The Philadelphia Eagles managed to win 10 games this year, despite finishing the season ranked 31st in the NFL against the pass and allowing an average of 264.9 yards through the air per game.
One of the key endeavors this offseason for both coach Chip Kelly and GM Howie Roseman will be fixing an absolutely abysmal secondary that, according to Paul Domowitch of The Philadelphia Daily News, gave up the league's fourth-most touchdown passes (29) and second-most plays of 30 yards or more (25) - a secondary that may see only one to two returning starters for next year.
Bradley Fletcher is gone - Nate Allen, too. Cary Williams may very well be back, but his salary cap hit jumps significantly to $8.1 million next season. The team has veterans Nolan Carroll and Brandon Boykin and youngster Jaylen Watkins in place, but none of their secondary futures are known or easily projectable.
The first step the team should take to rejuvenating this lackluster group will be taking a close look at the free agent market, and specifically, Byron Maxwell, a cornerback from the Seattle Seahawks currently slated to hit the open market in March.
"They have some money and if the right player is there I have no trouble spending it. Like if you have a shot at, just to put a name out there, Byron Maxwell, the cornerback from Seattle, who is a very good player - he's not Richard Sherman, but he's not far behind - I don't think he's going to re-sign in Seattle," Ray Didinger of CSNPhilly.com said recently.
Maxwell, a sixth round pick of the Seahawks in 2011, is the type of big, long cornerback who excels in the press-man coverage that the Eagles love to employ. He had 39 tackles, two interceptions and 12 passes defensed this season.
With an extremely talented Seattle secondary that already boasts big names and big paychecks like Sherman and safety Earl Thomas, Maxwell, on the verge of unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career, may prefer to go elsewhere to seek his own hefty contract and the starting gig that comes along with it.
"He's 27, he's right at that point in his career and he's right at his peak," said Didinger. "I think he's gonna go on the market and teams are gonna be after him. If I'm the Eagles, I'm a big-time player for him right away."
