Eagles have 14 free agents; here's who should leave and who should return

The Eagles have 14 players eligible for free agency, which officially begins March 17, and it's pretty clear that many of them won't be back.

After all, the Eagles are coming off a 4-11-1 season, they're still about $32 million over the NFL's salary cap even after restructuring Darius Slay's contract on Friday, and there aren't any marquee players among the free agents anyway.

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Still, there is a case to be made for some who can be re-signed relatively cheaply. The Eagles began that process by tendering offers to wide receiver Greg Ward, running back Boston Scott and linebacker Alex Singleton as exclusive rights free agents.

That means those three players can only negotiate with the Eagles, so they should be back.

They also re-signed cornerback Kevon Seymour, who basically came off the street late last season and played well in two games.

Here's a look at the remaining free agents and their chances of returning:

No way

Jason Peters, left tackle

Peters, who is 39, told the NFL Network on Thursday that he wants to return for an 18th season.

"I still got some in the tank, and I can definitely show some of the young guys how to play the game of football," he said on the network's "Good Morning Football" show.

But he knows that won't be with the Eagles.

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The Eagles only brought him back last summer because Brandon Brooks suffered a season-ending Achilles tear. But the plan for Peters to play right guard for the first time in his career was short-lived when left tackle Andre Dillard tore a biceps muscle just before the season started.

Jordan Mailata proved to be a better alternative as the season went along. He'll be back, along with Brooks and Dillard. 

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As a side note, Peters also had some interesting things to say about quarterback Carson Wentz, whom the Eagles agreed to trade to Indianapolis last month. 

"Carson is a great player, nothing really went wrong on that," he said. "He just was in Philadelphia. It's a hard city to play for, man. They're critical of every play, inch, foot, year. You gotta bring it every year or Philadelphia will eat you up, man."

Nickell Robey-Coleman, cornerback

The Eagles' plan to move Avonte Maddox to outside corner opposite Darius Slay fell apart on two fronts. The first being that Maddox, at 5-9, didn't perform well enough and also missed multiple game with injuries. The second was that Robey-Coleman wasn't good in the slot role, often losing playing time to Cre'Von LeBlanc (more on him later). He didn't play well on the outside replacing Maddox either. 

The Eagles should move Maddox back to the nickel this season and use resources on a better outside corner, whether in free agency or the draft.

Vinny Curry, defensive end

The Eagles need to get younger at defensive end. Curry, 33, did a decent job in a rotational role. But with the emergence of Josh Sweat, the Eagles will likely look to the draft for a replacement.

Nate Gerry, linebacker

The fan base might erupt if the Eagles were to re-sign Gerry to a multi-year contract. That's because Gerry, who missed the last nine games, was often seen as the poster child for what went wrong at the linebacker position. 

Singleton's emergence and the fact the Eagles used two draft picks last season – third-round pick Davion Taylor and sixth-rounder Shaun Bradley – on the position, albeit to minimal impact, shows the Eagles have already made up their minds.

Cameron Johnston, punter

Sure, Johnston holds the Eagles' career records for gross and net average on his punts. But the Eagles reportedly aren't tendering him a contract offer as a restricted free agent, thus making him an unrestricted free agent.

It would have been hard to justify paying a punter on a team looking to trim payroll. The Eagles signed punter Arryn Siposs in January. They can also bring in someone else to compete with Siposs.

Probably not

Corey Clement, running back

Clement will always have his 100-yard receiving game in the Super Bowl. But injuries and ineffectiveness have plagued him since. With Miles Sanders and Scott returning, the Eagles can get a third running back either in the draft or a low-cost free agent.

Nate Sudfeld, quarterback

It wasn't a feather in Sudfeld's proverbial cap when the Eagles were accused of purposely trying to lose the game by putting him in for the fourth quarter of the season finale when they were trailing by only three points.

With a new coaching staff and a change in quarterback style from Wentz to Jalen Hurts, Sudfeld is no longer a system backup for the Eagles.

Josh Perkins, tight end

Assuming Zach Ertz isn't returning, it's likely that the Eagles would keep one of their returning veterans in either Perkins or Richard Rodgers, in addition to potentially drafting a tight end. If the price is right, the Eagles would likely go with Rodgers over Perkins, who was on injured reserve last season.

A decent chance

Cre'Von LeBlanc, cornerback

There could be a spot for him as a nickel corner, but probably behind Maddox. Former defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz referred to him as "Strap" because LeBlanc was always ready to play. But the price would have to be cheap for him to return.

Hassan Ridgeway, defensive tackle

Ridgeway played well in the rotation when healthy. But for the second straight season, he played in only seven games because of injuries. The Eagles need to get younger here, too, but it's possible they bring Ridgeway back at the right price.

Duke Riley, linebacker

Riley played well at times at linebacker, and is a valuable special teams player. But if the Eagles are paying him as a starter, they can do better with a younger and cheaper alternative. 

Rudy Ford, safety

Ford won't give the Eagles much at safety, but he is valuable on special teams. If it's a veterans minimum type of deal, there's a good chance he'll be back.

Make it happen

Jalen Mills

Mills proved that he's not Malcolm Jenkins after taking over at safety after four years at cornerba. But Mills also proved that he's no slouch, and his willingness to switch back and forth between safety and outside cornerback when injuries struck was invaluable.

The Eagles need another veteran besides Slay in the secondary, especially if safety Rodney McLeod isn't going to be ready for the start of the season after tearing his ACL. A one-year prove-it deal, or a two-year deal should be able to get the job done.

Richard Rodgers

In any other season, Rodgers would have been expendable. But with Ertz pretty much gone, the Eagles need a veteran tight end who can serve as a mentor, not only for Dallas Goedert, but a young player in the draft, especially if it's Kyle Pitts in the first round. 

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.