This is our annual review of the end-of-season Eagles roster. I had hoped as always that we wouldn't have this conversation until February… but here we are again, eliminated from the post-season… time to re-tool.
Chippah and Howie have already begun the re-tooling process…
First order of business—
The Eagles started work on re-tooling the roster for the 2014 season by bringing back seven players who finished the 2013 season on the practice squad: linebacker Emmanuel Acho, defensive end Brandon Bair, tackle Michael Bamiro, wide receiver B.J. Cunningham, tight end Emil Igwenagu, quarterback G.J. Kinne and linebacker Travis Long.
Emmanuel Acho spent the beginning of the season on the practice squad and was promoted to the active roster on October 21. He made his NFL debut against the Giants six days later and played in six games total before being released to make room for safety Keelan Johnson. Acho registered four tackles on defense before finishing the year on the practice squad.
Brandon Bair spent the entire season on the practice squad. The 6-foot-6, 285-pound Oregon alum has been on the active rosters of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders since joining the NFL as a rookie free agent in 2011.
Michael Bamiro signed with the Eagles shortly after he learned that he wasn't eligible for the Supplemental Draft. The 6-foot-8, 340-pound Bamiro trained with former Eagles great Tra Thomas and still works together with Tra, as Thomas is now part of the Eagles' coaching staff.
B.J. Cunningham made his NFL debut playing in two games for the Eagles this season after rejoining the squad on October 14. The all-time leading receiver in Michigan State history was on the active roster for four games before going back to the practice squad. Cunningham spent his entire rookie season of 2012 on the Eagles practice squad.
Emil Igwenagu spent the first half of the 2013 season on the active roster before finishing on the practice squad. In 2012, Igwenagu played in three games and made his first career start as a fullback against Washington.
G.J. Kinne was signed as a rookie free agent by the Eagles following this past year's draft and spent the entire preseason with the team. After briefly working with the Clemson football team as an assistant coach, Kinne was signed to the practice squad when Nick Foles and Michael Vick were injured.
Travis Long was signed by the Eagles during Training Camp. He rebounded from a 2012 ACL injury to spend the entire season on the practice squad learning the ropes of the NFL. The 6-foot-4, 265-pound edge rusher had 20.5 sacks at Washington State and would have drawn more interest if not for his injury.
So you've got your developmental guys on board for 2014. Amazing, isn't it?— the practice squad remains as one of the most unsung and non-promoted aspects of the NFL… like it's the secret service of the league. But these guys feel like they are a real part of the team. And statistically speaking, about 25% of them will break out and contribute to an active roster in the NFL at some point. Just ask Cary Williams…
Now we must turn to the Free Agent status of guys currently on the 53-man roster….
These players are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents unless designated otherwise …
Safety Nate Allen – Former second-round pick was a starter from his first NFL game in 2010. He had a career-high 94 tackles and started all 16 games for the first time in 2013.
Safety Colt Anderson – Led Eagles in special teams tackles in 2013. Was special teams MVP in 2011 and '12. Also named the team's recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award in 2012 after coming back from a 2011 ACL injury. Started four games as a safety in 2012 and had a career-high 37 tackles.
Safety Kurt Coleman – Reserve safety and special teams player in 2013. Was two-year starter on defense. Posted 105 tackles in 2012. Totaled seven interceptions in four seasons. Fourth on team with nine special teams tackles in 2013, has 34 in career.
Wide receiver Riley Cooper – First-year starter had 47 catches for 835 yards and eight touchdowns, all career highs which were more than his numbers from first three seasons combined (46 rec., 679 yards and five touchdowns).
Defensive end Clifton Geathers – Acquired in trade with Indianapolis in 2013 offseason, the 6-foot-8 Geathers had 26 tackles in a reserve role on the defensive line.
Linebacker Phillip Hunt (Restricted) – Missed the 2013 season with a partially torn ACL. In two seasons as a reserve defensive end, Hunt registered 3.0 sacks and 23 tackles on defense and another four tackles on special teams.
Punter Donnie Jones – First-year Eagle set the franchise single-season records for net punting average (40.4 yards) and punts inside the 20-yard line with 33.
Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin – Former first-round pick missed 2013 season with torn ACL. Maclin had the most receptions (258), was third in receiving yards (3,453) and fifth in receiving touchdowns (26) among Eagles receivers in their first four seasons.
Defensive end Cedric Thornton (Exclusive Rights) – First-year starter had 78 tackles and a safety, a sack and a forced fumble. If the Eagles tender him an offer, they own his rights for the 2014 season.
Quarterback Michael Vick – Opened 2013 season as starter. In six starts, Vick threw for 1,216 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions before losing the job to Nick Foles. Best season was in 2010 when he completed 62.6 percent of his passes, tossed 21 touchdowns against just six interceptions and had a 100.2 passer rating as he led Eagles to NFC East title.
Tough calls to be made on a lot of these guys… to tender or not to tender?
NEXT— a lot of evaluation must go into the statistical production of the active regulars…
LeSean McCoy broke Eagles franchise records for rushing yards (1,607) and total yards from scrimmage (2,146). He led the NFL in both categories.
DeSean Jackson had career highs in receptions (82) and receiving yards (1,332). He fell short of Mike Quick's franchise record 1,409 yards, set in 1983. Jackson and McCoy were just the fifth running back/wide receiver teammates in NFL history to amass 1,600 rushing and 1,300 receiving yards in the same season.
Nick Foles led the NFL with a 119.2 passer rating, the third highest rating for a season in NFL history. His ratio of 27 touchdown passes to two interceptions was the best in NFL history.
The Eagles had 98 plays of 20 yards or more, the most since Elias started keeping track of the stat in 1995. They set franchise records for total yards, touchdowns and points scored.
All of these apparently impressive stats must be evaluated metrically against strength of competition.
Next year will be harder. The Eagles played a fourth-place schedule in 2013. They will play a first-place schedule next year.
Their home opponents: Dallas, Washington, the New York Giants, Seattle, St. Louis, Jacksonville, Tennessee and Carolina.
On the road: Dallas, Washington, the Giants, Arizona, San Francisco, Houston, Indianapolis and Green Bay.
They will play five teams who are in this year's playoffs. The first-place opponents — Green Bay and Carolina — are offset somewhat by the fact the Eagles are matched with the AFC South. They will play three or four games against teams with new head coaches next year, depending upon what happens in Tennessee.
Holding the line was important. Last year, the Eagles starting five linemen lost 48 of a possible 80 man-games to injury (depending how you count right guard Danny Watkins, who might simply have been demoted).
This year, the Eagles lost exactly zero of 80 starts along the offensive line. The same five players started every game. Left tackle Jason Peters missed a few plays in a couple of games, but otherwise, the line was completely healthy.
That was an underrated factor in the numbers amassed by Foles, McCoy, Jackson and the rest of the offense.
Take a deep breath— tool time in Philly has just begun…
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