The offseason began in January. There have been coaching changes, front office changes, cuts, trades, signings and just about anything else that can happen to a team.

For my PE.com column, I took a look at what Chip Kelly set out to do and how things have gone.

There are 2 big misses: not getting FS Devin McCourty to leave the Patriots and losing Jeremy Maclin to the Chiefs. Of course, if they had pulled those moves off, other ones might not have taken place. McCourty would have been huge because that is such a tough position to fill. Maclin would have been good for the sake of continuity.

Obviously judging the offseason centers around how you assess the Sam Bradford trade. If you think this is doomed to fail and a complete waste of time and resources, you are going to be down on the offseason.

I’m keeping an open mind with the Bradford deal. That’s the guy Chip wanted. They talked to the Rams off and on for a month. This wasn’t a casual decision. I’m trusting Chip on that one.

I do like the fact the offense will be more physical and that the defense should be improved.

There are still holes to fill. WR, OL, S and CB still need help. And the draft is about adding overall talent to your roster.

There is no such thing as a perfect offseason. You’ll always come away wishing you could have done something else. The key is to make enough good moves and not to leave any glaring holes.

Remember that moves will take place into early September. Sometimes you can find key answers down the road. Just think about the impact of Cody Parkey, who came here in a trade on August 20. Not every key move happens in early March or on draft weekend.

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I’ve got some interesting stats in the column in regard to Murray vs Shady. I was surprised at the numbers.

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Jeff McLane wrote about Sam Bradford and how he’ll fit in Kelly’s offense. There were some good comments by Jason Kelce.

Bradford has been omnipresent at the NovaCare Complex since the trade and has already begun learning the offense with center Jason Kelce.

“I think he’s a guy that comes off very cerebral, very smart, very quick,” Kelce said. “He’s had a lot of bad luck in his career as far as injuries are concerned. And as far as – and I don’t want to throw any offensive lines under the bus – I think he’s much better now with us.

“I think he has a good chance to be very successful in this offense.”

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A bit more on Mariota. I seem to be confusing some people.

Marcus Mariota is one of the top prospects in this draft. I think he can be a good starting QB. I do not think he is a special prospect that only comes around once every few years. Alex Smith and Andrew Luck both went #1 overall. Luck was a special prospect. Smith was the best QB in a weak group. Big difference.

I think Chip Kelly would love to draft Mariota. He knows how talented the guy is and what a good fit he would be in this system. That said, I think Kelly understands Mariota isn’t special. He’s not someone you sell out to get.

I think Mariota will go in the Top 10. A lot of teams are now showing interest in him. Some of this is pre-draft BS, but not all of it. There are too many teams that need a QB and he is a good one. That said, it is possible he will slide. If Mariota does make it outside the Top 10, I’m sure Kelly will make calls to see what the asking price is to move up. If reasonable, he might go for it. I just think this is a highly unlikely scenario.

If you had a time machine and knew how good Mariota could be, he might be worth selling out to get. But that is the difference in being a player and being a prospect. Players are known (or somewhat known) commodities. Prospects are complete projections. Would you trade 3 1st round picks for Aaron Rodgers? Probably. You know he is a special player. Mariota could be a Hall of Fame talent or a complete bust. I don’t think even Chip Kelly feels strongly enough about him to break the bank (in terms of picks).

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