Eagles Re-Sign C/G Stefen Wisniewski
The Eagles have re-signed center/guard Stefen Wisniewski, according to an announcement from the player’s Twitter account. Terms of the deal are not yet known. 
The Eagles turned down Wisniewski’s option in March, but, regardless, he’ll return to Philly for a fourth year. The 30-year-old has been an on and off starter at left guard for Philly with six starts in 2016, eleven in 2017, and seven this past season. He entered the 2018 season as the starter at left guard, but was later benched for Isaac Seumalo.
The 6’3″, 305-pound lineman offers experience at both guard and center and should continue to be a solid super-sub on the interior line. Before circling pack to the city of Brotherly Love, Wisniewski also garnered interest from the Vikings and Jets.
Eagles To Sign Cody Kessler
The Eagles are expected to sign quarterback Cody Kessler tomorrow, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Kessler joins 2019 fifth-round pick Clayton Thorson and former AAF signal-caller Luis Perez as new additions to Philadelphia’s QB room.
The Eagles strongly believe that a team can never have enough opportunities to develop a quarterback with talent, and the team’s acquisitions this offseason are certainly in line with that philosophy. Carson Wentz is obviously the first-string signal-caller — though he has dealt with serious concerns over the past two years — and the team has long been high on current backup Nate Sudfeld.
But Sudfeld has only attempted 25 passes in his professional career, and Kessler could theoretically push him for the No. 2 job. Or, if Wentz’s recovery doesn’t go as hoped, Kessler could even compete for the interim starting gig. At the very least, he and Thorson could battle it out for a role as the team’s third-string signal-caller.
Kessler, whom the Browns selected in the third round of the 2016 draft, has compiled an unattractive 2-10 record as a starting QB in his career, but he hasn’t exactly been in environment that are conducive to winning. Cleveland traded Kessler to the Jaguars last March in exchange for a conditional seventh-rounder, and Kessler ultimately appeared in five games (four starts) for Jacksonville. He went 2-2 and completed 64.9% of his passes with two TDs and two interceptions en route to a modest 77.4 QB rating.
The Jaguars cut Kessler just a few days ago.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/10/19
We’ve got a whole bunch of minor transactions from today as we head into the weekend:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: RB Wes Hills, CB Nate Brooks
- Released: WR Bryant Mitchell, CB Jonathan Moxey, RB Brandon Wilds
Houston Texans
- Waived: S Mike Tyson
- Placed on IR: OLB Duke Ejiofor
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: RB Martez Carter, LB Chase Hansen, TE Jake Powell
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: CB Jay Liggins
Seattle Seahawks
- Released: DE Nate Orchard
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: WR Brian Burt
Orchard, the former second round pick of the Browns, is probably the biggest name on this list. He was cut to make room for Ziggy Ansah, who the Seahawks officially announced today. Orchard had signed a one-year pact last month that didn’t contain any guaranteed money. It’s a pretty bad sign for his NFL future that he was apparently at the very bottom of the 90-man roster in Seattle.
Eagles Sign Entire 2019 Draft Class, 10 UDFAs
The Eagles have moved quickly to not only wrap up their entire 2019 draft class, but announce their crop of undrafted free agents.
Draft Class
- 1-22: Andre Dillard, T (Washington State)
- 2-53: Miles Sanders, RB (Penn State)
- 2-57: JJ Arcega-Whiteside, WR (Stanford)
- 4-138: Shareef Miller, DE (Penn State)
- 5-167: Clayton Thorson, QB (Northwestern)
Philadelphia moved up to pick No. 22 to acquire Dillard, sending pick Nos. 25, 127, and 197 to Baltimore in order to get ahead of the Texans, who had their own needs along the offensive line. Many analysts viewed Dillard as the best offensive tackle available in the draft, especially given the number of pass sets he took in Washington State’s pass-happy offense. With the Eagles, he’ll likely act as a swing tackle in 2019 before moving into the starting lineup in 2020 (if Jason Peters ever decides to hang up his cleats).
Sanders and Arcega-Whiteside give quarterback Carson Wentz a few more weapons to play with in 2019. The Eagles acquired running back Jordan Howard from the Bears, but Sanders should also be in the mix for carries. Meanwhile, Arcega-Whiteside will give Philadelphia a big body at the receiver position, and could potentially lead to the Eagles trading former first-round pass-catcher Nelson Agholor.
Undrafted Free Agents
- Joey Alfieri, LB (Stanford)
- Ryan Bates, T (Penn State)
- T.J. Edwards, LB (Wisconsin)
- Nico Evans. RB (Wyoming)
- Nate Herbig, G (Stanford)
- Sua Opeta, G (Weber State)
- Keegan Render, C (Iowa)
- Anthony Rush, DT (UAB)
- DeAndre Thompkins, WR (Penn State)
- Kevin Wilkins, DT (Rutgers)
Among Philadelphia’s UDFAs, Opeta may have the best chance to stick given his contract. The Weber State product received a $55K base salary guarantee and a $25K signing bonus from the Eagles, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Eagles Waive WR Johnny Holton
Signed to a reserve/futures contract after last season, Johnny Holton did not quite make it to Eagles OTAs.
The Eagles waived the former UDFA wide receiver on Wednesday. Holton spent his first three NFL seasons with the Raiders, contributing on special teams and, in 2017, when the team went to four- and five-receiver sets.
Philadelphia used one of its five draft choices on a wideout, third-rounder J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, and have a host of other receivers jockeying for position behind Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson and Nelson Agholor. Braxton Miller, Mack Hollins and possible AAF-buoyed rebound candidate Charles Johnson comprise part of Philly’s mix for the final receiver spots.
Holton, 27, had his best season with the ’17 Raiders, averaging 24.2 yards per catch and scoring three touchdowns. He played in just one game in 2018.
Eagles Extend S Blake Countess
Days after reacquiring Blake Countess, the Eagles added a year to his contract. The Eagles submitted a successful waiver claim for Countess last week, bringing their 2016 draft choice back to Philadelphia, and they redid his deal.
Countess’ contract now runs through 2020, Reuben Frank of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports. The recent Rams mainstay was entering a contract year. While Countess’ new salaries are not known, Frank adds that the Eagles lowered his 2019 price with this new deal.
Entering the offseason as a restricted free agent, Countess was tethered to a $2.025MM salary via original-round tender. The 25-year-old safety refused a Rams pay cut and ended up back with the Eagles, who initially waived him months after drafting him.
The Eagles did not draft a safety, but their post-draft Countess claim has them in good position on the back line. Countess and former Vikings starter Andrew Sendejo appear in line to back up Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod. Jenkins, though, is away from the team and McLeod accepted a substantial pay decrease after missing most of last season. Cornerback Avonte Maddox also played some safety last season, giving the Eagles plenty of options at this spot.
Eagles Still Eyeing Carson Wentz Extension
We heard back in March that the Eagles were optimistic about a Carson Wentz extension, and that still seems to be the case. Appearing on the 94WIP Morning Show, executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman said he’s still planning on extending the franchise quarterback.
“This is something that we are planning to do and if the deal is right for us, and the deal is right for Carson, we wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger on that,” Roseman said (via Andrew Porter of Radio.com). “That’s just the amount of confidence we have and we want to build this team knowing kind of what that piece is in place and go forward.”
The Eagles recently picked up the former second-overall pick’s fifth-year option, meaning Wentz will earn $22.783MM in 2020. However, that means Wentz is only under contract for two more seasons. With quarterback salaries continuing to rise, it’s only natural that the front office would look to extend their quarterback as soon as possible.
Wentz has battled injuries throughout his career, and he’s missed the past two postseasons as he dealt with ACL and back injuries. The organization made it pretty clear that they were ready to move forward with Wentz after they let former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles walk earlier this offseason. While some fans and pundits are wary of Wentz’s injury history, it doesn’t sound like the Eagles front office is all that concerned.
“I gotta be honest, I have so much faith in Carson Wentz,” Roseman said. “Obviously we put a lot on the line to draft him. He’s someone that we have total confidence. You see him around the building every day and he’s out on the field, it’s just—this guy is going to be a great player for the Philadelphia Eagles for a long time. This guy is going to be a great player for the Philadelphia Eagles for a long time.”
Wentz looked the part of a franchise quarterback when he was healthy in 2018. He finished the campaign with 3,074 yards and 21 touchdowns with a 69.6 completion percentage in 11 games. Despite his injuries, his on-field production has put him in line for a lucrative extension. After a few years of relative stagnancy, the quarterback market has transformed over the past year. With the Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers, and Russell Wilson extensions moving the AAV bar north of $30MM, Wentz would presumably be eyeing a similar deal. The longer the Eagles wait, the better chance there is of Wentz’s asking price increasing (assuming he stays healthy).
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/7/19
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the night:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Claimed off waivers from Browns: RB Darrin Hall
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: CB Ashton Lampkin, LB Xavier Woodson-Luster
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Rashard Davis, RB Marcus Marshall, DB Herb Miller, DB Andrew Soroh
- Waived: WR Andre Lindsey, S Leon McQuay, DB Dakari Monroe
- Waived/injured: WR Jamire Jordan
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: S Jordan Martin
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: WR Deonta Harris
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: DB Mercy Maston
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: WR Roger Lewis
Malcolm Jenkins Absent From Eagles Workouts
Malcolm Jenkins has been absent from Eagles workouts this offseason, as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Although the workouts are voluntary, it is uncharacteristic for Jenkins to miss them, so McLane posits that Jenkins could be angling for a new contract.
Jenkins is under club control through 2020 thanks to a four-year, $35MM extension he signed three years ago, but after the safety market famously stagnated in 2018, it came back with a vengeance in 2019. Jenkins is now the 10th-highest-paid safety in the NFL in terms of total value, full guarantee, and per-year average.
And while McLane concedes that Jenkins’ contract may accurately reflect his standing in the league’s safety hierarchy, he also notes that Jenkins’ per-year salary of $8.75MM is only 63% of the $14MM average for Landon Collins and Tyrann Mathieu, who both inked new deals this offseason. Though Jenkins, 31, is older than Collins and Mathieu, it would be difficult for Philadelphia to argue that he is only 63% as valuable.
Despite his age, Jenkins is about as durable as they come, his work ethic is among the best on the team, and he is still playing at a high level. The Eagles typically don’t add new money to a contract that has multiple years left, but McLane believes the team should be willing to make an exception for a player as important to its success as Jenkins.
Jenkins, though, may be content with the addition of incentives to his current deal, or perhaps with a restructure like the one he agreed to last year that gave him more guaranteed money upfront. It is difficult to know at this point, because Jenkins and his representation have declined comment, and the Eagles don’t comment on a player missing non-mandatory training.
If Jenkins is still a no-show for the team’ OTAs in a couple of weeks, that would give us a better indication of Jenkins’ mindset.
Details On Timmy Jernigan's Eagles Deal
- The Eagles released Timmy Jernigan but brought him back at what turned out to be a substantial discount. After signing a four-year, $48MM extension late in 2017, Jernigan had to settle for a one-year, $1.25MM deal, Reuben Frank of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports. This comes with $1MM guaranteed, including a $250K signing bonus. Another $750K is available in incentives, per Frank. Jernigan now enters what will be a significant season for his career trajectory. A full-time starter for the Super Bowl champion Eagles edition, Jernigan will only be 27 by the time free agency opens in 2020.