PHILADELPHIA -- Acquiring Kiko Alonso and extending DeMeco Ryans' contract look, at first glance, like bad news for fellow inside linebacker Mychal Kendricks.
Based on everything Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly has said and done, however, it is not as straightforward as the math makes it look. The Eagles have three starting inside linebackers for two spots. But three is not a crowd as far as Kelly is concerned.
"You have no idea," Kelly said last week. "I don't know what's going to happen four weeks from now, five weeks from now, four months from now. They all may be hurt and maybe Brad Jones and [Emmanuel] Acho [are playing]."
Last season, Kendricks missed four games with a calf injury. Ryans missed the final eight games after rupturing his Achilles tendon. The Eagles were forced to start Casey Matthews 11 times at inside linebacker. They didn't make an effort to keep Matthews, who left for the Minnesota Vikings as a free agent.
"So it was really getting depth at our inside linebackers," Kelly said. "Getting more players. It was something that we were really striving to get accomplished in the offseason."
The Eagles signed Jones, who was released by the Green Bay Packers, before trading LeSean McCoy for Alonso. Along with Ryans and Kendricks, the Eagles have Acho and Najee Goode among their inside linebackers.
As Kelly has said about other positions, including running back, his policy is to add as many good football players as possible.
Does that mean Kendricks is a lock to be on the Eagles' roster? No. That's where we run into another common theme stated by Kelly this offseason.
"As I said the other day, everybody on our roster is available if someone wants to call," Kelly said. "If the scenario comes up and someone says I want to give you two first-round picks for somebody, then yeah, we would listen. We traded LeSean [McCoy] and that was a very difficult decision to do. We felt at the end of the day, we're going to listen to every offer that we have. You'd be crazy to say, 'No, this isn't going to happen' or 'This isn't going to happen.' Because you have no idea what you're going to get offered."
The current group of inside linebackers would allow defensive coordinator Bill Davis to put different combinations on the field in different situations. Alonso is good in pass coverage, so he could pair with Kendricks in passing situations. Ryans and either Alonso or Kendricks could be on the field when the opponent seems intent on running the ball.
Meanwhile, either Alonso or Kendricks could line up at outside linebacker at times. Kendricks played outside in the Eagles' 4-3 scheme before Kelly got here and switched to a 3-4. When Rex Ryan was hired as head coach in Buffalo, there was speculation that he could move Alonso outside in his 3-4 scheme.
Versatility will give Davis more options. Meanwhile, by amassing talent, Kelly gives himself the flexibility to say "yes" if another team offers an attractive deal for a player like Kendricks.