Six games into the season, it’s safe to say the Eagles’ season hasn’t gone as expected in Chip Kelly’s first season as general manager. Although the Eagles are in first place in the NFC East, their 3-3 record points to the team being the best of the bunch in a very mediocre division.
It’s quarterback Sam Bradford who has been the biggest disappointment, as his nine interceptions rank as the second-most in the league. He’s below average in every single passing category, displaying virtually none of the tremendous accuracy he showed during the preseason.
The Eagles tried to sign Bradford, the number one overall pick by the Rams in 2010, to a contract extension before the start of the season, but the two sides weren’t able to agree to terms. That’s definitely a good thing at this point, because there’s no way the Eagles would re-sign Bradford if the season ended now. Of course, Bradford could still turn it around and play at a level worthy of bringing back for another year or two, but right now, the Eagles will likely be in the market for yet another quarterback in 2016.
It’s a frustrating scenario for a team that gave up Nick Foles, a second-round pick and a fourth-round pick for a quarterback who basically looks like the same mediocre player he was the past five seasons in St. Louis. Expect the Eagles to allow Bradford to walk, where the veteran will undoubtedly be given yet another chance to show that he can be a viable starter in the National Football League.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Eagles have exceeded even the most optimistic fan’s expectations. They’re currently seventh in the league in scoring defense, plus third in total turnovers. They’ve been solid against the pass and terrific against the run.
Defensive end Cedric Thornton has been one of the team’s anchors in run defense over the last two seasons, but he hasn’t been playing at his usual dominant level in 2015. Thornton has just six tackles in four starts, missing two games with a broken bone in his hand. He’s rated 28th of 29 qualified 3-4 defensive ends in Pro Football Focus’s run-stop percentage. Thornton signed a one-year deal worth $2.356 million last offseason. While he’s still worth bringing back, it might be on yet another one-year deal at around the same value.
Vinny Curry, also a free agent after the season, got off to a slow start this season, recording just two tackles and no sacks in his first five games. He registered his first sack of the season against the Giants last week, but for a player who collected nine sacks in just one-third of the snaps in 2014, it’s safe to say he’s playing below his projected level in 2015. Curry, a second-round pick in 2012, will see his rookie deal expire after this season. While it would be great to see a player with his raw pass-rushing ability remain on the team for several more seasons, the more likely scenario is the 27-year-old signing a lofty deal as a starting defensive end for a 4-3 defense. There’s almost no scenario in which Curry remains on the Eagles past this season, considering he’s never been given a chance as a full-time starter.
Two of the biggest surprises on the Eagles’ defense have been safety Walter Thurmond and cornerback Nolan Carroll. Both were signed to relatively cheap deals as a backup, Carroll before the 2014 season and Thurmond before 2015, and each has turned into a solid starter at a position that has plagued the Eagles in recent years.
In fact, Thurmond has an outside chance to earn a Pro Bowl selection. The converted cornerback has collected three interceptions plus 21 tackles in six games. Not only has he successfully switched positions at age 28, but he’s become the team’s biggest playmaker on defense. Signed to a one-year deal worth $3.25 million this past offseason after missing 14 games in 2014, Thurmond should command a multi-year deal, perhaps three years at six or seven million per year. Along with Malcolm Jenkins, he gives the Eagles their best duo at safety since Brian Dawkins and Quintin Mikell in 2008.
Carroll, also 28, earned the other starting cornerback spot, perhaps by default, during the preseason. After all, he was the team’s fourth cornerback the year before, but after the Eagles moved on from Cary Williams, Bradley Fletcher and Brandon Boykin in the offseason, someone had to be the starter next to Byron Maxwell. Carroll has responded by playing the best football of his career. He hasn’t allowed a touchdown in six starts, allowing an 80.1 passer rating and shutting down Odell Beckham for the second half against the Giants last week. He also recorded the first pick-six of his career. Carroll’s 24 tackles are the second-most on the Eagles’ defense. He’s in line to earn a multi-year deal, perhaps three years, $25 million. Like Thurmond, Carroll is an interesting situation. It makes sense for the Eagles to wait and see that they can continue playing at a high level all season instead of locking them up to a multi-year extension based on six games’ worth of production.
Overall, that’s five big-name free-agents the Eagles will need to decide on this offseason: Bradford, Thornton, Curry, Thurmond and Carroll. Right now, all four defensive players are worth re-signing, but realistically, only Thornton, Thurmond and Carroll should be brought back.
The big decision, of course, remains with Bradford. If the former Heisman winner and Offensive Rookie of the Year can ever build on the success he showed early in his career in St. Louis, the Eagles could wind up dishing out a huge contract loaded in guaranteed money. But if things continue over the next ten weeks as they have in the first six, the Eagles will have several relatively obvious decisions regarding their own free-agents.
