The Eagles head into free agency in pretty good shape, but there will still be some hard decisions concerning which of their 10 potential free agents they should try and resign or let test the open market. The decision at the top of this list involve wide receivers' Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin.
Early reports suggest that resigning Maclin is the top priority over Cooper, but he is coming off his second ACL surgery which has to be of some concern. The likely scenario would be to sign him to a one-year deal and go from there. Cooper emerged as Nick Foles' favorite target in Maclin's absence and he also established himself as a quality blocker. There may not be room for both of these players from a money standpoint, but I think they would actually complement each other in a Chip Kelly offense that is predicated spreading the ball around.
The next big decision is what to do with Michael Vick? He would probably want to test the free agent market given the lack of quality veteran quarterbacks that will available. The Eagles would probably love to have him as a backup to Foles, but are they willing to fork over the money needed to keep him in the fold?
There is a trio of safeties set to become free agents next month. The most notable name is former second-round draft pick Nate Allen, who finally showed signs of living-up to his draft status in his fourth season in the league. You get the feeling that Philadelphia might be willing to part ways with Allen in an effort to completely rebuild a defensive secondary that was clearly the weakest point of the team. The other two potential free agents are Kurt Coleman and Colt Anderson. Both have shown value on special teams, but neither is suited to fill the role at safety as a starter. Of the two, Coleman has the best shot at coming back next season.
Punter Donnie Jones is slated to become an unrestricted free agent, but look for the Eagles to work something out before the March 11th deadline. Favorable field position was a key factor in quite a few games this past season and Jones was a huge part of that success with his ability to consistently pin opposing teams deep in their own territory.
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