Among the many reasons for Chip Kelly's release was a series of personnel changes that backfired -- but were all of his roster tweaks the wrong decisions? We look back on Kelly's construction of the Eagles and reflect on whether each move was good or bad.
All offseason long, there was speculation over Mychal Kendricks’ future with the Eagles. He had only one year remaining on his contract, there were no reports of negotiations with the interior linebacker and his name was constantly coming up in trade rumors.
The Eagles’ offseason moves only seemed to solidify the notion Kendricks was on his way out. The club traded for Kiko Alonso, extended 31-year-old DeMeco Ryans’ contract and spent a third-round draft pick on Jordan Hicks, all of whom play the same position. How would all four be able get on the field?
Yet Kendricks wasn’t traded on draft day. To the contrary, a four-year, $29 million extension with $16 million in guarantees was agreed to during training camp, to the surprise of many, ensuring the 25-year-old will remain an Eagle for awhile longer.
Although like almost all of Kelly’s roster moves, it can be debated as to whether that is a good or a bad thing. Kendricks experienced a down season in 2015, to the point where it may have the Eagles feeling a bit of buyer’s remorse.
Good Kendricks, bad Kendricks
Kendricks’ slipping performance is difficult to explain. After all, his play the previous two seasons certainly merited a big extension.
Over the course of the 2013 and ’14 seasons, Kendricks was one of only three linebackers in the NFL to record at least 8.0 sacks, three interceptions and five forced fumbles. The other two: Julius Peppers for the Green Bay Packers and Lavonte David for the Tampa Bay Bucs.
NFL
Kendricks had become one of the Eagles’ best playmakers and appeared on the verge of making a Pro Bowl, but 2015 was another story. The fourth-year veteran wasn’t around the ball as much, finishing with 3.0 sacks, no interceptions and one forced fumble. Worse, he wasn’t a reliable tackler or in coverage. According to Pro Football Focus, Kendricks had 12 missed tackles in 13 games, including six in the final three weeks, while surrendering five touchdowns through the air, all in the last seven contests.
Since arriving in the NFL, Kendricks has always been a little hit or miss. However, you take the good with the bad when he’s creating big plays. This season the Eagles did not get nearly enough from him.
Excuses, excuses
Of course, the Eagles didn’t get enough from almost anybody on defense, particularly at interior linebacker. Only Hicks performed well out of the bunch, leaving open the question whether all of Kendricks’ issues were his own.
It’s noteworthy that so many of Kendricks’ breakdowns occurred late in the season, when the Eagles were routinely getting 40-burgered. Defensive coordinator Bill Davis seemed unable to come up with a scheme that could cover running backs or slants over the middle, and the linebackers generally looked hesitant, confused or out of place. That wasn’t necessarily all on the players.
Kendricks also was dinged up with some injuries over the course of the season, as per usual, missing three games. He looked healthy at the end of the season, but there’s no real way of knowing how he felt and if it impacted his performance. It was a down year, but the Eagles must stay hopeful he can rebound.
Contract structure
Because Kendricks is going to be here awhile, or at least for 2016. Not that the Eagles would even consider giving up on a young, talented player so easily, but $9.2 million in dead money against the salary cap as opposed to a $4.6 million cap hit ensures he’s back this year – which isn’t bad at all. 2017 is likely as well, as the dead number only drops to $4.8 million compared to a hit of $6.6 million, not to mention his base salary for the season becomes guaranteed on the third day of the league year.
So the Eagles might be “stuck” with Kendricks for awhile. At least the way the deal is structured ensures it’s in the player’s interest to continue working to get better.
As Reuben Frank reported for CSNPhilly.com in August, there are Pro Bowl escalators in there, and they could be significant. For instance, if Kendricks were to receive an invitation to the game next season, not only would he receive a $500,000 bonus, but all the remaining years of his contract would increase by that amount as well. Needless to say, Kendricks has good reason not to get fat and happy this offseason.
Conclusion
Surprising as it was, locking Kendricks up made sense at the time. He was coming off of some fine years, and had he produced another big line, he would’ve been that much more difficult to sign heading into free agency.
Obviously, 2015 wasn’t a good season, but that doesn’t mean the outlook for Kendricks is horrible moving forward. He’s signed at a reasonable dollar figure for 2016, and has every reason to continue working hard and improving.
Plus, considering Ryans is only under contract for one more year – which he might not see – and Alonso looked like a shell of his former self, the Eagles kind of need Kendricks to bounce back. We’ll see how they feel in one year, but right now the club should feel fortunate to have a player of his talent under contract for the foreseeable future.
Previously: The Bradford trade, The LeSean-Kiko swap, Signing Murray, Signing Maxwell,Trading Boykin, Releasing Mathis