Eagles Wake-Up Call: Who Will ‘Fall By The Wayside?’

Howie Roseman isn’t known for giving the juiciest of quotes, but he got some people’s wheels turning with his words on Wednesday following a panel discussion at Lincoln Financial Field. The question was whether the team is taking a wait-and-see approach to offering long-term extensions because of the new coaching staff. This was his response, courtesy of the team’s website:

“One of the things that’s hard for us and you’ve seen some of it this offseason, we’ve had players that were good players in a different scheme that we’ve invested in and it’s not going to turn over.

“For me, that’s different because we’ve been with one head coach, but when you talk with people around the league, they tell you, ‘When you change coaches, when you change schemes, there are going to be good players who fall by the wayside,’ and that’s hard for the general manager because you know it’s a good player. You know in a different scheme he’s going to be a good player, but at the same time you know it’s not a good fit for you.”

This isn’t exactly a revelation: significant scheme change is going to come with some casualties. But when you hear the general manager talking about quality holdovers who are destined to “fall by the wayside,” you can’t help but think of who might end up in that category.

The mind jumps to defense. Trent Cole and Brandon Graham are defensive ends learning to play outside linebacker. Can they make the transition?

Vinny Curry is trying to make it as a 3-4 D-end. Is it a force?

When DeMeco Ryans came to Philly via trade, the buzz was that he wasn’t a good fit for a 3-4. Any truth?  What about Mychal Kendricks?

Are the Eagles sold on Jeremy Maclin, whose contract is up at the end of the year? And then, of course, there’s the question of whether Nick Foles is truly a “Chip Kelly quarterback.”

It’s too early for Kelly or Roseman to have all the answers. But it’s a reminder that some pieces simply won’t fit, and that it could be a struggle until Kelly builds a roster that better complements his style.

WHAT YOU MISSED

With Howard Mudd and the 2012 season in the rearview, Danny Watkins seems to have a different attitude.

Sheil focuses in on the running backs in his latest depth chart outlook.

The starting safety jobs remain up for grabs.

Ron Jaworski doesn’t think Kelly’s system will translate.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING 

 Damaris Johnson could be one player that benefits from the coaching change. From Jeff McLane:

“When I heard that Coach Kelly got hired, the one thing that just lit up in my mind was thinking, ‘Oh, man, it’s going to be a spread offense. He’s going to give guys the chance to have the ball in space, and I know that that works to my advantage.’ “

Both Andy Reid and Kelly are in an elite financial category, as PFT explains:

Of the nine pro coaches who make more than $6 million, eight of them are in the NFL: Payton, Patriots coach Bill Belichick ($7.5 million), Chiefs coach Andy Reid ($7.5 million), Seahawks coach Pete Carroll ($7 million), Rams coach Jeff Fisher ($7 million), Redskins coach Mike Shanahan ($7 million), Giants coach Tom Coughlin ($6.67 million) and Eagles coach Chip Kelly ($6.5 million).

COMING UP

We’ll speak to a bunch of the assistant coaches this afternoon, and will pass along what they have to say.