The Philadelphia Eagles are two years into the Chip Kelly era. Thus far, the team has twice gone 10-6 but only once qualified for the playoffs. Now with Kelly firmly entrenched as not only the head coach but also de facto general manager, the weight of the entire franchise now rests on his shoulders.
Kelly's newfound power within the organization spurred the Eagles' crazy offseason. He was behind the blockbuster six-year contract for former Seattle Seahawks corner Byron Maxwell as well as the Nick Foles trade that brought Sam Bradford to Philadelphia. Based on certain reports, Kelly tried to pull off another megadeal, sending a bevy of picks and players to the Tennessee Titans for the opportunity to draft quarterback Marcus Mariota.
But now with free agency and the draft in the rearview mirror, the full breadth of the Eagles roster can begin to be assessed. Certainly, multiple important questions surround this team's offense.
What can the Eagles expect from Bradford, and will his backups get on the field?
When Bradford is on the field, he has shown the ability to make quick decisions and avoid costly turnovers, important traits for the quarterback of Kelly's up-tempo offensive attack. Though Bradford has struggled with the deep ball, he won't be asked to make too many difficult long passes with the Eagles. Considering the quality offensive line around him and the young, talented weapons at his disposal, Bradford has everything he needs to put together his finest season to date.
However, a good showing requires Bradford remain upright. Over the last two seasons, Bradford has played a grand total of seven games for the St. Louis Rams. In 2013, a torn ACL put the former No. 1 overall pick on the shelf less than halfway through the year and a repeat tear ultimately ended his career in St. Louis the following preseason. Even before the knee issues, Bradford hadn't quite been an ironman, missing six games in 2011.
Accordingly, the Eagles shouldn't expect to squeeze 16 games out of Bradford this season. But that isn't necessarily a death sentence. The team re-signed veteran backup Mark Sanchez, a capable if unspectacular signal caller that requires minimal recalibration from his play caller. So long as Sanchez avoids the multi-turnover games that marred his early career, the Eagles can succeed even if Bradford misses a few games.
How will Kelly divvy up the snaps at tailback?
When Kelly traded away LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills, it was in part to avoid his massive 2015 salary. So it came as somewhat of a surprise when the Eagles signed star running back DeMarco Murray to a five-year, $40 million contract, nearly half of which is fully guaranteed.
Murray's market was difficult to gauge entering the offseason. Though he ran for nearly 2,000 yards in 2014, the number of carries coupled with his chronic injury battles kept many teams, including the Cowboys, from making a serious push to sign the 27 year old.
However, from a scheme standpoint the pairing with Philadelphia makes sense. In Kelly's offense, the ability to get north quickly is considered more valuable than breaking big plays. Murray, a one-cut power runner, can excel in that type of environment.
But the Eagles, knowing Murray's track record for injuries, aren't going to run him into the ground the way the Dallas Cowboys did a year ago. The team also signed Ryan Mathews to help shoulder the burden. With Darren Sproles also on the roster, Kelly has three quality running backs to split carries between.
From the outset, it appears Murray will handle the biggest workload, but it would not surprise if Sproles or Matthews approached a similar snap count. This way, Kelly can protect against a late-season breakdown and keep his ground attack fresh for a playoff run.
Who starts at inside linebacker in the base defense?
Between the trade for Kiko Alonso and the extension for DeMeco Ryans, it appeared a foregone conclusion that Mychal Kendricks would be shipped off at some point before or during the draft. With the Mariota deal never materializing, he's set to play out his rookie contract in Philly.
Kendricks was easily the Eagles' best off-ball linebacker in 2014, recording 83 tackles, four sacks and three forced fumbles in 12 games. As such, it's difficult to envision the much older Ryans taking his place in the base. Likewise, Alonso wasn't acquired to spend most of his time on the bench. Where Ryans receives his snaps is a mystery at this point.
Further complicating matters is third-round pick Jordan Hicks. Hicks immediately enters the discussion for most athletic linebacker on the team. However, he had an up-and-down career at Texas and may not push for more than a reserve role until his second season. Still, Kelly favors speed on his defense, and Hicks might eat into the playing time of a more experienced player.