6 pending free agents with ties to Eagles' OC Kellen Moore

[time2rock]

6 pending free agents with ties to Eagles' OC Kellen Moore

With free agency coming up, here's a look at some pending free agents with ties to Eagles' OC Kellen Moore.

By Dave Zangaro • Published February 16, 2024

 

Aside from head coach Nick Sirianni and a few other holdovers, the Eagles will have a new coaching staff in 2024.

Their two new coordinators are Vic Fangio on defense and Kellen Moore on offense.

We already took a look at some pending free agents with ties to Fangio, so today we’ll take a look at some with ties to Moore:

RB Austin Ekeler: The thought of adding Ekeler was much more appealing before the Chargers’ 2023 season. The 28-year-old had a bit of a down season, especially running the ball. He had 628 yards on the ground but averaged just 3.5 yards per carry, which is scary. But he still had 51 receptions. Not only does Ekeler have ties to Moore after their season together in 2023 but he also has ties to Sirianni, who was the receivers coach of the Chargers in Ekeler’s rookie season in 2017. Not sure Ekeler has the juice to be a lead back anymore but if he could hit his stride again for another year or two, the Eagles might be able to get him cheap enough for that move to pay off.

Another name to think about is RB Joshua Kelley, who was the RB2 with the Chargers in 2023. The 26-year-old had 405 rushing yards in 2023. Of course, the Chargers did have a really bad rushing offense last season, so I’m not sure you want to recreate that in Philly. The positive is that the Eagles have a better line and Jeff Stoutland as their run game coordinator.

RB Tony Pollard: Signing any running back comes with risk and Pollard’s 2023 with the Cowboys should give teams some pause. Pollard suffered an ankle injury in the playoffs in 2022 and then didn’t seem to have the same type of explosion last season. He still had a 1,000-yard season but his yards-per-carry plummeted from 5.2 to 4.0, which was the lowest mark of his career. But it was Moore as the OC in 2022 when Pollard went to the Pro Bowl in his first season as the RB1 in Dallas. And perhaps another year removed from his ankle injury, the soon-to-be 27-year-old can find his Pro Bowl form again. And if you’re wondering, Pollard seems to be a pretty big fan of Moore:

WR Noah Brown: Brown, 28, spent his 2023 season with the Houston Texans on a one-year deal but missed some time with injuries during the season and was knocked out of the playoffs with a shoulder injury. In 10 games, though, Brown still managed to have 33/567/2. That came after a breakout season under Moore in Dallas in 2022, when he had 43/555/3. Brown (6-2, 215 pounds) is the type of big-bodied receiver the Eagles tried to add with some futures deals this past offseason. Brown, a seventh-round pick out of Ohio State in 2017, has been a big-time special teams contributor before and has been known as a solid blocker in the NFL. He has some versatility because of his blocking ability and could even play the role of a tight end in some smaller personnel groupings.

WR Cedrick Wilson: The former sixth-round pick from Boise State played the first four years of his career with the Cowboys before joining the Dolphins in 2022. Initially, Wilson signed a three-year deal with the Dolphins but that contract was reportedly restructured this past summer, which voided the 2024 season, making the 28-year-old Wilson a pending free agent. Wilson (6-2, 197) had two disappointing seasons with the Dolphins after a breakout year under Moore with the Cowboys in 2021. In that season, Wilson played 16 games and had 45 catches for 602 yards and 6 touchdowns. He had a combined 432 over the last two years in Miami after signing a three-year, $22 million deal. Moore also utilized Wilson as a trick play threat; Wilson completed 5 of 5 passes in 2020-21.

TE Gerald Everett: The Eagles could bring back the trio of Dallas Goedert, Jack Stoll and Grant Calcaterra but if they want to add a veteran tight end with some production in the NFL, Everett could be an option. The former second-round pick hasn’t flourished in the NFL but has had solid production, averaging over 400 yards per season in his seven-year NFL career. In 2023, he caught 51 passes for 411 yards and 3 touchdowns. And Everett has improved quite a bit as a blocker during his NFL career too.

Here’s what Everett said about Moore on Good Morning Football after the Chargers hired him before the 2023 season:

"Extremely creative. When he first came in with the offense, I was kind of mind-blown at first but we got a lot of stars that we’re going to try to unite together. Quentin (Johnson) being the new one. I’m excited to see what him and Justin can cook up. But we’re excited to have Kellen. I really don’t see him having a limit on what he can do with us.”

QB Easton Stick: When Justin Herbert got hurt in 2023, it was Stick who took over. The former fifth-round pick out of North Dakota State started four games and went 0-4. But he did complete 63.8% of his passes for 1,129 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. And he also had 144 yards and another touchdown as a rusher. Don’t hold that 0-4 record against Stick. No, he wasn’t great but he also had a tough task with a team that was already spiraling and an offense that had plenty of injuries.

Here’s what Moore said about Stick entering the Chargers’ Week 17 game in the middle of a five-game losing streak to end the season:

"Easton’s done a nice job, I thought. He’s certainly given us a chance the last couple weeks. Certainly, this past week. He operates really well, he’s throwing it well. Obviously, his legs have come alive, certainly last week. It’s something for him to build on but I think he’s definitely doing a nice job.”

Even during his days at NDSU, Stick was known for his ability to run the ball so if the Eagles like the idea of having a backup with that threat — like Marcus Mariota in 2023 — Stick would make some sense. There’s a chance Tanner McKee could be the Eagles’ backup QB in 2024 but if they want to bring someone in to push him, a guy with some familiarity could check a box.

https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/6-pending-free-agents-with-ties-to-eagles-oc-kellen-moore/565023/

[UK_EaglesFan89]

Personally I want no post of Ekeler nor Pollard. Ekeler is an OK option but think he’s been heavily used in the NFL and coming off a down year that’s a bit of a concern. Pollard has a lot of ability but he’s not really been able to put it together in the NFL and has issues holding on to the ball.

[time2rock]

5 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

Personally I want no post of Ekeler nor Pollard. Ekeler is an OK option but think he’s been heavily used in the NFL and coming off a down year that’s a bit of a concern. Pollard has a lot of ability but he’s not really been able to put it together in the NFL and has issues holding on to the ball.

Highly doubt we'd pay a veteran RB unless it was someone like Penny who we are paying no more than vet minimum (and not likely either of those guys would settle for that).  Our best bet is to draft a RB (assuming we aren't going to pay Swift ... but even if we do we still need more there so a draft pick makes sense).