The Philadelphia Eagles are coming into 2015 with questions at the QB position for head coach Chip Kelly, as he may target Marcus Mariota in the draft and that could lead to a trade with quarterback Nick Foles or LeSean McCoy to get it done and the St. Louis Rams could be interested in making a move for Foles.
Kelly was recently given more power over the roster and that could lead to some big moves at the NFL draft. NJ.com and other websites have reported that the Eagles are interested in looking to move up for Mariota, as he was the QB with Kelly in Oregon and could be a great fit for their offense. Kelly wants to move up to get Mariota, but since he could be a top two pick, the report says that it will likely take multiple moves for the team to get into the top 10.
Foles could be part of that discussion, as reports during the season had Kelly not "sold" on Foles as the long term starter. CSN Philly and NJ.com reported that the St. Louis Rams, Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans could be interested in making a move for Foles. The Rams are an interesting option, as they have a top 10 pick and an question mark at QB with Sam Bradford. Kelly also reportedly could use McCoy to move up, as he has a contract issue and could be gone in 2015.
The Eagles finished the season second in the NFC east behind Dallas and now the team has the chance to come into 2015 even better. Kelly now has the decision making power on the personnel side and that could make for some interesting moves in free agency and the draft. The team has their draft picks so they have the ammo to move around and based on recent reports even if the team doesn't get Mariota, they likely will try and trade up at some point.
Jeremy Maclin may not return if he asks for too much money, as he is coming off of a strong season following a missed year with an injury. Maclin set career highs in receptions, yards and TDs last season and now could be a top target for teams. The Eagles are not likely to break the bank in free agency, but Kelly has some options he could look at. Kelly did a great job utilizing Darren Sproles after making a trade to acquire him and now he could look at some lower level or cheaper free agent options to help on offense. McCoy has been one of the best running backs in the NFL over the past few years, but if he doesn't agree to a new contract he could be released or traded in a salary cap move.
Kelly went against the grain and let go of DeSean Jackson last year and whole the team won the same amount of games as last season, the deep passing game was not the same without him. Kelly may look at adding a back in free agency like CJ Spiller, as he can be utilized in the passing game like McCoy and Sproles. The team also could look at cheaper players like Cecil Shorts, Eddie Royal, Hakeem Nicks or Wes Welker to come in if they can't sign back Maclin.