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.
For the second straight offseason, there were rumors the Eagles were trying to trade Evan Mathis. The left guard was unhappy with the five-year, $25.5 million contract extension he agreed to back in 2012, but the organization was not inclined to renegotiate.
Apparently, the rest of the NFL felt Mathis’ $5.5 million base salary for a 34-year-old guard was steep as well, because the Eagles weren’t able to locate any suitors. Stuck, the two-time Pro Bowler used his last and only real tool for leverage: a holdout.
Well, not exactly. Mathis skipped all of the Eagles’ voluntary workouts, which while frowned upon, technically was not in violation of his contract. Nonetheless, one day before practices became mandatory, Chip Kelly had had enough and released a starting offensive lineman in June.
Not surprisingly, the line was a serious problem for the Eagles all season long. Then again, was Mathis really that critical to the unit’s success?
All about the Benjamins?
After Mathis was let go, Kelly would claim the decision came down to the salary cap. The Eagles saved $4.5 million in 2015. While the team wasn’t necessarily going to do anything with it at that late juncture, the cap space could always be carried over to next season.
Yet this was somewhat of a questionable assertion by Kelly, seeing as all of the other Eagles’ cap-related moves were made in February and March. The head coach even acknowledged at the NFL draft that the club had not received a single trade offer for Mathis, so why hold on to him until June if the plan all along was to part ways?
NFL
Money seemed like a convenient excuse to cut Mathis for skipping OTAs and being a pain in Kelly’s rear. Besides, $4.5 million was probably a small price to pay considering how the Eagles’ line turned out.
No contingency plan
The Eagles had already released right guard Todd Herremans back in February, which by itself wasn’t that big a deal. Herremans’ performance was declining, and when he suffered a season-ending injury in 2014, Andrew Gardner proved to be just as good if not better — and while not awesome either, for a fraction of the cost.
The problem wasn’t necessarily promoting Gardner. The problem was the Eagles were promoting two reserves. With Mathis out of the picture, journeyman Allen Barbre became the starter at left guard as well, weakening a once-formidable interior.
Aside from the drop-off in talent from Mathis to Barbre, the combination decimated the unit’s depth. The patchwork line was already struggling to gain continuity, but when Gardner was lost for the season in Week 3, that pressed Matt Tobin into the lineup at right guard. And whenever Jason Peters went out at left tackle, as he periodically did, that meant Dennis Kelly was seeing action on the outside.
The Eagles have not drafted a single offensive lineman since Lane Johnson fourth overall in 2013 — 20 consecutive rounds — and it showed. It was going to be difficult enough simply replacing Mathis, but it was almost as if Kelly wasn’t even accounting for injuries.
Evaluating Mathis
All things being fair, Mathis hasn’t been quite the same since joining the Denver Broncos. In fact, he lost his starting job to a rookie down the stretch. Granted, an ankle injury contributed to his demotion, but Mathis is said to be healthy now and still not playing every down.
While there’s no way to prove he would’ve enjoyed a more productive season here, we can certainly project. Continuity is so important along the offensive line, which not only may have played a part in Mathis’ struggles, but also those of Peters and center Jason Kelce.
Plus, just because Mathis isn’t the best option for the Broncos doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be for the Eagles. Maybe he would’ve regressed, but it’s hard to envision being worse off.
Conclusion
Releasing Mathis was arguably the worst decision Kelly made with the Eagles’ roster. Maybe it didn’t have the same impact as some of the other moves, but this was so needless. And to do it in June — after free agency and the draft — certainly didn’t help matters.
Mathis was under contract and his agent was unable to facilitate a trade. He was going to show up and play because it would only cost him money not to. Sure enough, in getting released, he wound up earning $1.5 million less on his new contract in '15.
Maybe culture played a role as well, with notable players such as Peters speaking out against Mathis missing voluntary workouts. Regardless, when it was time to suit up for Sunday, it’s not always about being buddies or getting along with the guy next to you.
Kelly unnecessarily weakening his offensive line over a contract dispute is perhaps the best example of why he was not ready to run the show. Mathis didn’t have a great season in Denver, but he was sorely missed by the Eagles.
Previously: The Bradford trade, The LeSean-Kiko swap, Signing Murray, Signing Maxwell, Trading Boykin