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Ranking Chip Kelly’s offseason decisions from bad to worst

By Stanford Crissey

Nov 23, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles won 43-24. Mandatory Credit: Derik Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 23, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles won 43-24. Mandatory Credit: Derik Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
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Chip Kelly and the Eagles have made some baffling moves this offseason. We rank them, from the defensible to the head-scratchingly awful

The Good Moves

Trading LeSean McCoy for Kiko Alonso

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This was a controversial move, but it’s a good one: the Eagles got rid of an expensive running back coming off a down year, at a time in which running back has become the most fungible position in the league. In return they get a solid linebacker and some serious cap space.

But this being the Eagles’ 2015 ofseason, the good move was later undermined by a more confusing move, as we’ll discuss later on…

Signing Walter Thurmond

There’s a saying that there are no bad one-year deals, and that goes double for formerly productive members of the incredible Seahawks secondary.

The Meaningless Move

Signing Tim Tebow

TEEEEEEEEEEEEEEBOW! The internet lost its collective mind when the Eagles announced this signing, but, surprise surprise, it doesn’t really matter. The Great and Powerful Tebow is unlikely to see any playing time, unless Chip really loses his mind, or something terrible happens to Mark Sanchez and Sam Bradford.

The Bad Moves

Signing Byron Maxwell

Maxwell’s a good player, but… six years? $63 million? They may have won away a prized member of Pete Carroll’s secondary, but chances are Carroll won’t miss him much, and ex-Carroll DBs just don’t seem to do too well outside of Seattle. He’s a good player, but this is crazy money.

Signing Ryan Mathews

Again, too much money (three years and $12 million) for a player who just doesn’t seem to fit in on a team with Darren Sproles, plus another running back we’ll get to further down this list. It just seems like this money could have been better spent elsewhere, not at a position of strength, and not for a player who is injured as often as Mathews.

The moves that make you say, “um…what?”

The Sam Bradford trade

Apparently Kelly has been watching a different Sam Bradford than the rest of us. Who knew the quarterback coming off back-to-back season-ending injuries was worth more than one who led the league in passer rating just a year ago? Apparently that’s the case for the Eagles, who dealt Nick Foles, a fourth-round pick and a second-round pick for Bradford, who last played in October 2013, and looked mediocre even when he was playing?

Signing DeMarco Murray

This is the move that makes some other, ostensibly good moves, seem bad in retrospect. Why trade McCoy, supposedly because his cap hit was too high, if you’re just going to turn around and sign Murray for $42 million over five years? Also, why be the ones to outbid everyone from Murray after his one healthy season? Cutting McCoy loose and moving forward with Mathews and Sproles would have made perfect sense; this is the move that makes you wonder if Chip even has a plan.

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