Chip Kelly needs his rookie class to be a success. The Philadelphia Eagles' head coach has come under fire for several offseason moves this year as the offense could either be very strong or a weakness in 2015. With question marks around the quarterback position with Sam Bradford as the potential starter, the pressure will fall on players like DeMarco Murray and the wide receiver group which Nelson Agholor hopes to lead.
After letting Jeremy Maclin walk away in free agency to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Eagles drafted Agholor out of USC to potentially be the next-best receiver for the team. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Kelly intends for Agholor to be the deep threat for the Eagles and while he could become an immediate starter for Philadelphia, the rookie is more concerned with improving than anything else.
"That's not the conversation right now," Agholor said, via CBSPhilly.com. "The conversation is about me getting better. When Week 1 comes, I think that'll be an easier conversation for us to have, but right now it's all about me trying to find myself."
The presence of Agholor puts pressure on players like Riley Cooper to step up in 2015. Last season Cooper earned a generous free agency deal with the Eagles, but struggled with consistency during most of the year. The Eagles could very easily pair Agholor with Jordan Matthews while last year's third-round draft pick Josh Huff takes over the slot position. That leaves Cooper and Miles Austin to battle for starting time in the offense.
Kelly will likely carry a heavy wide receiver roster into the season in order to give the quarterback the most weapons to work with. Bradford is the assumed starter considering he can be at full strength when the season starts. However, Mark Sanchez told the media via ESPN that he is ready to compete with the starting job as he believes he stands a chance to be the Week 1 quarterback in Philadelphia. There is also the question of who gets to stay between Matt Barkley and Tim Tebow.
According to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport, Barkley is on the trade block for teams that need quarterback depth. Kelly appears to have confidence in Tebow despite the quarterback's struggles in recent years. The Eagles will enter the year with three quarterbacks leaving Barkley and Tebow to battle for the spot.
