Eagles Eyeing Le'Veon Bell
- While previous reports had indicated that the Eagles had given “serious consideration” to a Le’Veon Bell trade, ESPN’s Adam Schefter clarified that that wasn’t actually the case. Yahoo’s Charles Robinson echos that sentiment, writing that the Eagles hadn’t been in pursuit of the Steelers running back. However, Robinson notes that Bell “is a viable option” for Philly after they lost Jay Ajayi to a season-ending injury. For the time being, the Eagles will turn to one of Corey Clement, Wendell Smallwood, Josh Adams, and Darren Sproles (once he returns from injury).
Eagles Interested In Bills’ LeSean McCoy
Could the Eagles reunite with LeSean McCoy? The club has “some interest” in trading for the Bills running back, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
[RELATED: Eagles Create Cap Space; Unlikely To Use It On Le’Veon Bell]
The Eagles recently lost starter Jay Ajayi for the season, leaving them thin in the backfield. For now, Corey Clement and Wendell Smallwood figure to pick up the slack, but McCoy would give the Eagles a proven starter at running back.
Of course, there are a lot of external factors to consider when it comes to McCoy. McCoy’s ex-girlfriend, Delicia Cordon, claims that he ordered the the July home invasion that left her battered and recently accused him of physical abuse. The 30-year-old Harrisburg, PA native vehemently denies all of the accusations, but a league suspension remains possible.
Beyond that, the Eagles would have to assume McCoy’s contract, which calls for a $8.95MM cap number this year and a $9.05MM figure in 2019. Releasing McCoy before the start of next season would result in $2.625MM in dead money, and that’s not chump change for a club that is tight against the salary cap limit. Still, McCoy would require less of a financial commitment than Le’Veon Bell, and it’s possible that McCoy would be willing to restructure his deal in order to facilitate a return to Philadelphia.
McCoy played his best football while flying with the Eagles, including the 2013 season in which he led the league with 1,607 yards. He’s also been effective in the second half of his career in Buffalo, averaging 4.5 yards per tote since 2015.
Latest On Jay Ajayi's ACL Tear
- The ACL Jay Ajayi tore is in his left knee, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane reports (on Twitter). This is key because Ajayi’s past issues have been with his right knee. Ajayi tore his right ACL while at Boise State, and his draft stock took a hit because of reports of chronic issues with that knee. The Eagles running back will undergo surgery on Thursday, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). He’s not believed to have torn any additional knee ligaments. Rapoport adds this injury came while Ajayi was working in pass protection, but the fourth-year veteran played through it until game’s end.
- Philadelphia has engaged in “exploratory” conversations regarding Le’Veon Bell, according to Rapoport (video link), but those talks haven’t really gotten off the ground. The Bell-to-Philly subject has been a disputed topic thus far this month, with some outlets reporting the Eagles aren’t going down that road and others indicating they have strongly considered doing it.
- Fletcher Cox‘s restructured contract gave the Eagles $6.5MM in 2018 cap space, pushing that total to around $10MM. The veteran defensive tackle will see $8.19MM in base salary converted to a roster bonus, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets, adding that his 2019 base will be reduced to $930K. An option bonus of $14.76MM will be included in Cox’s contract now, per Yates, though it’s unclear when that option would vest. But Cox accepting the restructure would indicate he’s not in danger of losing that money he transferred from his 2018 and ’19 base salaries.
Eagles Redo Fletcher Cox’s Contract, Don’t Plan To Use Funds To Pursue Le’Veon Bell
On the surface, the Eagles making the decision to restructure Fletcher Cox‘s contract just as they lost Jay Ajayi for the season would point to the defending Super Bowl champs freeing up funds for a possible Le’Veon Bell trade.
However, Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com are throwing cold water on that prospect (Twitter link). The Eagles made the decision to redo Cox’s deal on Friday, the duo reports. This creates $6.5MM in cap space, pushing Phildelphia into range to afford Bell’s plummeting 2018 price tag.
The Eagles made the decision to restructure Cox’s deal because of their 2019 cap situation, Mortensen and Schefter report, adding the franchise hopes this extra space will help possible re-signings by March. Philadelphia, which has been incredibly active in both retaining its own talent and pursuing outside help, is in its own league regarding 2019 projected cap space. The Eagles are not only the lone team projected to be over the ’19 cap, they are nearly $20MM beyond the ceiling. So, more work will need to be done on this front.
But the Eagles do not plan to pursue Bell, Schefter reports. Prior to the Cox restructure — which will save the Eagles $11.7MM in 2019, per Mortensen and Schefter — the Eagles had barely $4MM in cap space. Now, they’re hovering around $10MM. Bell lost out on $853K in additional 2018 cash by skipping the Steelers’ Week 5 game. That drops his franchise tag amount down close to $10MM.
Philly had been mentioned as not only inquiring about Bell but seriously considering the prospect of pursuing a trade for him. But both Schefter and SI.com’s Albert Breer have not gotten the sense the Eagles are interested. However, the ESPN tandem adds that these added 2018 funds may help get them in the market for another player.
Nevertheless, Philadelphia’s running back situation is now significantly depleted. Ajayi is out for the season, and top backup Corey Clement has not played since Week 3. With Darren Sproles also out, Philly’s top available ball-carrying cogs are Wendell Smallwood and rookie UDFA Josh Adams.
By virtue of this restructure, Cox will make the veteran minimum base salary this season and next, Mortensen and Schefter note. As is the case with many restructures, Cox won’t see less money; it will just be paid out differently. Cox was scheduled to make $11.6MM in 2018 and $15.6MM in ’19. He signed a six-year, $102.6MM extension in the summer of 2016.
Eagles Place Jay Ajayi On IR
The Eagles’ depleted running back situation became considerably thinner on Monday. The team is placing starter Jay Ajayi on IR.
A knee malady’s afflicting Ajayi, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter), and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reveals (via Twitter) it’s a severe setback. Ajayi tore an ACL and will miss the rest of the season. The 25-year-old back was already playing through a fracture in his back.
The Eagles signed defensive tackle T.Y. McGill to take Ajayi’s roster spot.
This is brutal timing for Ajayi, who is in a contract year. The fourth-year running back had knee issues coming into the NFL, and they’re believed to have caused the 2015 fifth-round pick to have dropped in the draft. Nevertheless, he submitted two seasons of starter work, the second of which helping the 2017 Eagles soar to the Super Bowl LII championship.
Now, Ajayi will likely head into free agency on the heels of one of the worst injuries possible in football.
Philadelphia already has been without Darren Sproles and Corey Clement, forcing the likes of Wendell Smallwood — the team’s previous No. 4 back — and Josh Adams (the player whom Smallwood beat out for that back-end job during the preseason) into action. Clement, though, looks to be close to returning from his quadriceps injury. He was active on Sunday against the Vikings but didn’t play.
This also figures to add heat to the Le’Veon Bell-to-Philly rumors. That’s been out there for several days now, with the Eagles reportedly giving “serious consideration” to acquiring Bell from the Steelers. Now that their backfield is bereft of a proven starter, this figures to be perhaps the team to watch if Pittsburgh is indeed ready to unload its superstar back.
Ajayi exited Week 5 averaging 4.1 yards per carry. Following the midseason trade from the Dolphins, Ajayi posted a stellar figure of 5.8 per tote for the Eagles last season. He rushed for a career-high 1,273 yards en route to a Pro Bowl nod in 2016. It’s fair to wonder if Ajayi will be able to secure a medium- or long-term pact from a team after this ill-timed injury.
Lane Johnson Loses Lawsuit Appeal
- “A federal judge has denied Eagles OT Lane Johnson’s motion to vacate an NFL arbitration award for his 10-game suspension in 2016″ according to Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal (Twitter link). Johnson filed the suit last year, alleging his suspension for PEDs was unwarranted, and that there was bias by the judge in the appeals process.
Breer: Eagles Not Expected To Target Bell
With just less than four weeks remaining until the trade deadline, Le’Veon Bell-to-the-Eagles has surfaced on the rumor circuit. The Eagles are reportedly giving serious consideration to making a run at the likely rental running back. But SI.com’s Albert Breer isn’t so sure that’s going to happen. The Eagles don’t see running back as a spot to sink major resources into, per Breer. Bell’s approximately $10MM salary would qualify as a major investment, although that’s dropping by the week because of this unusual holdout. Philadelphia has just less than $5MM in cap room, and Breer notes the improving health of its running backs should help them steer clear of these interesting Bell sweepstakes. Corey Clement and Darren Sproles have yet to return to practice, and Jay Ajayi is playing with a back fracture. The Eagles traded a fourth-rounder for Ajayi before the 2017 trade deadline. Bell as of now plans to report to the Steelers during their Week 7 bye.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/4/18
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DT Justin Zimmer
- Released: DB Taveze Calhoun
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: WR Andre Levrone
- Released: DL Christian LaCouture
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR DeAngelo Yancey
- Released: LB Greer Martini
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: TE Deon Yelder
- Cut: S Leon McQuay
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Quadree Henderson
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: DT Bruce Hector
Eagles Non-Committal On Timmy Jernigan’s Status
Eagles defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan is currently on the non-football injury list after undergoing back surgery in May, and Philadelphia head coach Doug Pederson was non-committal on Jernigan’s status when speaking with reporters earlier today.
“He’s doing well, he’s making progress,” Pederson said, via Mike Kaye of NJ.com. “He’s a guy we’ll just continue to monitor. I don’t want to put a cap on him, don’t want to limit him anyway and any other expectation other than him getting better and healthy at this time.”
While that’s a seemingly innocuous quote, Pederson failed to commit to Jernigan returning this season, according to Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). Per the NFL’s NFI rules, Jernigan must sit out for the Eagles’ first six games of the season. After that, Philadelphia will get a three-week window to decide whether Jernigan can return to practice, and another three-week window to activate him once he practices.
Jernigan was originally given a four-to-six month recovery timeline after having surgery, and he’s now entering the fifth month since that estimate. The operation affected Jernigan’s bottom line, as he agreed to a revised contract after undergoing the procedure. Jernigan had three years left on the four-year, $48MM extension he signed in 2017, but those seasons are now team option years with no guaranteed money.
With Jernigan sidelined, the Eagles have deployed Haloti Ngata (45% playtime) and Destiny Vaeao (32%) at defensive tackle alongside Fletcher Cox. The unit has held up well, ranking first in Football Outsiders‘ adjusted line yards and 13th in adjusted sack rate.
Eagles Giving ‘Serious Consideration’ To Le’Veon Bell Trade?
The Eagles are giving “serious consideration” to the prospect of trading for Le’Veon Bell, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports said during a radio interview with Jon Marks and Ike Reese of Sports Radio WIP (Twitter link).
The Eagles have been mulling this trade for a while, per La Canfora, who believes a third-round pick may be enough to get a deal done (Twitter link).
Bell said he would report to the Steelers during their Week 7 bye, but La Canfora doubts he’ll ever play for Pittsburgh again, citing the bridge being burned. Pittsburgh’s still listening to offers, and one could come from the other Pennsylvania franchise. The Eagles’ interest surfaced over the weekend, with La Canfora reporting the defending Super Bowl champs were among the pursuing franchises. The Jets and 49ers join them.
This year’s trade deadline looms in just less than four weeks. The Eagles would have to clear some cap space to afford Bell. While the 26-year-old All-Pro’s price tag continues to drop because of his holdout, it’s still north of $10MM. Philadelphia has $4.3MM in cap space as of Wednesday. The obvious space-clearing move would be to unload backup quarterback Nick Foles, but given Carson Wentz‘s recent return, it would be incredibly risky for the Eagles to do this.
That said, Philadelphia has a unique championship window. Wentz is attached to his rookie deal through at least the end of this season. It’s possible the Eagles, whose 2019 cap sheet represents the NFL’s worst projected situation going into the next league year, could keep Wentz on this deal through 2019 — since he can be controlled on this contract through 2020 via the fifth-year option — but it should be expected for negotiations on a mammoth extension to commence in 2019.
Philly’s seen injuries consistently affect its running back corps. Jay Ajayi is playing with a back fracture, and both Darren Sproles and Corey Clement missed last week’s game. Sproles remains without a clear return timetable. Wendell Smallwood, who had to fight to make the Eagles’ roster as the No. 4 back, was Ajayi’s backup on Sunday.
The Eagles pulled off a major running back trade last year when they acquired Ajayi for a fourth-round pick. It would cost more to obtain Bell, however, although JLC considers a second-round pick an “ambitious” on the Steelers’ part. And Bell would surely be a rental commodity given Philly’s 2019 cap situation. Bell will voyage into a rare free agency situation next year, given his workload history and age, but can still be expected to land a deal in the vicinity of what Todd Gurley and David Johnson are making. The Eagles wouldn’t seem a candidate to authorize that contract, but for this season, it would make sense for the 2-2 team to add another weapon while this title window is open.
Pittsburgh’s 1-2-1 and could also obviously use Bell. It’s made preparations to fit Bell’s franchise tag price into its 2018 cap picture, having restructured several veterans’ contracts to clear space. But the Steelers and Bell waged contract battles for two offseasons, and multiple offensive linemen called out the running back for not reporting prior to Week 1.