There has been a lot of debate over the future of the quarterback position of the Philadelphia Eagles. Nick Foles looked to be the future of the franchise, but inconsistency and a season-ending injury has his roster spot on the team being put into question. The Eagles fell out of postseason contention on the arm of Mark Sanchez and considering he will not be back in 2015, there are question marks surrounding the future starter in Philadelphia. With Chip Kelly's former college quarterback Marcus Mariota officially entering the draft, does Foles have the support he needs to take over once again?
Foles was winning games in 2014, but there was no doubt that he was struggling during the season. He often relied on late-game comebacks or the defense to bail him out of a game. Then he broke his collarbone in Week 9 which ended his season and potentially his future with the Eagles. In need of a new contract sooner rather than later, there is a lot of doubt that Foles is the right guy for the job. One person supporting him is running back LeSean McCoy.
"I like Nick. The person and player that everybody thought he was, he is," McCoy said, NFL Total Access. "There were a lot of injuries this year, Nick, obviously got injured. He gets all of the blame and he shouldn't. I think Nick's a good quarterback. He's the leader of our team. Just things didn't work out for him this year due to injury, but we've got his back. As a team, we didn't play well enough to win and to get into the playoffs."
First and foremost, Foles is entering the final year of his contract and Philadelphia has yet to engage in contract talks with the quarterback. Foles also does not fit the typical Kelly-quarterback mold. Kelly has traditionally operated with an extremely mobile quarterback. Foles moves well, but is more of a standard pocket passer.
With Sanchez hitting free agency, unless Kelly sees something in Matt Barkley the rest of the public does not, Foles will return as the starter. However, that does not mean Kelly will start grooming his replacement. The Philadelphia Inquirer is making it clear that the Eagles should not be ruled out of the rest to get Mariota. They would have to jump to the No. 1 overall pick in order to do so, but if Kelly feels the former Oregon star is the guy, he will make the move.
McCoy is currently facing uncertainty given his high salary cap hit in 2015. Jeremy Maclin is in need of a new contract. All of this will play a role in the future of Foles and the quarterback job in 2015.
