Eagles Release LB Mychal Kendricks
The Eagles releasing linebacker Mychal Kendricks, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Kendricks has spent the last six years with the Eagles, but he has been the subject of trade rumors for years. 
[RELATED: Eagles’ Paul Worrilow Done For Season]
Kendricks is expected to draw interest on the open market, though teams will want to take a close look at his ankle after he underwent a minor operation this offseason.
Kendricks’ place on the roster was once again put into flux this year when the defending champs re-signed linebacker Nigel Bradham. Bradham’s deal is worth $40MM over five years, which made Kendricks’ $5.85MM scheduled salary unpalatable. By releasing Kendricks, the Eagles will save $4.4MM in cap space with $3.2MM in dead money.
Kendricks, 28 in September, amassed 73 tackles and two sacks in 15 games in 2017. He also added 16 tackles in the postseason as the Eagles captured their first ever Super Bowl title.
It was arguably the best season of the veteran’s career as he placed as Pro Football Focus’ No. 9 ranked linebacker in the NFL, ahead of notables like NaVorro Bowman, Vontaze Burfict, and Danny Trevathan.
Without Kendricks, the Eagles may try Corey Nelson, Kamu Grugier-Hill, and rookie Josh Sweat at strongside linebacker. It also wouldn’t be surprise to see them look at the free agent market for linebacker help, particularly after middle linebacker Paul Worrilow was diagnosed with a torn ACL.
Matt Jones Contract Details
- The Eagles signed running back Matt Jones earlier in the week. The Philly Voice’s Jimmy Kempski has the details at two years for $1.5MM, none of which are guaranteed (Twitter link). He joins a crowded backfield that includes Jay Ajayi, Corey Clement and Darren Sproles.
Eagles Notes: Wentz, Graham, Maclin
Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com does not believe that there will be any tension between Carson Wentz and Nick Foles this year, but he does say that Foles is universally loved in the Eagles‘ locker room. Given that, and given that Foles led the club to its first Super Bowl victory in the wake of Wentz’s ACL tear last season, Shorr-Parks suggests that there is at least a small part of Wentz that feels the need to “re-prove himself” to his team. Shorr-Parks wonders if that desire will impact how quickly Wentz returns to the field and how he interacts with his veteran backup this year.
- In the same piece linked above, Shorr-Parks says “it appears obvious” that the Eagles do not plan on paying DE Brandon Graham until next offseason at the earliest. Graham will be eligible for free agency at that point, but he is still seeking a long-term extension from Philadelphia prior to that, and Shorr-Parks’ suggestion is somewhat surprising in light of the fact that the Eagles were said to be working on a new contract for Graham in November (and in light of Graham’s on-field performance).
- In two separate pieces, Shorr-Parks breaks down the Eagles’ current roster into long shots, locks, bubble players, and wildcards, and he also takes a look at some of the biggest names still remaining on the free agent market and whether Philadelphia could be interested in some of those players. He thinks the Eagles could be in play for some of the top available DBs — like Kenny Vaccaro and Bashaud Breeland — but does not see a fit for top WR Dez Bryant or LB Brian Cushing (though he thinks a reunion with Jeremy Maclin should not be ruled out).
Brandon Graham Out Until Camp
- The surgery Brandon Graham underwent will keep him out for the entirety of the Eagles‘ offseason program. Graham is hopeful he will be ready for training camp, per Les Bowen of Philly.com. The 30-year-old defensive end decided to go under the knife to accelerate the healing process from a troublesome high ankle sprain suffered on Christmas night. Graham remains in pursuit of an Eagles extension. His contract expires after the 2018 season.
- Mychal Kendricks also underwent offseason surgery, per Bowen. The veteran linebacker and perpetual trade-block mainstay had minor ankle surgery. This duo follows Timmy Jernigan and Derek Barnett among Eagles defenders to undergo offseason procedures.
- Arie Kouandjio will undergo surgery, but his recovery time will be far longer than the Eagles’ spate of defensive players who opted for operations. The Redskins guard suffered an injury which Ian Rapoport of NFL.com is calling a partially torn quadriceps and will soon have surgery (Twitter link). It’s unclear at this point how long Kouandjio will be out, but Rapoport notes the recovery time will likely be several months. A recent report pegged Kouandjio as a possible IR candidate, but after this update categorizes the malady as a partially torn quad, the interior blocker may be able to avoid such a distinction.
Eagles Host DL Cedric Thornton
The Eagles recently hosted free agent defensive lineman Cedric Thornton for a workout, according to Geoff Mosher of 97.5 The Fanatic (Twitter link).
Thornton is no stranger to Philadelphia, as he signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent out of Southern Arkansas in 2012. Thornton, now 29, went on to start 45 games for the Birds, and was extremely effective after the Eagles shifted to a 3-4 scheme under Chip Kelly in 2014. As an oversized defensive end, Thornton especially excelled against the run.
Thornton signed a four-year deal with the division-rival Cowboys in 2016, but made it only one season in Dallas before being released. He quickly resurfaced with Bills on a single-season pact, and ultimately appeared in 15 games and made three starts for Buffalo. During that time, Thornton posted 18 tackles and two sacks, but graded as the fifth-worst interior defender among 122 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.
Now that the Eagles are running a 4-3 front, Thornton would likely line up at defensive tackle if signed. Philadelphia is on the hunt for depth given that starting tackle Timmy Jernigan is expected to miss four-to-six months following back surgery, while defensive ends Derek Barnett and Brandon Graham (who recently underwent a minor ankle operation, per Tim McManus of ESPN.com) are also recovering from surgery. The Eagles have also looked at other free agent defenders in recent weeks, as they expressed interest in Terrell McClain before he signed with the Falcons and met with Courtney Upshaw.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/16/18
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: DE Patrick Afriyie, WR Justice Liggins, WR Nelson Spruce
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: RB Nick Holley, S Afolabi Laguda, TE Codey McElroy, S Steven Parker, LB Brian Womac
- Waived/injured: LB Carlos Thompson
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: DT Dylan Bradley
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: LB KeShun Freeman, WR Eldridge Massington, FB Ryan Yurachek
- Released: LB Michael Mauti
- Waived from injured reserve: T John Theus
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: CB Jordan Thomas
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Nick Williams
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/15/18
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DB Jason Hall
- Waived: RB Terrence Magee
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed: OL Anthony Fabiano (Colts), OL Avery Gennesy (Jaguars)
- Waived: P Michael Carrizosa, OL Christian Schneider
Detroit Lions
- Claimed: OL Adam Bisnowaty (Giants)
- Waived: OL Brett Kendrick
Los Angeles Rams
- Claimed: RB Larry Rose (Titans)
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LB LaRoy Reynolds
- Waived: S Dominick Sanders
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DL Blaine Woodson
- Claimed: CB C.J. Goodwin (Giants)
- Waived: WR DeAndre Carter
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/14/18
Today’s minor moves (so far):
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DT Siupeli Anau, WR C.J. Duncan, LB Airius Moore, OL Greg Pyke
- Waived: CB Elijah Battle, LB Mike Needham, OL Austin Olsen, WR Jonah Trinnaman
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: DE Da’Sean Downey
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: FB Zach Olstad
- Waived/Injured: RB Aaron Green
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Bug Howard, C Kyle Friend, T/G Quinterrius Eatmon, DE Karter Schult
- Waived/Injured: CB Zack Sanchez
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Matt Fleming, DB John Franklin, DB Tyrin Holloway, OL Jeremi Hall, OL Matt McCants
- Waived: OL Travis Averill, OL Cameron Lee, LB Howard Jones, LB Nyles Morgan
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: DT Chris Okoye, C Brand Lundblade, S Tyrice Beverette
- Waived: LB Oni Omoile, TE Scott Orndoff, CB Robenson Therezie
Cleveland Browns
- Signed DB Tigie Sankoh, QB Brogan Roback
Denver Broncos
- Waived: NT Lowell Lotulelei (Lotulelei is retiring, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic, on Twitter)
Detroit Lions
- Signed: WR Deontez Alexander, TE Marcus Lucas, CB Josh Okonye
- Waived: WR Kyle Lewis
- Waived/Injured: TE Brandon Barnes
Houston Texans
- Placed on Reserve-Retired list: K.J. Malone
- Signed: T Kendell Calhoun, DE Nick Thurman
- Waived: WR Montay Crockett
- Waived/failure to disclose physical condition designation: DE Jalen Wilkerson
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: OT Jared Machorro
- Waived: C Anthony Fabiano
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: TE Zach Conque, LB Manase Hungalu, OL Brandon Smith
- Waived: OL Avery Gennesy
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: QB Luis Perez
New England Patriots
- Signed: P Corey Bojorquez
- Waived/NFI: WR Darren Andrews
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: OT Michael Ola
- Waived: LB Adam Bighill, OL Daronte Bouldin, S Rickey Jefferson, Bradley Sylve
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: S Dallin Leavitt, LS Drew Scott
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR/KR Tim Wilson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: G/T R.J. Prince
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: TE Clayton Wilson
Washington Redskins
- Signed: C Casey Dunn, LB Vontae Diggs, WR Darvin Kidsy
- Waived: WR Mikah Holder, C Sean Welsh
Eagles Sign 15 UDFAs
One of the last teams to reveal their UDFA class, the Eagles announced 15 players comprise this group that will try to earn roster spots this year. Here’s the full rundown:
- Josh Adams, RB (Notre Dame)
- Asantay Brown, LB (Western Michigan)
- Aaron Evans, OL (Central Florida)
- Danny Ezechukwu, DE (Purdue)
- Bruce Hector, DT (South Florida)
- Anthony Mahoungou, WR (Purdue)
- Ryan Neal, S (Southern Illinois)
- Joe Ostman, DE (Central Michigan)
- Ian Park, OL (Slippery Rock)
- Jeremy Reaves, S (South Alabama)
- Stephen Roberts, S (Auburn)
- Dominick Sanders, S (Georgia)
- Chandon Sullivan, CB (Georgia State)
- Jordan Thomas, CB (Oklahoma)
- Toby Weathersby, OL (LSU)
Representing a sizable portion of this class, four safeties will join the Eagles’ other three backup safeties — two 2017 UDFAs and veteran special-teamer Chris Maragos — in competing for roles behind Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod. However, Neal, Roberts and Reaves played cornerback as well. Roberts manned the slot at South Alabama, while Reaves earned Sun Belt defensive player of the year acclaim last season. Sanders, however, logged the most experience in being a Georgia starter for four years. He finished with 16 career interceptions. Brown also spent time at both safety and cornerback, despite being listed as a linebacker.
The Eagles also turned to smaller schools extensively here, with mid-major Division I-FBS or non-Division I programs producing eight of these 15 players. Rumors connected the Eagles to running backs in this draft. Instead, the team re-signed Darren Sproles and is bringing in a player who is coming off a 1,430-yard, nine-touchdown season with the Fighting Irish. The 213-pound Adams averaged 6.9 yards per carry as well as a true junior in 2017.
Hector received the highest base salary guarantee of this group, with the team giving him $55K guaranteed along with a $5K signing bonus. Adams received a $30K base guarantee and $25K to sign, and Sullivan a $35K base guarantee and $16K to sign (Twitter link via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe). Volin adds will see a $20K base guarantee and a $10K signing bonus. Ostman will also see $20K guaranteed, per Volin (on Twitter).
Eagles Had Courtland Sutton Rated Highly
- If the Eagles did not trade their first-round pick to the Ravens, they were going to consider eventual Broncos wideout Courtland Sutton at No. 32, per Breer. Sutton visited the Eagles in early April. Philly has Alshon Jeffery, a player to whom Sutton’s been compared, signed long-term and has Nelson Agholor controlled through 2019. However, the defending Super Bowl champions still signed Mike Wallace and Markus Wheaton, the latter a post-draft addition.
- Ravens brass needed to hear from John Harbaugh the coaching staff was confident the team could win with Lamar Jackson before trading up to take him, and Breer reports Harbaugh, OC Marty Morhinweg, senior offensive assistant Greg Roman and QBs coach James Urban all developed a plan for the rookie before Ozzie Newsome made the trade with the Eagles. Both Mornhinweg and Urban were in their same positions under Andy Reid on the 2010 Eagles, when Michael Vick resurfaced as a top-flight weapon after previously working intermittently in certain packages. Roman’s work adjusting the 2012 49ers’ offense for Colin Kaepernick also played a role here, Breer writes. The Ravens look to be preparing Jackson sets already.