PHOENIX — He signed Byron Maxwell, DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews. He traded for Sam Bradford and Kiko Alonso. He flirted with Frank Gore and Devin McCourty.
Chip Kelly has made plenty of “wow” moves this month during his remake of the Eagles’ roster in his first season with complete control over personnel.
But if you’re waiting for the next splashy domino to fall, you could be waiting until next offseason.
Kelly on Wednesday suggested that holes on his current roster would either be patched from within or through the draft, not by another free-agent purchase or blockbuster trade.
The Eagles still haven’t replaced Pro Bowl wideout Jeremy Maclin or signed replacements for veteran guard Todd Herremans and safety Nate Allen.
How likely is another dip into the free-agent waters?
“Percentage-wise? Fractions? I don’t know,” Kelly said during his hour-long breakfast media session at the owners meetings. “You’re trying to see what the market is. There are conversations going on, but I couldn’t say one way or the other.”
NFL
Asked about his plan for the safety spot opposite Malcolm Jenkins, Kelly invoked the name of Earl Wolff, the third-year safety who seemingly fell off the team’s radar last season before undergoing mini-microfracture knee surgery that ended his season in November.
“That’s what this process is all about, the offseason, you get a chance to see guys on the field, what is Earl like in Year 3,” Kelly said. “There’s guys on our team right now that can certainly play that role, but it depends where they are when you get a chance to see them through OTAs, through minicamp, through preseason camp.”
Regarding the right guard spot Herremans occupied for most of the past two seasons, Kelly reiterated his faith in Allen Barbre, who started at right tackle last year in place of suspended Lane Johnson before suffering a season-ending ankle injury in the opener.
“I’m really excited about Allen,” he said. “We’ve been high on Allen for a long time. Was playing really well and then hurt his ankle in the first game. He came in the year before and did an unbelievable job when [Jason Peters] was out against Green Bay in a real tough matchup against a real good team in Green Bay, and really did well for himself. Versatile player. Feel very confident in Allen Barbre.”
Kelly also seemed to indicate that Maclin’s void would be filled by a committee of skill position players that includes second-year receivers Josh Huff and Jordan Matthews, tight end Zach Ertz, pass-catching tailback Darren Sproles and a prospect from this year’s deep draft of receivers.
Huff, last year’s third-round pick from Oregon, labored through a disappointing season first marred by a preseason shoulder separation and then by his struggle to integrate into the offense. He showed glimpses of playmaking potential, returning a kickoff 107 yards for a touchdown against the Titans and turning a short pass into a 44-yard gain against Dallas.
“I think Josh, it’s his consistency,” Kelly, the former Oregon coach who brought Huff to Eugene, said. “The biggest thing with him is getting hurt in that preseason game. That kind of put him behind everybody. He’s an unbelievable (special) teams player. We already know he’s established there.
“Now it’s just getting a little more consistent and he’ll get an opportunity now with Mac gone. I just think, like with everybody, you just hope that Year 1 to Year 2 jump, we know he has the physical skills and the mindset to do it. It’s just staying healthy and getting an opportunity to show us that.”
Kelly didn’t rule out Matthews, last year’s second-rounder who flourished in the slot, seeing more time on the outside. He also envisioned an expanded role for Sproles, whom Kelly said was held back last year by being the team’s only reliable backup to LeSean McCoy.
“Also for us, and especially early in the year, he was our only other running back,” Kelly said, “so kind of moving him around and putting him in different spots, you’re kind of holding your breath because early, I can’t remember if it was one or two games, our third running back was Trey Burton because Chris (Polk) was injured.
“Obviously in Year 2 (for Sproles), a lot more familiarity with what we’re doing, getting acclimated in terms of what we’re doing. We need to get him on the field more.”
Kelly also noted the deep class of receivers in this year’s draft as opposed to running backs, which provided insight into his decision to spend aggressively in free agency to replace McCoy in free agency but curtail his budget on available wideouts.
“We’re still kind of putting that all together, but it’s another year where there are some really good receivers in the draft,” he said. “I think probably the one position in the draft that has the most depth in the draft is wide receiver.”