Philadelphia Eagles running back Chris Polk (32) runs for a touchdown against the Detroit Lions during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey G. Pittenger-USA TODAY Sports
The Philadelphia Eagles will be most busy this offseason at wide receiver and safety, as they will have to worry about impending free agent receivers Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper and still need to find a high-impact FS. That said, there are plenty of Eagles-related rumors regarding other positions, and the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane took the time to ask around about Eagles players at the Combine and gave us all a few interesting notes to chew on. Most of the info isn’t surprising, but it serves as good confirmation.
Per McLane, veteran inside linebacker DeMeco Ryans “isn’t going anywhere”, and McLane also reports that it is “unlikely” for the Eagles to ask Ryans to take a paycut. Even though the 29-year-old has a cap hit of $6.9 million and struggles in coverage, he’s a key leader at the heart of the team’s defense and filled up the stat sheet with 128 tackles, seven passes defended, and four sacks last year. It wouldn’t have surprised me if the Eagles decided to cut ties with Ryans, but there’s just about no chance of that happening. I’m not as high on him as most people, but he’s a quality veteran starter in this league and knows how to make plays.
No. 3 running back Chris Polk has always been regarded as a talented player, but he’s logjammed behind elite starter LeSean McCoy and excellent backup Bryce Brown. If Brown does end up getting traded in the pursuit of a starting role, then the Eagles would get some nice picks in return and would feel more than confident with a player of Polk’s caliber as the No. 2 RB. But even if the Eagles hold onto Brown, an “NFL source” tells McLane that the team will give Polk a “more prominent role” next year. Per McLane, Chip Kelly sounds like a big fan of Polk’s, which isn’t surprising. Brown is great, but it would be nice for the Eagles to get something in return for him on the trading block, and I’m sure Brown would also like to step out of Shady’s shadow. Plus, they have a tailor-made RB2 already on their roster.
There are more interesting notes found in the piece, so please click here to read more about the likes of Matt Barkley and Cary Williams, who is somebody I’ve always been down on.