Two years after a heady binge in free agency backfired on the Philadelphia Eagles, the Eagles' decision-makers are determined to learn from their mistakes.
"For us to not look back and see what happened at that time and why it happened ... we've spent a lot of time doing that since coach (Chip Kelly) has gotten here -- about where we were in our program," general manager Howie Roseman told PhillyMag.com. "And it's very different than where we're at now."
Coming out of the lockout in July 2011, the Eagles memorably blitzed the open market, signing cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, defensive end Jason Babin and defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins. None of it worked -- the team is 12-20 since. Babin and Jenkins are history, and Asomugha likely will be next.
Roseman hinted the Eagles -- with roughly $33.4 million in salary-cap space -- will remain aggressive, but the spending spree of 2011 hinged on a belief the team was close to the Super Bowl. Kelly's team, by contrast, is undergoing a major makeover.
"I think it's a different situation than coming off a 4-12 season," Roseman said. "For us, we're always going to try to be smart and be aggressive. But at the same token, to not learn from that and how important it is to build a team and to build the right environment ... I think that's key going forward."
The roster will be re-imagined under Kelly -- and that will be fascinating to watch -- but a run on overpaid, cap-choking free agents is unlikely.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
