Nigel Bradham Was Facing Six-Game Ban
- Last month, Eagles linebacker Nigel Bradham was slapped with a one-game suspension stemming from his 2016 involvement in an alleged assault incident. While the 28-year-old is set to miss the team’s season-opener, it sounds like he could have been out a whole lot longer. Bradham told John McMullen of 97.3 ESPN that he was originally facing a six-game suspension (via Les Bowen of Philly.com). His side ultimately appealed and got the suspension reduced to a single game.
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Eagles QB Carson Wentz Won’t Go On PUP
After suffering a torn ACL last December, Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz will not be placed on the physically unable to perform list to begin training camp, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Clearly, the news is positive for Wentz, as he’ll now be able to stay on the field while his recovery progresses. Starting on the active/PUP list wouldn’t have been the end of the world, as Wentz could have had that designation removed at any time. But beginning camp on active/PUP could have conceivably led to Wentz being placed on reserve/PUP, which would have cost him the first six games of the regular season.
Philadelphia did consider placing Wentz on the PUP list, tweets Rapoport, especially given that he’ll be ramping up slowly and won’t participate fully in drills. But as Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com notes (Twitter link), the Eagles want to get a sense of Wentz’s progess while he competes in seven-on-seven drills, something that wouldn’t have possible if Wentz was sidelined.
Wentz, 23, was playing at an MVP pace when he went down last season, as he’d already amassed more than 3,200 yards, 33 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions through 13 starts. Nick Foles, of course, won the Super Bowl in relief of Wentz, and will be available in the event Wentz needs a regular season game or two to get up to speed.
Details On Kamar Aiken's Eagles Deal
- Kamar Aiken‘s deal with the Eagles is for one year and worth the veteran’s minimum, according to Zack Rosenblatt of NJ.com (on Twitter). The wide receiver didn’t do a whole lot with the Colts last year, but he showed serious potential as arookie in 2015 when he nearly eclipsed 1,000 yards for the Ravens.
Eagles To Sign WR Kamar Aiken
The Eagles are signing wide receiver Kamar Aiken, according to a tweet from his agent. Aiken spent last season with the Colts, though you could be forgiven for forgetting that. 
[RELATED: Darren Sproles To Retire After 2018 Season]
Aiken had a disappointing 2017. Instead of running with the Colts’ second wide receiver job, he managed only 155 catches and 133 yards in 15 games (seven starts). His last meaningful production came in 2015, when the former undrafted free agent put up nearly 1,000 yards with the Ravens.
We haven’t heard a ton about Aiken this offseason, save for his June audition for the Jets. With the Eagles, he’ll try to make the cut behind Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor, Mike Wallace, Mack Hollins, and Markus Wheaton. He’s hardly a shoe-in for the roster, but the recent release of Marquess Wilson and Jeffery’s nagging rotator cuff injury may help his case.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/24/18
Today’s minor moves:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LB Freddie Bishop
- Placed on IR: FB Nick Bawden
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Adonis Jennings
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: LB Frank Ginda
- Retired: LB Mike McCray
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: C J.P. Quinn
- Waived: TE Josiah Price
New England Patriots
- Signed: S Eddie Pleasant, OL Nate Theaker
- Waived/Injured: WR Cody Hollister
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released: WR Marquess Wilson
- Waied: CB Randall Goforth
Howie Roseman Expected To Make Trades In Coming Weeks; Examining Roster Locks and Longshots
- Eagles executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman has made more trades than any other general manager since 2010, per Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com, who believes that Roseman will make more trades in the coming weeks. Shorr-Parks puts a potential return on each player on the roster, and he notes that Roseman would likely be open to moving Nick Foles and Brandon Graham, though it would take at least a first-round pick to acquire Foles and a third-rounder to land Graham.
- In a separate piece, Shorr-Parks offers his take on the locks, longshots, and bubble players on the Eagles‘ roster as it currently stands. As Shorr-Parks has indicated previously, Ronald Darby is another trade candidate if De’vante Bausby continues to play well in training camp.
Are Eagles Even Better This Year?
- Do the Eagles have a better roster than last year entering training camp? Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer thinks so, arguing that the defending champs have taken a step forward on paper. The offense had to replace tight end Trey Burton with rookie Dallas Goedert, but Mike Wallace might be an upgrade over Torrey Smith and they should see improvement from Nelson Agholor and Mack Hollins. Meanwhile, there are questions on the other side of the ball, but the Eagles’ secondary should be better with a healthy Sidney Jones and Ronald Darby working off of a full offseason.
Darren Sproles To Retire After 2018 Season
Eagles running back Darren Sproles will retire from the NFL after the 2018 season, as the veteran explained in a post today.
“The plan was for 2017 to be my last season,” writes Sproles. “I was 34, had a great career, accomplished a lot—it was time. No one ever expected my career to last this long, over a decade but I was proud to prove them all wrong. Then my season ended a little earlier than expected, to an injury.
An injury is different; It’s something you don’t have any control over but I feel like I left a lot out there, and I couldn’t let my career end like that.”
As Sproles alludes to, he’d originally hinted that 2017 would be his final NFL campaign, but backtracked on that sentiment even before multiple injuries ended his season in September. Sproles not only suffered a torn ACL, but a broken arm during the first month of the 2017 season, which concluded with Sproles having played in just three games.
After deciding to return for 2018, Sproles inked a one-year deal with the Eagles that contains $1MM in guarantees. Now 35 years old, Sproles will be part of a Philadelphia backfield that also includes Jay Ajayi, Corey Clement, Matt Jones, Wendell Smallwood, and Donnel Pumphrey. Sproles should be guaranteed a roster spot, and will likely handle passing game work in the Eagles’ offense.
Maintaining value based on his receiving skills is nothing new for Sproles, who has never topped 100 carries in a season during his lengthy pro tenure. Sproles spent the early portion of his career as LaDainian Tomlinson‘s backup with the Chargers, but emerged to even greater prominence as a backfield weapon for Drew Brees and the Saints. He was shipped to the Eagles in 2015 in exchange for a fifth-round pick.
Eagles Notes: D-line, Wentz, Foles, Sudfeld,
The Eagles‘ defensive line is the best position group in all of football, opines Chris Wesseling of NFL.com. Wesseling makes his case for the Eagles’ line as the best unit in the NFL by highlighting all the big name talent it has. Fletcher Cox may be the best interior lineman in the league after Aaron Donald, Super Bowl hero Brandon Graham is returning, as is promising second-year edge rusher Derek Barnett, and the team added “three-time Pro Bowler Michael Bennett and former All-Pro Haloti Ngata” this offseason.
The Eagles’ ability to win in the trenches was a huge part of the team’s success last season, and it should continue in 2018. They constantly reset the line of scrimmage and practically lived in opposing teams’ backfields. Wesseling says that what the Eagles have been able to do with their defensive line has been so impressive that other teams have started “copying Philadelphia’s blueprint up front.”
Here’s more from Philadelphia:
- “One of the biggest surprises” of the Eagles‘ offseason workouts, OTAs, and minicamp was how healthy Carson Wentz looked, according to Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com. Shorr-Parks writes that the “only sign” Wentz was even recovering from an injury was the brace he was wearing on his left leg. It sure sounds like Wentz has a very good shot at being 100% healthy by the time week 1 rolls around.
- Speaking of Wentz’s health, it might be a factor in whether or not the team decides to trade Nick Foles, but Nate Sudfeld‘s development might be too. Shorr-Parks notes that if Sudfeld “really impresses” this summer, it could make a deal more likely. However, “short of the Eagles acquiring a first-round pick”, he writes, a trade is still “unlikely.”
- Shorr-Parks thinks Jalen Mills will wind up as the team’s slot cornerback and that last year’s second round pick Sidney Jones will be moved outside. He thinks Mills will for the second year in a row “lead the Eagles‘ cornerbacks in snaps.”
DeMarco Murray To Retire From NFL
DeMarco Murray has played his last down in the NFL. Today, Murray will announce his retirement from football, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 
Murray, 30, was looking for work this offseason and met with several teams to try and find the right opportunity. Earlier this week, Murray reaffirmed his desire to continue playing. But, for one reason or another, the veteran has decided to call it quits.
“I’ve had a lot of discussions with four or five teams that I feel will be a great fit for me,” Murray said in an ESPN podcast released on Monday. “It’s all about being transparent and, for me, I’m not looking to lead the league in rushing yards. Obviously I would work and do everything to give me the opportunity to do that, but it’s all about having an opportunity to get to the playoffs and have an opportunity to win a championship.”
Perhaps realizing the limitations of what he can do at this stage of his career, Murray will move on from football in order to pursue other interested. Although he led the league with 1,845 rushing yards in 2014 with the Cowboys and nearly cracked 1,300 in 2016 with the Titans, he was largely overshadowed in Tennessee by Derrick Henry last year.
The Titans released Murray in March and subsequent meetings with the Lions, Seahawks, and Dolphins did not yield a contract. In June, the 30-year-old declined an opportunity to work out for the Saints. The timing of Murray’s decision is a curious one. Training camp often leads to injuries, which would have meant more opportunities for Murray. There’s also the ongoing situation in Buffalo that could leave the Bills without star LeSean McCoy to star the season.
Murray will be best remembered for his brilliant performances with the Cowboys, which included his first 1,000-yard season in 2013 and his unbelievably productive campaign in 2014 in which he totaled 2,261 all-purpose yards. Murray’s free agent deal with the Eagles was a dud, but he did enjoy a bounce-back season with the Titans in ’16.
When he was at his best, Murray was one of the league’s most electrifying rushers and he leaves the game with an impressive body of work. We here at PFR wish Murray the best in retirement.