Philadelphia Eagles: 5 free agents to target in 2015

2014 was supposed to be Philadelphia’s year, or at least in football it was. You’d understand what I’m talking about if you’ve watched any of the other major sports franchises in the City of Brotherly Love as of late. Head coach Chip Kelly burst onto the scene last season, bringing the Eagles to the playoffs in his first season. It was that success that not only led Eagles faithful, but NFL fans alike to believe that this team could be a serious contender to win the Lombardi trophy this year.

Now, with a week remaining in the regular season, the Philadelphia Eagles will be watching the postseason from home. Chip Kelly’s offensive genius can only carry a team so far, and honestly the fact that the team has nine wins is a feat in itself. The loss of quarterback Nick Foles against the Houston Texans was devastating, but Mark Sanchez performed admirably for the most point. The biggest area of need for the Eagles this offseason will be on the offensive side of the ball, particularly in the secondary. Let’s take a look at a few potential targets the Philadelphia Eagles should consider adding in 2015.

1 Byron Maxwell Cornerback Seattle

Anyone that has watched the Eagles play this season knows that this team needs players in the secondary. Other than safety Malcolm Jenkins, Philadelphia’s secondary is full of average talent. A player like Maxwell would immediately make an impact on this team. He’s the prototypical Seattle cornerback, standing at 6’1″. To go along with his size, Maxwell has great agility and lateral movement. While he isn’t Richard Sherman or Darrelle Revis, Maxwell is developing into one of the best at the position, and will likely be one of the best corners available this offseason.

2 Brandon Spikes Inside linebacker Buffalo

Sticking to the defensive side of the ball, the Eagles need help at the inside linebacker position. Casey Matthews came on late in the season, but he’s a shell of his Green Bay Packers brother, Clay Matthews. Philly lost Demeco Ryans back in November, and his presence was certainly missed down the stretch. It’s not a guarantee that Ryans will return to the Eagles in 2015, so Brandon Spikes will be a perfect fit for this defense. If the team doesn’t take a linebacker via free agency, general manager Howie Roseman will need to explore his options in the draft for sure. Benardrick McKinney out of Mississippi State has to be a player that the Eagles consider with their pick. He’s a bruiser, but unbelievably athletic as well.

3 Devin McCourty Safety New England

Nate Allen simply doesn’t cut it in the secondary. As bad as the cornerbacks were this year, the Eagles were truly hurt by not having someone else play alongside Malcolm Jenkins at the safety position. McC0urty is a big upgrade at this point. It is very likely that the Eagles could address the safety position in the draft, with free safeties like Louisville’s Gerrod Holliman available. At the same time though, McCourty is a proven commodity and has played under the tutelage of Bill Belichick in New England. He would immediately start, making Philadelphia’s safety pairing one of the best in the league.

4 Mike Iupati Guard San Francisco

It’s up for debate as to whether the Eagles need a quarterback or not, so the biggest need on offense will likely be to assure that the offensive line remains among the NFL’s elite. Philly sustained several key blows to the offensive line during the 2014 season, and it doesn’t appear that the Eagles will bring back guard Todd Herremans. Mike Iupati would come in immediately and be a like-for-like swap on the line. The Philadelphia Eagles already have elite players like Jason Peters, Evan Mathis, and Lane Johnson, so the addition of Iupati would make it very difficult for opposing teams to get after the quarterback; whomever it may be.

5 Randall Cobb Wide receiver Green Bay

The last guy on my list is somewhat of a long shot because there’s a very slim chance that Green Bay will let him go. Cobb is 24 years old and quick as lightning. In a Chip Kelly offense that is faster than every other team, the addition of Cobb would make this team very difficult to stop. Assuming the Eagles re-sign wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, they won’t have a plethora of money to allocate to free agents, but the money would be well worth it to pick up Cobb. If they don’t opt in the direction of signing a free agent receiver, the 2015 Draft features many high-caliber prospects, including Louisville’s DeVante Parker and Arizona State receiver Jaelen Strong.

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