely new core for Pederson to “groom” makes perfect sense.
Verdict: Go. it’s time for a fresh start in Philadelphia, which means it’s also unfortunately time for a fresh start yet again for Thad lewis.
Guards David Molk and Matt Tobin:
Molk and Tobin had their hands forced in 2015. The backups were playing as starters and the result was a sloppy, sometimes impressive but mostly underwhelming affair. If the Eagles are intent on addressing the line, depth is key..but so is talent. There are a lot of potential starters licking their lips at the chance of an NFL starting job and signing both Molk and Tobin to short term contracts won’t cost the team an incredible amount.
Verdict: Go. With the declining health of Jason Peters, the bizarre inconsistencies of Kelce and the lack of depth, it makes sense to try and sign these guys with what remaining funds are available.
(Cap room est. $0-$1m)
