Philadelphia Eagles: What to Do at Inside Linebacker
Oct 26, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks (95) against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Eagles 24-20. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Trade Mychal Kendricks
This is my least favorite solution to the Eagles ILB dilemma. No, actually, I’m going to go as far as saying that I absolutely HATE this option.
Kendricks is extremely young and carries a very low cap number this season. While he will be heading into his contract season, he is so talented and is on the verge of becoming a star in this league.
Unfortunately though, if the Eagles are to trade one of their inside linebackers, Kendricks would be the one to go. He is the only one of the three not to finish the season on IR. Alonso was just acquired via trade, meaning he wont be going anywhere. The Eagles just restructured DeMeco Ryans’ contract, instead of cutting him, meaning he will be sticking around for another year. All of this makes Kendricks the odd man out.
Dec 1, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks (95) rushes the passer during the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Cardinals 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Kendricks will have plenty of trade value, so the Eagles would, in theory, be able to land a good draft pick for Kendricks if they were to trade him.
Would it really be an Eagles article if I didn’t discuss the Eagles trading up in the draft to acquire Marcus Mariota?
Some people are suggesting that the Eagles should bundle Kendricks, Bradford and picks to trade up with the Titans to land Marcus Mariota.
Outrageous, right? That’s what most would think, but Chip Kelly has proven that he loves venturing into realm or outrage.
Here is what my colleague, Charles McDonald has to say on the matter:
"The Eagles have 3 talented inside linebackers in Alonso, Ryans, and Kendricks. There isn’t enough room for all three of them to be productive up to their capabilities. This may sound far-fetched, but I think that Kendricks is going to be used in some sort of trade that helps the Eagles land Marcus Mariota on draft day. Alonso was just traded for and DeMeco just signed the new deal. To me, it sounds like Kendricks is on his way out-of-town."
While I hope and pray that Kendricks will remain an Eagle for many years to come, the reality is that Kendricks may be gone sooner rather than later.