Eagles’ Alshon Jeffery Out At Least 6 Months
Eagles wide receiver Alshon Jeffery will be sidelined for “at least six months” after undergoing rotator cuff surgery, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Jeffery is likely to miss the 2018 preseason, and his status for the regular season opener is unclear. While a source tells Anderson that Jeffery’s availability for Week 1 is “unsure,” the “expectation” is that he’ll be ready to suit up.
As reports indicated earlier today, Jeffery originally suffered his shoulder injury during 2017 training camp, and played through the pain for the entire campaign and through Philadelphia’s Super Bowl run. While Jeffery post a somewhat disappointing 57 receptions and 789 yards, he did manage to get into the end zone nine times (second-most of his career). The Eagles clearly liked what they saw, as the club inked Jeffery to a four-year, $52MM extension before the regular season concluded.
Even if Jeffery is able to suit up for Week 1 in 2018, there’s reason to wonder if he’ll need a few games to ramp back up to full speed. His availability could cloud the Eagles’ wide receiver decisions in the coming weeks — Torrey Smith, for one, was expected to be a candidate for release this offseason, but it’s possible he’s retained if Philadelphia is worried about Jeffery’s outlook. Other wideouts on the Eagles’ roster include Nelson Agholor, Mack Hollins, and Shelton Gibson.
Eagles' Alshon Jeffery Has Surgery
Eagles wide receiver Alshon Jeffery had surgery on Wednesday morning to fix a torn rotator cuff, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Jeffery first suffered the injury in training camp and played through the pain all the way to a Super Bowl championship.
Last offseason, the Eagles signed Jeffery to a one-year prove-it deal when the open market didn’t yield the kind of contract offers he wanted. The contract paid big dividends for both sides. The Eagles saw Jeffery catch 57 passes for 789 yards and nine touchdowns during the regular season. Jeffery, meanwhile, was rewarded with a fat four-year, $52MM extension in December.
- Duce Staley missed out on becoming the Eagles‘ new offensive coordinator, but the team has given him a new title. In 2018, he’ll serve as the team’s “assistant head coach” in addition to his duties as running backs coach, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. This week, the Eagles promoted Mike Groh to OC, though head coach Doug Pederson will continue to call the plays.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/20/18
Today’s minor moves:
New Orleans Saints
- Re-signed: LS Zach Wood (ERFA)
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: DT Winston Craig
Eagles To Promote Mike Groh To OC
The Eagles will promote wide receivers coach Mike Groh to offensive coordinator, according to Tim McManus of ESPN.com.
Despite reports that Philadelphia could go without an offensive coordinator for the 2018 campaign, the Eagles interviewed both Groh and incumbent running backs coach Duce Staley on Monday. Head coach Doug Pederson‘s decision to only meet with in-house candidates indicated a preference to maintain continuity for an offensive unit that ranked eighth in offensive DVOA a season ago.
Groh has much spent much of his career in the collegiate ranks, but worked with the Bears and Rams from 2013-16 before joining the Eagles in advance of the 2017 campaign. The son of former NFL head coach Al Groh, Mike Groh helped former first-round pick Nelson Agholor break out as a slot weapon last season, and also assisted veteran receiver Alshon Jeffery in a nine-touchdown Philadelphia debut.
While Pederson calls his own offensive plays in Philadelphia, Groh will presumably serve in a game-planning and play-design capacity. The Eagles needed reinforcements to their offensive coaching staff after losing both OC Frank Reich (Colts head coach) and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo (Vikings offensive coordinator) over the past month.
Staley, for his part, will return to his role as running backs coach for a sixth consecutive season after garnering interest for at least two offensive coordinator jobs this offseason. In addition to the Eagles, the Giants reportedly considered Staley a strong candidate for their OC job under new head coach Pat Shurmur, but Philadelphia had no interest in letting Staley leave for a division rival.
Eagles Won’t Tender Jaylen Watkins
The Eagles do not plan to tender defensive back Jaylen Watkins as a restricted free agent, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Watkins was a candidate for the original round tender, but instead it sounds like he’lll be allowed to explore the open market in March. 
Watkins first joined the Eagles a fourth-round pick in the 2014 draft. The Florida product didn’t see a ton of time on the field in his first two seasons, but he got his chance to be a regular contributor starting in 2016. Watkins has appeared in 28 regular season games over the last two years and recorded 51 total tackles.
This past season, Watkins saw most of his playing time on special teams with only 170 defensive snaps to his credit. He was not a star for the defending champs, but he still played a vital role.
“He’s Mr. Do-It-All,” Eagles cornerback Jalen Mills recently said of Watkins (via the News-Press). “Whatever spot, if anybody happens to bust a shoelace, equipment issue, you can plug him in, and you know he’s going to go out there and do the job.”
Eagles To Interview Duce Staley, Mike Groh For OC
The Eagles will interview running backs coach Duce Staley and wide receivers coach Mike Groh for their offensive coordinator vacancy today, according to Tim McManus of ESPN.com (Twitter links), who adds there are no “immediate plans” to meet with any other candidates.
Philadelphia head coach Doug Pederson is seeking to replace Frank Reich, who was named head coach of the Colts last week. Also missing from the Eagles’ 2018 staff is former quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, who recently became the Vikings’ new offensive coordinator. Pederson calls the offensive plays for the Eagles, but he’s presumably interested in keeping some level of continuity for an offense that ranked eighth in DVOA a season ago.
Staley, who spent seven years of his playing career with the Eagles, has led the club’s running backs room since 2013. He’d also been mentioned as a strong candidate to join Pat Shurmur as the Giants’ new offensive coordiantor, but Philadelphia reportedly had no interest in letting Staley leave for a division rival.
Groh, meanwhile, has much spent much of his career in the collegiate ranks, but worked with the Bears and Rams from 2013-16 before joining the Eagles in advance of the 2017 campaign. The son of former NFL head coach Al Groh, Mike Groh helped former first-round pick Nelson Agholor break out last season.
Reports have indicated the Eagles may go without a formal offensive coordinator in 2018, and Adam Caplan of SiriusXM tweets Philadelphia could conceivably promote Staley to run game coordinator and Groh to pass game coordinator, allowing the two coaches to tag-team the OC role while Pederson calls plays on game day.
Lawrence Guy, Stefen Wisniewski Get 2018 Bonuses
Patriots defensive tackle Lawrence Guy and Eagles offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski each missed out on playing time incentive bonuses during the 2017 campaign, but their respective clubs have now given them new bonuses for the 2018 season to account for the lost pay.
Guy was scheduled to earn a $500K bonus if he played in 55% of New England’s defensive snaps a year ago, but he only saw action on 54.8% of the team’s plays. As such, the Patriots have reworked Guy’s contract by giving him a $500K signing bonus for 2018, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.
The Patriots have restructured contracts in such a manner before, as they made offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer‘s deal in 2014 to make his incentives easier to attain, and gave tight end Rob Gronkowski more opportunities to earn extra cash in 2017. Guy, 27, inked a three-year pact with New England last spring, and subsequently posted 34 tackles and one sack during his debut Patriots season.
Wisniewski, meanwhile, failed to earn an $250K bonus after playing only 61.5% of the Eagles’ offensive snaps last season. Philadelphia, therefore, gave Wisniewski a $250K signing bonus this week, reports Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). The 28-year-old Wisniewski started 11 games during his second season with the Eagles, grading as the league’s No. 26 among 77 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.
Eagles Hoping To Extend Nelson Agholor
- The Eagles currently hold the least amount of projected cap space (being $9MM-plus over the cap as of Saturday), and Geoff Mosher of FanRag Sports notes Howie Roseman would like to get a head-start on future caps by reaching an extension with breakout wideout Nelson Agholor. While no 2014 first-round pick has signed an extension yet, Mosher writes Roseman would probably like to extend the Chip Kelly-approved 2015 first-rounder this offseason and expects — if that comes to fruition — that price to be at around $9-$10MM per year. That would stand to lower Agholor’s 2019 fifth-year option number, slated to come in at $9.5MM. But with Agholor set for a bigger role in the Eagles’ offense, which Mosher does not expect to include Torrey Smith, he could bet on himself and see if he can drive up his value with a strong 2018.
- This offseason will also be important for Jay Ajayi, whose contract expires after the ’18 slate. But Ajayi’s history of knee trouble — which helped lead to the Boise State product falling to the fifth round in 2015 — could induce Roseman to be careful about an extension, Mosher writes. Corey Clement‘s Super Bowl performance may put the ex-UDFA on the radar to be the leading Eagles back in the near future, Mosher writes, which would affect Ajayi’s long-term standing.
Top 3 Offseason Needs: Philadelphia Eagles
In advance of March 14, the start of free agency in the NFL, Pro Football Rumors will detail each team’s three most glaring roster issues. We’ll continue this year’s series with the Philadelphia Eagles, who overcame the loss of their MVP-caliber starting quarterback to win the Super Bowl.
Depth Chart (via Roster Resource)
Pending Free Agents:
- Beau Allen, DT
- Kenjon Barner, RB
- Will Beatty, T
- LeGarrette Blount, RB
- Nigel Bradham, LB
- Bryan Braman, DE
- Trey Burton, TE
- Dannell Ellerbe, LB
- Najee Goode, LB
- Corey Graham, S
- Patrick Robinson, CB
- Darren Sproles, RB
- Caleb Sturgis, K
- Jaylen Watkins, S (RFA)
Top 10 Cap Hits for 2018:
- Fletcher Cox, DT: $17,900,000
- Lane Johnson, T: $12,250,000
- Jason Peters, T: $11,666,666
- Vinny Curry, DL: $11,000,000
- Brandon Brooks, G: $10,886,397
- Zach Ertz, TE: $10,345,000
- Malcolm Jenkins, S: $10,000,000
- Rodney McLeod, S: $8,406,250
- Mychal Kendricks, LB: $7,600,000
- Nick Foles, QB: $7,600,000
Other:
- Projected cap space (via Over the Cap): -$9,426,190
- 32nd pick in draft
- Must exercise or decline 2019 fifth-year option for WR Nelson Agholor
Three Needs:
1) Figure out what to do with Nick Foles: After the Eagles lost starting quarterback Carson Wentz to a torn ACL in Week 14, no one gave them much of a chance to sustain an extended postseason run. Although Philadelphia boasted one of the best overall rosters in the NFL, backup signal-caller Nick Foles didn’t inspire a ton of confidence. And he probably shouldn’t have: aside from one solid 2016 start with the Chiefs, Foles hadn’t been productive since the 2013 campaign (which also came with the Eagles). Philadelphia received a first-round bye after securing the No. 1 seed in the NFC, but a short playoff stint looked exceedingly likely.
We all know what happened next. Despite being the underdog in each game, the Eagles held on against the Falcons in the Divisional Round, destroyed the Vikings in the NFC Championship, and pulled out a classic against the Patriots to win the first Super Bowl in franchise history. Foles was surgical, completing 28-of-43 attempts for 373 yards and three touchdowns while catching a touchdown pass from tight end Trey Burton on a fourth down, Philly Special play call. Two years after contemplating retirement, Foles is the reigning Super Bowl MVP.
So what do the Eagles do with Foles now? He’s not going to return as a starter in 2018, as Wentz is Philadelphia’s franchise quarterback and was on track to be named league MVP before he went down with injury. But that doesn’t mean Foles can’t come back as Wentz’s backup for another season, especially given how he proved his value during the Eagles’ Super Bowl run. But Foles is expensive: discounting Mike Glennon, who is sure to be released this offseason, Foles is the league’s highest-paid No. 2 quarterback. He’s due to count for $7.6MM on Philadelphia’s 2018 salary cap, and will collect $6MM in cash next season.
Most clubs would be able to afford a top-tier backup signal-caller at Foles’ price, but the Eagles’ salary cap situation is dire. At present, Philadelphia ranks dead last in expected 2018 space, and is projected to be nearly $10MM over the cap when the new league year begins in March. If Foles is traded, the Eagles would pick up $5.2MM in cap room, a penance to many teams but a critical amount for Philadelphia. There are other ways for vice president of football operations Howie Roseman to create space, to be sure, but trading Foles would also allow the Eagles to add draft capital, another benefit for a team that currently lacks a second- or third-round pick.
What type of return the Eagles can expect for Foles is an open question. Here’s a look at how much several comparable quarterbacks have cost over the past two seasons:
Jacoby Brissett is the absolute floor for a possible Foles trade, but Jimmy Garoppolo and Sam Bradford are both acceptable comps. Sure, Jimmy G now looks like one of the NFL’s next great quarterbacks, but at the time the Patriots dealt him to the 49ers, Garoppolo boasted only two career starts and 94 career attempts — Foles topped both of those marks (and posted a superior quarterback rating) during the Eagles’ playoff run alone. Of course, Garoppolo hadn’t put any poor performances on film and was 26 years old when he was traded, while Foles does have some substandard play on his record and is entering his age-29 season.
Like Foles, Bradford was an Eagle at the time he was dealt, and was coming off a campaign in which he completed 65% of his passes for 19 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and an 86.4 passer rating. While he never hit the highs that did Foles, Bradford managed his competent performance over a 14-game stretch, giving an indication that his production would be sustainable going forward. Foles was excellent over a three-playoff-game sample, but will other NFL clubs be willing to bet on him as a starter in 2018?
Given that Foles’ value is at an all-time high, I don’t see how the Eagles can’t at least explore his trade value, especially given their salary cap and draft capital situation. I’d set parameters, though, and likely wouldn’t accept anything less than a early-to-mid second-round selection. The 2018 quarterback market offers more options — Kirk Cousins, Case Keenum, Bradford — than any in recent memory, so teams may not be clamoring to acquire Foles, but clubs such as the Browns (pick Nos. 33 and 35 in the early second round), the Jets (No. 37), the Broncos (No. 40), the Cardinals (No. 47), and Bills (No. 53) could all express interest.
If Foles is gone, the Eagles will need a new backup quarterback (although they have indicated confidence in third-stringer Nate Sudfeld). Philadelphia isn’t likely to find a better option than Sudfeld late in the draft, so a free agent signal-caller would represent the expected solution. Of course, any veteran inked by the Eagles would need to come at a cheaper rate than Foles (otherwise there’d be no financial reason to trade him). Josh McCown and Matt Moore stand out as experienced quarterbacks who could competently fill in for Wentz, while a trade acquisition — perhaps the Browns include DeShone Kizer or Cody Kessler in a Foles swap — can’t be ruled out.
2) Part ways with Jason Peters, but find a swing tackle: We’ve already covered the Eagles’ ominous salary cap situation, but trading Nick Foles might not be the only financially-motivated move Philadelphia needs to make over the coming weeks. Veteran left tackle Jason Peters, who played in seven games before tearing his ACL, is set to count for $10.667MM in 2018, an unpalatable figure for a 36-year-old coming off injury. While Eagles head coach Doug Pederson recently indicated Peters will return to Philadelphia next season, Pederson isn’t the one making the tough cap-related decisions — those calls will fall to Howie Roseman, who must weigh Peters’ ability against his cost.
However, the Eagles will almost certainly have to trade Peters if they want to experience any cap relief. Under the terms of his recent extension, Peters garnered a $4.5MM injury guarantee for the 2018 season. Given that he tore his ACL in October, Peters likely won’t be able to pass a physical before that total becomes fully guaranteed in March, so Philadelphia will be paying the sum either way. In fact, it will cost more — $10,833,334 vs. $10,666,666 — to cut Peters than to keep him on the roster next year, provided that $4.5MM guarantee kicks in.
As such, a trade of Peters is the only way the Eagles can get his cap charge off their books, and I’d expect a number of teams to be interested in acquiring a high-quality tackle, even an aged one with a knee injury. Peters, a likely future Hall of Famer, graded as the NFL’s seventh-best offensive tackle before going down in 2017, per Pro Football Focus, meaning he’s still a valuable commodity. Club such as the Patriots (if they lose Nate Solder to free agency), the Bengals, the Texans, the Jaguars, the Buccaneers, and the Cardinals could all use a left tackle, and Peters would only cost an acquiring team $6.75MM next season.Read more
Eagles' Brandon Graham Wants Extension
Eagles linebacker/defensive end Brandon Graham is ready to cash in after turning in the best season of his career. The 29-year-old (30 in April) has one more season to go on his contract, but he’s looking for an extension that will reflect his performance.
Last year, the Eagles rewarded Graham with an extra $1.5MM in incentives for the final two years of his deal as a showing of good faith. This time around, Graham is looking for something more substantial as he enters the final year of his pact. As it stands, Graham is set to carry an $8MM cap number in 2018, which ranks just 13th amongst 4-3 DEs in the NFL.