The Eagles selected Oklahoma OT Lane Johnson with the 4th overall pick.  There might not be a better fit in the entire draft.  The Eagles have a major need at OT, with Jason Peters coming off a twice-torn Achilles and an aging Todd Herremans better off at OG.  Johnson might just be the most athletic OT to ever enter the league.  The 6'6, 303-pounder ran a ridiculous 4.72 40-yard dash at the Combine.  His 34-inch vertical matched Bengals WR A.J. Green's mark.  Johnson is tailor-made for HC Chip Kelly's up-tempo offense.  We love the pick for Philly's skill-position players.

It appears we'll get our 1st regular-season look at Chip Kelly's offense on the year's 1st Monday night.  Washington DE Adam Carriker tweeted today that his team will open its season against Kelly's Eagles on Monday Night Football.  Philly players have told reporters repeatedly this week about just how fast Kelly's offense will be.  Consider us excited about its potential for boosting fantasy football scores.

The Eagles gave 1st-team reps to all 3 QBs at voluntary minicamp on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.  Most assume Michael Vick will start in 2013, but new HC Chip Kelly says Nick Foles and Dennis Dixon will also compete for the job.  We still look to Vick as the favorite -- and likeliest to produced worthwhile fantasy football stats.  But Philly doesn't have so much invested in Vick that it'll choose him over a more qualified option.  We also expect a rookie to join the party via the NFL draft.  Let the competition begin.

Philadelphia Eagles HC Chip Kelly said he expects LT Jason Peters to return with others on April 1.  Peters twice ruptured an Achilles' tendon last season, but Kelly said he has no reason to believe the tackle won't be ready.  April 1 is the first day that coaches can work with players.  A healthy return by Peters would obviously provide a big boost to the Philly offense.  He's among the best tackles in the league but did miss at least 1 game in 5 straight seasons before his lost 2012.

The Eagles signed 3 free agents on defense Thursday: OLB Connor Barwin, S Kenny Phillips and CB Cary Williams. Barwin got the biggest contract and looks like an immediate starter in the Eagles' new 3-4 defense. His arrival suggests that DE/OLB Trent Cole might not be as central to the plans as the new coaching staff has indicated. Phillips is a definite starter when healthy. He has struggled with injuries at various points in recent seasons. But he's a terrific coverage player when healthy. His arrival carries the added benefit of hurting the Giants' secondary. Williams is an unspectacular cover man but has some big-play knack. He defensed 35 passes over 2 years as a starter in Baltimore and picked 4 last year. He'll be in the mix for a starting job along with fellow newcomer Bradley Fletcher. Phillips looks like the best fantasy bet among the trio added Thursday.

After taking their sweet time to look around, the Eagles have chosen Billy Davis to coordinate their defense. In breaking that news, CSN Philly's Geoff Mosher also states unequivocally that the team will run a 3-4 base. The Davis hire seems curious. Despite coaching in the league since 1992, Davis has proved an abject failure in 2 previous stints as coordinator. Under HC Mike Nolan, his Niners unit finished 30th in points allowed and 32nd in yards in 2005, then 32nd and 26th the following year. He was fired in favor of Greg Manusky after that, and the rankings improved. As Cardinals DC in 2009 and 2010, Davis watched his D go from 14th in points and 20th in yards the 1st season to 30th and 29th in his 2nd year. Then he was booted in favor of 1st-time DC Ray Horton. Guess the optimistic view is that Davis can only get better. A switch from 4-3 to 3-4, however, figures to hurt the fantasy outlooks of DEs Trent Cole and Brandon Graham. In typical tackle-heavy IDP leagues, each will be hard pressed to make an impact at LB. On the bright side, perhaps Mychal Kendricks can shift inside and boost his numbers in year 2.

According to Phillymag.com's Tim McManus, there's a "good chance" the Eagles switch to a 3-4 defensive front under HC Chip Kelly. GM Howie Roseman says the team has been preparing for scheme versatility since before Andy Reid left. Indeed, Philly appears more adaptaple to such a shift than the Saints. Trent Cole, Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry look like the kind of speed rushers who can work as standup OLBs in the 3-4. The Eagles dropped Cole into coverage -- more often than they should have -- back when Sean McDermott was DC. That was a key complaint leading up to McDermott's firing, but the fact that Cole got put in that situation from a down lineman spot indicates his ability. LB DeMeco Ryans might prove a questionable fit after the 3-4 shift forced him out of Houston. But there is no Brian Cushing in Philly. Perhaps Ryans will be fine as the 3-down, multi-role MLB instead of the 2-down weak inside player. Playing time (vs. salary) appeared more of an issue than his ability at the end in Houston. 2012 rookie DT Fletcher Cox can play anywhere on the line and would figure to slide to DE in a 3-4 base. Fellow 2012 rookie LB Mychal Kendricks is smallish and would need to prove he could work through traffic inside. But he excelled at multiple positions in college and came on late last year for the Eagles. Of course, we'll first have to see who Philly picks as DC. Then we can start breaking down any changes for real.

The Eagles have hired Chip Kelly as their HC. The news comes as a major surprise after reports less than 2 weeks ago that Kelly was staying in Oregon. Turns out that was probably a leverage play by Kelly. Regardless, the Eagles got their guy -- the top HC candidate on the market this offseason. Kelly will bring along his up-tempo, spread attack that produced some gaudy numbers at Oregon. The Ducks finished 2012 ranked 2nd in points per game and 5th in total yards. The offense ran a play an average of once every 20.9 seconds. To put that in perspective, the Patriots led the NFL this season at a 24.9-second clip. Kelly could work some serious magic with an Eagles team loaded with skill-position talent. Of course, we've also seen plenty of coaches crash-and-burn when transitioning from the college ranks to the pros. We like the arrival of Kelly for RB LeSean McCoy, who is a perfect fit in an offense that is more run-minded than commonly believed. Kelly's arrival might also mean that QB Michael Vick sticks around in Philly.

The Eagles have fired HC Andy Reid.  An official announcement is expected on Monday.  The move has been expected for virtually all of what's been an extremely disappointing season in Philly.  Reid won a franchise-most 130 games but leaves without a Super Bowl title.  There's a good chance he lands a new head coaching gig in 2013 -- perhaps in San Diego.  Meanwhile, Oregon HC Chip Kelly's name has been bandied about as a potential replacement in Philly.  That move could keep QB Michael Vick with the Eagles since Kelly runs a spread attack.  Otherwise, the offense will likely look completely different next season.

Eagles insider Derrick Gunn hears from 5 separate team sources that C Jason Kelce will miss the rest of the season with the knee injury he suffered on Sunday.  It's a massive blow to an offensive line already withouth LT Jason Peters.  Kelce was developing to a top-notch C and will be replaced by undrafted free-agent Dallas Reynolds.  Losing a C can disrupt an entire offense.  And the Eagles were already having trouble protecting QB Michael Vick, who's been sacked 4 times in 2 games.