If there were any Philadelphia Eagles fans out there hoping that head coach Chip Kelly had another big free agency move or three left up his sleeve, you're about to be sorely disappointed.
Kelly, despite the loss of and lack of replacement for last season's No. 1 wide receiver, Jeremy Maclin, the gaping hole at safety next to Malcolm Jenkins, and the potential loss of not just one - Todd Herremans - but two - Evan Mathis - starting guards in one offseason, told the NFL Network recently that the team is all but done in free agency and has now turned their attention to the 2015 NFL Draft.
"That's what our next phase is," Kelly said, according to Geoff Mosher of CSN Philly. "Free agency is really almost over in the next week or so, and then [we will] really focus and concentrate on what's the best maneuver for us in the draft."
Oh, and Sam Bradford won't be used as a trade chip to move up in the draft to nab Marcus Mariota. Not uh, no way.
"When we make maneuvers, we make maneuvers because we want to acquire those players," Kelly said. "I think sometimes it makes for good bar room talk and things like that. But we're very comfortable with where we are and we'll attack the draft now."
Bradford, of course, was added via trade with the St. Louis Rams in exchange for quarterback Nick Foles and a 2016 second-round draft pick, along with other draft pick compensation.
The merits of the trade won't be seen for some time, but since the move Kelly has been adamant that Bradford won't be going anywhere and the idea that the Eagles plan to use him as trade bait to move up for Mariota is ludicrous.
"Let's dispel that right now," Kelly said in the wake of the trade, per ESPN's Phil Sheridan. "I think that stuff's crazy. You guys have been going with that stuff all along. I think Marcus is the best quarterback in the draft. We will never mortgage our future to go all the way up to get somebody like that, because we have too many other holes we have to take care of.
"We're not mortgaging our future for any particular player. That's just not philosophically what we think is the right thing to do, that you're going to package 20 picks to move up from 20 (in the draft) to some other spot. We have not had any discussions (about such a trade)."
So, it seems the Eagles and Kelly plan to enter next season with Bradford as the de facto starter in Philly and the holes left on the Philadelphia roster - most notably at wide receiver, safety and guard - will be filled by in-house candidates or players selected in the draft.
