December 27, 2016
Duane Burleson/AP
Mychal Kendricks' contract is not ideal, but he'll likely be back in 2017.
The 2016 Philadelphia Eagles season is essentially over, so with one game remaining, we'll continue to look ahead to the offseason. As a starting point, let's take a look at each position and figure out which players will be back in 2017. Today we'll look at the outside linebackers.
In case you missed our previous positional previews:
Quarterbacks | Running backs | Wide receivers | Tight ends
Offensive tackles | Guards | Centers | Defensive ends | Defensive tackles
Prior to joining the Eagles, Bradham had his best season in the pros playing for Jim Schwartz in Buffalo. On the field this season for the Eagles, Bradham has put up similar numbers to his best season with the Bills:
| Nigel Bradham | Tackles | Sacks | FF | INT |
| 2014 Bills | 104 | 2.5 | 2 | 1 |
| 2016 Eagles | 101 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
On the field, I think the Eagles got what they were hoping for when they signed Bradham as a free agent. Off the field, Bradham needs to stop being a "dumbass."
#JimmyVerdict: Stay.
Your verdict:
Kendricks is the third linebacker in the Eagles' pecking order, behind Jordan Hicks and Nigel Bradham, who have both played far more snaps so far this season.
| Eagles LBs | Snaps | Percantage of snaps |
| Nigel Bradham | 845 | 96.6% |
| Jordan Hicks | 832 | 95.1% |
| Mychal Kendricks | 259 | 29.4% |
Kendricks is not worth the $6,600,000 he'll count against the cap in 2017, however, the Eagles would only save $1,800,000 of that if they cut or traded him. While Kendricks has been brutally bad at times, he has flashed his athletic ability at other times. Unfortunately for Kendricks, Jim Schwartz has been unable to find creative ways to use Kendricks to the best of his abilities. For example, in my view, Kendricks' best trait as a linebacker is his blitzing ability, and he has rushed the passer a grand total of nine times this season, according to ProFootballFocus.
The $1,800,000 savings the Eagles would receive would not be worth cutting him, but if some team out there were intrigued by Kendricks' potential, a mid- to late-round pick might convince the Eagles to trade him.
#JimmyVerdict: Stay.
Your verdict:
The Eagles have two outside linebackers who are special teams contributors only. They would be Grugier-Hill and Najee Goode. The Eagles were fortunate to have healthy linebackers this season, or their lack of depth there may have been exposed. This offseason, they are likely to try to add depth there. That means that Grugier-Hill and Goode have tenuous holds on their roster spots, although at least Grugier-Hill has age on his side, as he is 22, while Goode is 27.
#JimmyVerdict: No need to release before training camp, but ideally the Eagles will have found an upgrade.
Your verdict:
Goode is a free agent this offseason. If he is willing to sign a one-year minimum veteran non-guaranteed contract, I'm sure the Eagles would love to have him in training camp. Otherwise, Goode will probably go.
#JimmyVerdict: Go.
Your verdict:
Green = Stay
Orange = No need to release before training camp, but ideally the Eagles will have found an upgrade
Red = Go
| Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| QB | Carson Wentz | Chase Daniel | |||
| RB | Ryan Mathews | Darren Sproles | Wendell Smallwood | Kenjon Barner | |
| WR | Jordan Matthews | Nelson Agholor | Dorial Green-Beckham | Bryce Treggs | Paul Turner |
| TE | Zach Ertz | Brent Celek | Trey Burton | ||
| LT | Jason Peters | Matt Tobin | Dillon Gordon | ||
| LG | Allen Barbre | Stefen Wisniewski | |||
| C | Jason Kelce | Josh Andrews | |||
| RG | Brandon Brooks | Isaac Seumalo | |||
| RT | Lane Johnson | Halapoulivaati Vaitai | |||
| DE | Brandon Graham | Connor Barwin | Vinny Curry | Marcus Smith | Steven Means |
| DT | Fletcher Cox | Bennie Logan | Beau Allen | Destiny Vaeao | Taylor Hart |
| OLB | Nigel Bradham | Mychal Kendricks | Kamu Grugier-Hill | Najee Goode | |
| ILB | |||||
| CB | |||||
| S | |||||
| K/P/LS/Braman | |||||
| Head coach | |||||
| Defensive coordinator | |||||
| GM |
