Regardless of which NFL team is your favorite, or if you love or loathe the Eagles, one thing is for sure. The Philadelphia Eagles are the most interesting NFL team heading into 2015. Yes, the New England Patriots have the Deflategate saga and quarterback Tom Brady’s suspension hanging over them, as they get set to try to repeat as Super Bowl champions. But even if Brady’s four game suspension is not reduced or vacated altogether, the Patriots will still be favorites to win the division and they will be one of a few teams with a realistic shot at winning the AFC. Plus, there is zero chance Bill Belichick is going anywhere.
That makes the Eagles the much more intriguing team. In each of Chip Kelly’s first two seasons at the helm in Philly, the Eagles have finished 10-6 and in 2013 they won the NFC East. But last season they lost three out of their last four games and missed the playoffs. Eagles fans are intense and if the roster moves the former Oregon coach made this offseason don’t pan out, there will be unrest in Philadelphia.
This offseason Kelly traded leading rusher LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills for linebacker Kiko Alsonso and then signed free agent running back DeMarco Murray, who led the league in rushing last season as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. He also allowed talented wide receiver Jeremy Maclin to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs and he sent quarterback Nick Foles to the St. Louis Rams in exchange for the injury prone Sam Bradford. With Kelly calling the shots the Eagles also signed another big-money free agent in cornerback Byron Maxwell, who spent his four seasons in the league with the Seattle Seahawks. Quarterback Tim Tebow, who was out of the league for two seasons, also signed with the Eagles. The Tebow signing wasn’t exactly risky, and I have no issues with it, but under Kelly, the Eagles have been active this offseason.
This purpose of this article is not to debate whether or not these moves will work out, or to prognosticate how Philadelphia will fare in 2015. It’s to point out that, heading into the 2015 NFL season, fans should keep an eye on the Eagles and that the spotlight is shining brightly on Kelly. Because he coaches in Philadelphia, where they don’t take kindly to losing, and because he is both the head coach and general manager, this will be an important season for the third year NFL head coach. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out for the Eagles and Kelly in 2015.
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