May 18, 2015

Eagles age inventory, Part I: Offensive skill positions

By Jimmy Kempski
PhillyVoice Staff

John F. Rhodes/AP

Jordan Matthews leads the youngest wide receiver corps in the NFL.

With the NFL's free agency period and the draft in the books, NFL teams will continue to tweak their rosters, but for the most part, we can make educated guesses at this point on who each teams' projected starters will be. With that in mind, let's take some inventory on Eagles' players' ages, broken up by positional groups, starting with the offensive skill positions.

Quarterback

Here are all 32 of the NFL's projected starting quarterbacks in 2015:

Age rank	Player	Team	Birthday	Age
Oldest	Peyton Manning	Broncos	3/24/1976	39
2	Tom Brady	Patriots	8/3/1977	37
3	Drew Brees	Saints	1/15/1979	36
4	Josh McCown	Browns	7/4/1979	35
5	Carson Palmer	Cardinals	12/27/1979	35
6	Tony Romo	Cowboys	4/21/1980	35
7	Eli Manning	Giants	1/3/1981	34
8	Philip Rivers	Chargers	12/8/1981	33
9	Ben Roethlisberger	Steelers	3/2/1982	33
10	Matt Cassel	Bills	5/17/1982	33
11	Jay Cutler	Bears	4/29/1983	32
12	Aaron Rodgers	Packers	12/2/1983	31
13	Alex Smith	Chiefs	5/7/1984	31
14	Joe Flacco	Ravens	1/16/1985	30
15	Matt Ryan	Falcons	5/17/1985	30
16	Brian Hoyer	Texans	10/13/1985	29
17	Andy Dalton	Bengals	10/29/1987	27
18	Colin Kaepernick	49ers	11/3/1987	27
19	Sam Bradford	Eagles	11/8/1987	27
20	Matthew Stafford	Lions	2/7/1988	27
21	Ryan Tannehill	Dolphins	7/27/1988	26
22	Russell Wilson	Seahawks	11/29/1988	26
23	Nick Foles	Rams	1/20/1989	26
24	Cam Newton	Panthers	5/11/1989	26
25	Andrew Luck	Colts	9/12/1989	25
26	Robert Griffin III	Redskins	2/12/1990	25
27	Geno Smith	Jets	10/10/1990	24
28	Derek Carr	Raiders	3/28/1991	24
29	Blake Bortles	Jaguars	12/16/1991	23
30	Teddy Bridgewater	Vikings	11/10/1992	22
31	Marcus Mariota	Titans	10/30/1993	21
Youngest	Jameis Winston	Buccaneers	1/6/1994	21

From a league-wide perspective, the above chart shows that 46.9% of the NFL's projected starting quarterbacks are over the age of 30. Kickers, punters and long snappers aside, that is by far the highest percentage in the NFL. In you want to have a long career in football, be a quarterback. That's good advice for getting girls, too.

Once you get below the age of 30 on the above list, there aren't many good, proven quarterbacks. There's Russell Wilson, who benefits from an elite run game and the best defense in the NFL, and Andrew Luck. Beyond Luck and Wilson, it's a collection of players who have varying degrees of "potential," which is a polite way of saying "Ain't done much yet." Sam Bradford is a player with "potential."

Bradford is the 19th oldest projected starting quarterback in the NFL. For those of you down on Bradford as your team's starter, there is some consolation in that the best quarterbacks in today's NFL are old fogies. However, the counter-argument to that is that nine of the twelve Super Bowls that were won by the quarterbacks listed were won when they were 27 years of age or younger:

Quarterback	Age when they won
Peyton Manning	30
Tom Brady	24, 26, 27, 37
Drew Brees	30
Eli Manning	26, 30
Ben Roethlisberger	23, 26
Aaron Rodgers	27
Joe Flacco	27
Russell Wilson	25

Many of the best NFL quarterbacks had serious injuries, and went on to play extraordinarily well after their recoveries. The Eagles hope Bradford can recover from his two torn ACLs. But in terms of age, while it feels like Bradford has been around for a long time, he is only a little more than year older than Nick Foles. If Bradford can stay healthy, which is an enormous "if," there is certainly time for him to become a good pro QB.

Running back

Here are all 32 of the NFL's projected starting running backs in 2015. To note, I also included Darren Sproles and Ryan Mathews, just to show where they would rank by comparison:

Age rank	Player	Team	Birthday	Age
Oldest	Frank Gore	Colts	5/14/1983	32
-	Darren Sproles	Eagles	6/20/1983	31
2	Adrian Peterson	Vikings	3/21/1985	30
3	Rashad Jennings	Giants	3/26/1985	30
4	Justin Forsett	Ravens	10/14/1985	29
5	Matt Forte	Bears	12/10/1985	29
6	Marshawn Lynch	Seahawks	4/22/1986	29
7	Joique Bell	Lions	8/4/1986	28
8	Arian Foster	Texans	8/24/1986	28
9	LeGarrett Blount	Patriots	12/5/1986	28
10	Jamaal Charles	Chiefs	12/27/1986	28
11	Jonathan Stewart	Panthers	3/21/1987	28
-	Ryan Mathews	Eagles	5/1/1987	28
12	Darren McFadden	Cowboys	8/27/1988	27
13	DeMarco Murray	Eagles	2/12/1988	27
14	Chris Ivory	Jets	3/22/1988	27
15	LeSean McCoy	Bills	7/12/1988	26
16	Alfred Morris	Redskins	12/12/1988	26
17	Doug Martin	Buccaneers	1/13/1989	26
18	Andre Ellington	Cardinals	2/3/1989	26
19	Mark Ingram	Saints	12/21/1989	25
20	Eddie Lacy	Packers	1/1/1991	24
21	C.J. Anderson	Broncos	2/10/1991	24
22	Latavius Murray	Raiders	2/21/1991	24
23	Lamar Miller	Dolphins	4/25/1991	24
24	Carlos Hyde	49ers	9/20/1991	23
25	Le'Veon Bell	Steelers	2/18/1992	23
26	Devonta Freeman	Falcons	3/15/1992	23
27	Bishop Sankey	Titans	9/15/1992	22
28	Jeremy Hill	Bengals	10/20/1992	22
29	Isaiah Crowell	Browns	1/8/1993	22
30	Melvin Gordon	Chargers	4/13/1993	22
31	T.J. Yeldon	Jaguars	10/2/1993	21
Youngest	Todd Gurley	Rams	8/3/1994	20

As noted above, if you want to have a long NFL career, be a quarterback. Don't be a running back.

• Average age of the 32 projected starting QBs in 2015: 29.06

• Average age of the 32 projected starting RBs in 2015: 25.72

Only four projected starting running backs are over the age of 30, and none are 33 years of age or older. Chip Kelly doesn't seem to care about age in running backs. The Eagles traded for Darren Sproles, who would be the second oldest back on the list above, and they tried to acquire Frank Gore, the oldest player on the list.

DeMarco Murray is the 13th oldest projected starting running back on the list above. While his age isn't a concern at this time, the fact that he is coming off a season in which he had nearly 500 touches is. To be determined if he is the same player he was a year ago in Dallas.

Wide receiver

Here are all 32 of the NFL's projected starting wide receivers in 2015. While collecting data for this exercise, figuring out who was each team's third wide receiver was often very difficult. I consulted with writers for the teams in question for most of the questionable third receivers listed below, but I'll bet that there will be disagreement on some of the choices below. Apologies in advance.

For the Eagles, I used Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor, and Josh Huff, although that is certainly up for debate. It is not a lock that Riley Cooper will even be on the roster, while it is with Huff. I think the Eagles would love to see Huff earn that third spot in training camp, and ultimately, I think he will. But to be clear, that is merely a projection.

Age rank	Player	Team	Birthday	Age
Oldest	Steve Smith	Ravens	5/12/1979	36
2	Anquan Boldin	49ers	10/3/1980	34
3	Andre Johnson	Colts	7/11/1981	33
4	Malcom Floyd	Chargers	9/8/1981	33
5	Roddy White	Falcons	11/2/1981	33
6	Jerricho Cotchery	Panthers	6/16/1982	32
7	Devin Hester	Falcons	11/4/1982	32
8	Vincent Jackson	Buccaneers	1/14/1983	32
9	Jason Avant	Chiefs	4/20/1983	32
10	Marques Colston	Saints	6/5/1983	31
11	Nate Washington	Texans	8/28/1983	31
12	Larry Fitzgerald	Cardinals	8/31/1983	31
13	Greg Jennings	Dolphins	9/21/1983	31
14	Brandon Marshall	Jets	3/23/1984	31
15	Dwayne Bowe	Browns	9/21/1984	30
16	Andre Caldwell	Broncos	4/15/1985	30
17	Jordy Nelson	Packers	5/31/1985	29
18	Calvin Johnson	Lions	9/29/1985	29
19	Danny Amendola	Patriots	11/2/1985	29
20	Andrew Hawkins	Browns	3/10/1986	29
21	Eddie Royal	Bears	5/21/1986	28
22	Julian Edelman	Patriots	5/22/1986	28
23	Stevie Johnson	Chargers	7/22/1986	28
24	Mike Wallace	Vikings	8/1/1986	28
25	Pierre Garcon	Redskins	8/8/1986	28
26	Brandon LaFell	Patriots	11/4/1986	28
27	Victor Cruz	Giants	11/11/1986	28
28	Brian Hartline	Browns	11/22/1986	28
29	DeSean Jackson	Redskins	12/1/1986	28
30	Eric Decker	Jets	3/15/1987	28
31	Emmanuel Sanders	Broncos	3/17/1987	28
32	Louis Murphy	Buccaneers	5/11/1987	28
33	Michael Crabtree	Raiders	9/14/1987	27
34	Demaryius Thomas	Broncos	10/25/1987	27
35	Cecil Shorts	Texans	12/22/1987	27
36	Andre Roberts	Redskins	1/9/1988	27
37	Hakeem Nicks	Titans	1/14/1988	27
38	Jeremy Ross	Lions	3/16/1988	27
39	Jeremy Maclin	Chiefs	5/11/1988	27
40	Percy Harvin	Bills	5/28/1988	26
41	Antonio Brown	Steelers	7/10/1988	26
42	Kenbrell Thompkins	Raiders	7/29/1988	26
43	A.J. Green	Bengals	7/31/1988	26
44	Golden Tate	Lions	8/2/1988	26
45	Kenny Britt	Rams	9/19/1988	26
46	Doug Baldwin	Seahawks	9/21/1988	26
47	Dez Bryant	Cowboys	11/4/1988	26
48	Nick Toon	Saints	11/4/1988	26
49	Jeremy Kerley	Jets	11/8/1988	26
50	Torrey Smith	49ers	1/26/1989	26
51	Julio Jones	Falcons	2/3/1989	26
52	Cole Beasley	Cowboys	4/26/1989	26
53	Brian Quick	Rams	6/5/1989	25
54	Mohamed Sanu	Bengals	8/22/1989	25
55	Terrance Williams	Cowboys	9/18/1989	25
56	Kendall Wright	Titans	11/12/1989	25
57	T.Y. Hilton	Colts	11/14/1989	25
58	Jarius Wright	Vikings	11/25/1989	25
59	Michael Floyd	Cardinals	11/27/1989	25
60	Jermaine Kearse	Seahawks	2/6/1990	25
61	Alshon Jeffery	Bears	2/14/1990	25
62	Marvin Jones	Bengals	3/12/1990	25
63	John Brown	Cardinals	4/3/1990	25
64	Quinton Patton	49ers	8/9/1990	24
65	Randall Cobb	Packers	8/22/1990	24
66	Kelvin Benjamin	Panthers	2/5/1991	24
67	Markus Wheaton	Steelers	2/7/1991	24
68	Tavon Austin	Rams	3/15/1991	24
69	Corderralle Patterson	Vikings	3/17/1991	24
70	Marlon Brown	Ravens	4/22/1991	24
71	Rueben Randle	Giants	5/7/1991	24
72	Justin Hunter	Titans	5/20/1991	23
73	Josh Huff	Eagles	10/14/1991	23
74	Allen Hurns	Jaguars	11/12/1991	23
75	Marqise Lee	Jaguars	11/25/1991	23
76	Martavis Bryant	Steelers	12/20/1991	23
77	Robert Woods	Bills	4/10/1992	23
78	Kenny Stils	Dolphins	4/22/1992	23
79	Keenan Allen	Chargers	4/27/1992	23
80	DeAndre Hopkins	Texans	6/6/1992	22
81	Kevin White	Bears	6/25/1992	22
82	Jordan Matthews	Eagles	7/16/1992	22
83	Tyler Lockett	Seahawks	9/28/1992	22
84	Odell Beckham Jr.	Giants	11/5/1992	22
85	Jarvis Landry	Dolphins	11/28/1992	22
86	Davante Adams	Packers	12/24/1992	22
87	De'Anthony Thomas	Chiefs	1/5/1993	22
88	Nelson Agholor	Eagles	5/24/1993	21
89	Sammy Watkins	Bills	6/14/1993	21
90	Donte Moncrief	Colts	8/6/1993	21
91	Mike Evans	Buccaneers	8/21/1993	21
92	Allen Robinson	Jaguars	8/24/1993	21
93	Breshad Perriman	Ravens	9/10/1993	21
94	Brandin Cooks	Saints	9/25/1993	21
95	Devin Funchess	Panthers	5/21/1994	21
Youngest	Amari Cooper	Raiders	6/18/1994	20

Over the last few years, there has been an absolute explosion of talent to enter the NFL at the wide receiver position. A staggering 45.8% of NFL teams' #1, #2 and #3 receivers are currently 25 years of age or younger. Only 16 of 96 (16.7%) 1-2-3 WRs are 30+ years old. Compare that with 15 of 32 (46.9%) of starting quarterbacks who are 30+ years old.

Of this extremely young positional group, no NFL team is younger at their 1-2-3 WRs than the Eagles, who currently average 22 years of age, narrowly edging out the Jaguars (22.3).

Obviously, the Eagles released DeSean Jackson, the 29th oldest 1-2-3 WR in the NFL, and let Jeremy Maclin (39th) walk in free agency, which undoubtedly helped prompt the Eagles to use quite a bit of their draft resources on the position the last two years.

Player	Year	Round	Overall
Nelson Agholor	2015	1	20
Jordan Matthews	2014	2	42
Josh Huff	2014	3	86

In 2014, from the day he walked into the NovaCare Complex after he was drafted until the final game against the Giants, Matthews worked almost solely out out the slot. He almost never lined up outside.

As a rookie he excelled in his role, catching 67 passes for 872 yards and 8 TDs. It would be foolish for the Eagles to use their best receiver in a role that would limit his snaps to three wide receiver sets. It appears the Eagles see it that way too. Zach Berman of the Inquirer talked to Matthews , who confirmed that his role will increase in 2015:

"I think you would think that I might get a whole lot more outside reps now just because Maclin is gone, but I already had talked to coaches, and they were already going to implement me more on the outside as opposed to just the inside regardless," Matthews said. "I don't think that's a crazy, huge deal."

The Eagles have a young and intriguing set of receivers, although obviously, Agholor is a rookie and Huff didn't see the field much in 2014. The Eagles think very highly of both players. They reportedly turned down an offer from the Broncos, who wanted to trade up to the Eagles' spot at 20, but the Eagles opted to draft Agholor instead of acquiring more picks. As for Huff, there are some with the Eagles who think he has a higher ceiling than Matthews. Obviously, Matthews has a far higher floor.

If this trio pans out, the Eagles will be set at wide receiver for a long time. If not, they'll be using more valuable resources on this group. I would lean toward the former.

Tight end

Here are all 32 of the NFL's projected starting tight ends in 2015. To note, I included both Brent Celek and Zach Ertz, just to show where they would rank by comparison:

Age rank	Player	Team	Birthday	Age
Oldest	Antonio Gates	Chargers	6/18/1980	34
2	Benjamin Watson	Saints	12/18/1980	34
3	Jason Witten	Cowboys	5/6/1982	33
4	Heath Miller	Steelers	10/22/1982	32
5	Owen Daniels	Broncos	11/9/1982	32
6	Vernon Davis	49ers	1/31/1984	31
7	Delanie Walker	Titans	8/12/1984	30
8	Brent Celek	Eagles	1/25/1985	30
9	Brandon Pettigrew	Lions	2/23/1985	30
10	Greg Olsen	Panthers	3/11/1985	30
11	Gary Barnidge	Browns	9/22/1985	29
12	Garrett Graham	Texans	8/4/1986	28
13	Jimmy Graham	Seahawks	11/24/1986	28
14	Martellus Bennett	Bears	1/10/1987	28
15	Jared Cook	Rams	4/7/1987	28
16	Julius Thomas	Jaguars	5/14/1988	27
17	Jordan Cameron	Dolphins	8/7/1988	26
18	Coby Fleener	Colts	9/20/1988	26
19	Andrew Quarless	Packers	10/6/1988	26
20	Larry Donnell	Giants	11/1/1988	26
21	Charles Clay	Bills	2/13/1989	26
22	Rob Gronkowski	Patriots	5/14/1989	26
23	Travis Kelce	Chiefs	10/5/1989	25
24	Kyle Rudolph	Vikings	11/9/1989	25
25	Jordan Reed	Redskins	7/3/1990	24
26	Tyler Eifert	Bengals	9/8/1990	24
27	Mychal Rivera	Raiders	9/8/1990	24
-	Zach Ertz	Eagles	10/10/1990	24
28	Levine Toilolo	Falcons	7/31/1991	23
29	Jace Amaro	Jets	6/26/1992	22
30	Austin Sefarian-Jenkins	Buccaneers	9/9/1992	22
31	Troy Niklas	Cardinals	9/18/1992	22
32	Maxx Williams	Ravens	4/12/1994	21

Brent Celek's receptions, yards, and first down catches have declined (or stayed the same) in each of the last four years.

Brent Celek	Catches	Yards	First downs
2011	62	811	35
2012	57	684	32
2013	32	502	22
2014	32	340	16

Celek is the best blocking tight end on the team, but his blocking ability doesn't warrant the $5 million he'll count against the cap in 2016 if he continues to be less and less productive as a receiver. There's a strong argument to be made that Zach Ertz should start in favor of Celek in 2015, but he probably won't. But obviously, at 24 years of age, Ertz is a another young weapon to complement the Eagles' young receiving corps.

Next up: The offensive line (GASP!)

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