The 2016 offseason for the Philadelphia Eagles has been an exciting one so far. As usual, the Eagles were quite active in free agency.
Free agency kicked off on March 9th, and the Eagles immediately made moves like no other. Philadelphia signed cornerbacks, Leodis McKelvin and Ron Brooks to multi-year contracts, and handed a pair of five-year contracts to guard, Brandon Brooks, and standout safety, Rodney McLeod.
Philadelphia also signed quarterback, Chase Daniel, to a three-year contract along with signing linebacker, Nigel Bradham, to a two-year contract. The Eagles weren’t done yet, as they added depth at wide receiver by signing Chris Givens and Rueben Randle to one-year deals.
However, the biggest moves came from trading away overpaid players signed from last offseason.
The Eagles traded cornerback Byron Maxwell, linebacker Kiko Alonso, and the 13th overall pick in the 2016 draft to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for the 8th overall pick.
The Eagles also traded away running back DeMarco Murray to Tennessee and a 4th round pick in exchange for the Titans 4th round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Also, the Eagles traded backup quarterback, Mark Sanchez, to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a 2017 conditional draft pick.
As for right now, Eagles fans everywhere seem to be content with what the Eagles are doing this offseason.
When asked about his thoughts on the Eagles acquisitions, Wayne Watro, 19, from Lower Makefield, studying Criminal Justice, stated, “I really like what the Birds are doing this year. They added players who they really need and got rid of the players who were just a waste of time.”
The Eagles have made many transactions this offseason, even before free agency began. Collin Murray, 18, from Fairless Hills, studying Computer Science says, “They resigned all of their young core players and I think that’s even more impressive than what they’ve done in free agency.”
That’s right, before free agency began; the Eagles were able to resign their young up and coming players to multiyear contracts.
They resigned right tackle Lane Johnson, defensive end Vinny Curry, safety Malcolm Jenkins, and tight ends Zach Ertz and Brent Celek. Perhaps the biggest name that was resigned was quarterback Sam Bradford, who signed a two-year deal.
When asked if resigning these players was a good move, Brooke Koble, 19, from Levittown, studying Journalism says, “I really think resigning the young players who seem to be vital in the future are great moves.”
However, there are some fans who don’t seem to be happy with what the Eagles are doing this offseason. “I think the offseason isn’t going so well like many other fans think. I don’t like the Eagles bringing back Sam Bradford because he gets injured too often. I really don’t like trading away DeMarco Murray because I felt like he could’ve had a better season in the new system,” says Evan Hennigan, 18, from Levittown, studying Sports Management.
Patrick Lawrence, 19, from Fairless Hills, studying Accounting, was asked what was the best move conducted by the Eagles this offseason. “I really think the best move this year was getting rid of Byron Maxwell and his awful contract and being able to trade up five spots in the draft.”
The free agency frenzy seems to be over around the NFL. Next up, the NFL Draft, which draws so much attention, especially from Eagles fans, who will be seeing their team selecting a player with the 8th overall pick.