By Lewis Gould
As we sift the bleached bones of the Eagles’ 2014 season, which will end next Sunday with a meaningless game at the Giants, there will undoubtedly be lots of finger-pointing from experts and those who aspire to be experts about what went wrong.
Really, how did a team go from 9-3 and a playoff lock to 9-6 and a playoff non-competitor?
Many will point the finger at LeSean McCoy, who lead the NFL last season in rushing and has had a disappointing 2014.
Last offseason, the fate of DeSean Jackson and his eventual release dominated the headlines. Outside of that the team was fairly quiet, not signing any big-name free agents or making any big trades during the draft.
This offseason should be different. The Eagles will have $15 million in salary cap space, and that is before they begin cutting big-money players on their roster. Who the team decides to keep, who they try to sign, and what they do at the quarterback position will be some of the biggest questions the team has to answer this offseason — in addition to making a huge decision about their running back.
Here is a look at some of the biggest questions facing the team as their offseason unofficially begins:
McCoy reached a major milestone this season when he passed Wilbert Montgomery as the team’s all-time leading rusher. That was about the only highlight of the season for McCoy, who ran hard, but struggled behind a bad offensive line. McCoy is owed $11 million next season, but of that hefty paycheck, only $1 million is guaranteed. McCoy is arguably the best player on the team, but we all saw how far that got Jackson last year. The Eagles might not end up releasing or trading McCoy, but with how much money he is owed, the team will certainly discuss it.
