Eagles Free Agents: Stay or Go?
After releasing Chris Maragos and resigning Paul Worrilow, the Eagles have 15 impending free agents set to hit the market in March.
Here is a look at who should stay on the roster for 2019 and who should walk and find a new team…
WR Golden Tate – GO
Photo: Inside the Iggles
The Eagles trade for Golden Tate did not go as planned to say the least and cost the team a 3rd round pick as a result. Tate is a skilled slot receiver who has had very productive seasons with both the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions earlier in his career but failed to find his rhythm with the Eagles in 2018. Part of the reason to blame was Offensive Coordinator Mike Groh’s failure to successfully incorporate him into the offense. However, the Eagles are not in a place to keep taking chances on a player who simply does not work in their system. The Eagles are better off rolling with Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor and Zach Ertz and any offseason additions to fill the spot on the roster, and fit Carson Wentz’s offense the best.
DT Haloti Ngata – GO
The Eagles signed Haloti Ngata in the 2018 offseason as a veteran depth piece on the defensive line and valued him for his run stuffing ability. However, Ngata was asked to do more than expected this season. After Tim Jernigan missed extended time recovering from his back surgery, Ngata had to start over 10 games for the Eagles. The production from a year prior with Tim Jernigan and Beau Allen was much higher than the production out of Haloti Ngata. Fletcher Cox was asked to do too much in the interior of the line and caused the entire group to decline. An aging Haloti Ngata can easily be replaced in the free agency by a guy like Gerald McCoy or in the draft by a guy like Christian Wilkins, either who will be able to start the entire season and complement Fletcher Cox and the defense the best.
OG Chance Warmack – GO
Former top-10 pick, Chance Warmack, was given a chance by the Eagles in the 2017 offseason after released by the Tennessee Titans and was on the team for the past two seasons. Although being rostered and healthy for a majority of the time, Warmack rarely saw the field and was never called upon after an injury on the offensive line. The Eagles are better off moving on from the young offensive guard and looking to the draft or the practice squad to bring in someone to fill his role on the bench to enter the game whenever called on but be able to produce. It was a good move for the Eagles to bring in Warmack as he had so much potential, but it is safe to say that it did not work out and it is time to move on.
Photo: Mcall.com
WR Mike Wallace – STAY
I was very excited to see the Eagles sign Mike Wallace last offseason and it was very unfortunate to see him get hurt so early in the season. The Eagles like to have a speedy, deep-threat receiver on their offense to give Carson Wentz the ability to open up the playbook and throw a few deep balls. In 2017, that guy was Torrey Smith, who struggled with drops, but still had a big impact on the Eagles offense and had a few deep catches on the season. Mike Wallace is a clear upgrade from Smith and Wallace choose Philadelphia over other teams because he was excited for the opportunity to play with Carson Wentz. Unfortunately, Wallace and Wentz never got to take a snap together on the offense, which may bring Wallace and the Eagles back for a reunion. The Eagles never got to see Mike Wallace’s potential as he went down with a broken foot in week 2 and ended the season with 0 receptions. Before missing 14 games in the 2018 season, Wallace only missed 2 games over a 9-year span, so health is not an issue. I think it would be smart for the Eagles to resign Wallace to a cheap deal if they do not have their eyes on any speedy receivers in the draft or free agency.
S Corey Graham – GO
After being a veteran presence in the Eagles secondary for the past two seasons, it is hard to see Graham returning to the Eagles roster for the 2019 season. First of all, Rodney McLeod will be back beside Malcolm Jenkins next year which takes Corey Graham out of the starting role. After fighting injuries and blowing the 4th and 15 play against the Titans in overtime in 2018, the Eagles had to put Avonte Maddox at safety or run a one safety set with Malcolm Jenkins over the middle to combat the loss. In my opinion, the Eagles need to get younger at the position and Corey Graham is not the answer as the teams third safety as he did more harm than help to the team in 2018.
Photo: Bleeding Green Nation
RB Darren Sproles – STAY
Well here we are; another season and Darren Sproles is looking to come back to Philadelphia once more for unfinished business. After announcing he would retire after the 2017 season, Sproles broke his arm and tore his ACL early in the year causing him to change his mind and return in 2018. In 2018, the story was similar. Sproles missed more than half of the season with a hamstring injury but returned just before the Eagles playoff push and added a lot of help to the offense. After continuing to be a dominant force out of the backfield and continuing to defy the odds at 5’6”, teammate Zach Ertz urged Sproles to keep playing for a few more years. Sproles listened and has announced that as of now, he is open to playing in Philadelphia for another year, if resigned. I believe the Eagles will address the running back need in free agency and the draft, but they will always have a roster spot open for the dynamic Darren Sproles. Expect Sproles to return on a cheap, one-year deal shortly after the draft.
CB Ronald Darby – STAY
Even after tearing his ACL in the 2018 season, Ronald Darby is clearly the number one cornerback in the 2019 free agency class. However, tearing his ACL may hurt his value. Darby is a good corner who may want to return to Philadelphia for another year or two on a cheap deal to prove his worth and better earn himself a big contract in a couple of years. If Darby returned to the Eagles, their cornerback group would feature Jalen Mills, Avonte Maddox, Sidney Jones and Ronald Darby. That is a solid group and gives defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz plenty of options to use in his secondary. I think it would be in the best interest for both Darby and Philadelphia to reunite for at least one more year to give Darby another chance to prove his actual worth.
TE Richard Rodgers – GO
After spending a majority of the season on the IR, Richard Rodgers did not contribute to the team much as the third tight end. With Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert as the top two options at the position, the Eagles can afford to look to a cheap option in free agency or a late round pick in the draft to fill in as a pass rush blocker, special teams’ piece and occasional offensive target.
LB LaRoy Reynold – STAY
Veteran Linebacker LaRoy Reynolds was a solid depth piece for Philadelphia in 2018, playing all 16 regular season games and 2 playoff games as well as six regular season tackles on special teams. It would not be very expensive to keep Reynolds on the team in the special teams’ group.
Photo: NBC Sports
WR Jordan Matthews – STAY
Jordan Matthews was brought in as a desperation signing for the Eagles after they became very thin at the wide receiver position early in the year. Matthews was only expected to add depth to the roster and give Wentz another option on offense. Jordan Matthews ended the season with 300 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns and 15 yards per reception in the regular season. He also ended up filling the deep ball role that Mike Wallace left up for grabs and was decent at it. Jordan Matthews has great connections to the team and has one of the best work ethics that Philadelphia has seen. He doesn’t need to produce like a starter, just produce when called on. I think he returns on a short-term deal.
LB Jordan Hicks – GO
The Eagles seemed to have found a steal in third round of the 2015 draft in Jordan Hicks as Hicks has recorded 254 tackles, 6 fumble recoveries and 7 interceptions in his 4-year career. When he is on the field, Hicks is one of the leaders on the defense and forces several turnovers. However, the young linebacker has struggled with staying on the field, only completing one full season with the Eagles and missing extended time in the other three seasons with a torn ACL, torn Achilles and strained calf. In his absence, the Eagles have called on Nigel Bradham, Nate Gerry and Kamu Grugier-Hill to fill Hicks role in the middle of the field. The linebacker group has played well in these occasions, showing that Hicks may be replaceable on the defense and the next starting linebacker may come from the current roster in Kamu Grugier-Hill. Hicks’ injury history should concern the Eagles a bit and they would be wrong to commit to him long term and take the risk of Hicks getting injured yet again. Jordan Hicks announced he will test free agency, but if he does not have a good market the only way the Eagles should bring him back is on a cheap short-term deal.
Photo: Clutch Points
RB Jay Ajayi – GO
After trading a fourth-round pick to Miami in exchange for Jay Ajayi in the 2017 season, the Eagles were finally a top rushing team in the NFL. Ajayi had a great tenure with the Dolphins, breaking 1200 rushing yards in 2016 and having a few games of over 200 yards. In Philadelphia, the story was different. The Eagles had an abundance of running backs and used a running back by committee scheme which gave Ajayi just 10 attempts per game. Going into 2018, Jay Ajayi was the clear starter of the team and was primed for a breakout season, which came to a halt after tearing his ACL just four weeks into the season. A majority of the running backs in the NFL returning from an ACL tear see a decline in stats from years prior. Something else to notice is that recovering running backs are also subject to soft tissue injuries as we saw with Dalvin Cook and Darren Sproles in the 2018 season, who each missed extended time with hamstring injuries. The Eagles are in dire need of a restructured running back group for 2019 which will be addressed both in the free agency and the draft. If the Eagles want to see an increase in the production from their running backs in 2019 and find an elite starter, they have no business keeping Ajayi around.
LB D.J. Alexander – GO
Alexander has really only seen the field on special teams for the Eagles in 2018. He never really stood out in the special team’s unit or on defense when he got into the game, and also missed four games with a hamstring injury. The Eagles can’t afford to have depth pieces miss a quarter of the season and hurt their special teams’ group, which is already weak. Alexander can easily be replaced in free agency or the draft.
Featured Photo: Sportingnews.com
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