Eagles’ Ronald Darby Has Dislocated Ankle
Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby suffered a dislocated ankle during Sunday’s victory against the Redskins, but things are not as bad as they could have been. An MRI on Monday morning showed that Darby did not suffer any major ligament damage, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The dislocated ankle will keep him out for 4-6 weeks.
Without Darby, a thin Philadelphia secondary now becomes a even thinner with Patrick Robinson likely joining Jalen Mills as a starter in base packages. The Eagles played with only three active cornerbacks Sunday, relying on the ability of their safeties — including Corey Graham and Jaylen Watkins — to moonlight at corner if needed. Going forward, Rasul Douglas and/or Dexter McDougle will likely be active.
Other options could be in play, as well, including the potential promotion of practice squad corner C.J. Smith. Alternatively, the Eagles could hypothetically look to re-sign free agents Leodis McKelvin or Ron Brooks, both of whom were released earlier this year. Neither played well for Philadelphia in 2016, but both are familiar with defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz‘s scheme.
Darby is a newcomer to the Eagles’ defensive backfield, as the Birds acquired him from the Bills last month in exchange for a third-round pick and receiver Jordan Matthews. A former second-round draft choice, Darby has been up-and-down through two NFL seasons, but had been poised to serve as Philadelphia’s No. 1 cornerback.
Jordan Norwood Retires
Former NFL wide receiver Jordan Norwood has announced his retirement, tweets Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post. Norwood, played in parts of five seasons with the Eagles, Browns, and — most recently — Broncos, totaling 79 receptions, 844 yards, and two touchdowns during that time. Norwood’s most notable NFL time came in Denver, with whom he won a Super Bowl in 2015. PFR extends it best wishes to Norwood in retirement.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/10/17
Today’s minor moves:
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed to practice squad: CB Taurean Nixon, LB Marcus Rush
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released from IR: DE Alex McCalister, S Tre Sullivan
Eagles Return Draft Pick From Dorenbos Trade
- The Eagles have returned the 2019 seventh-round selection they received from the Saints in the Jon Dorenbos trade in light of Dorenbos’ need for heart surgery and his release from New Orleans via injury settlement, as Howard Eskin of 94 WIP reports (via Twitter).
NFL Workout Updates: 9/8/17
Today’s NFL workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter unless otherwise noted:
Atlanta Falcons
- QBs Garrett Grayson and Mitch Leidner (link)
Carolina Panthers
- T Korren Kirven (link)
Detroit Lions
- QB Joel Stave; WR Malachi Dupre; OTs Landon Lechler and Givens Price; DT Taylor Harris; S James Sample (Twitter links)
Green Bay Packers
- G Darrell Greene; OTs Cornelius Lucas and Jeremiah Poutasi; DE Jhaustin Thomas (link)
Indianapolis Colts
- RB Kenjon Barner (link)
Kansas City Chiefs
- DB Akeem King (link)
New England Patriots
- WR Gabe Marks; TE Ryan O’Malley (Twitter links via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com)
New York Jets
- RB Cyrus Gray; TE Nick Truesdell; C Erik Austell; G Brandon Thomas; WRs K.J. Brent, Bug Howard, and Domonique Young; TE Robert Tonyan; DE Tyrone Holmes; DT Caraun Reid; LB Vontarrius Dora; CBs Elie Bouka, Jarnor Jones, Damian Swann, and Robert Nelson; S Trey Caldwell and K.J. Dillon (Twitter links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
Philadelphia Eagles
- DBs De’Vante Bausby, Elie Bouka, Trey Caldwell, and Jarnor Jones (link)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- DE Jonathan Woodard; CBs Chris Humes and Sammy Seamster (link)
Tennessee Titans
- DB JaCorey Shepherd (link)
Saints Want To Rescind Jon Dorenbos Trade
The Saints will attempt to rescind the trade that sent long snapper Jon Dorenbos from Philadelphia to New Orleans given the news that Dorenbos will require heart surgery, head coach Sean Payton told reporters, including Josh Katzenstein of the Times-Picayune (Twitter link). Because Dorenbos’ aortic aneurysm is a pre-existing condition, the Saints should be able to recoup the 2019 seventh-round pick they dealt to the Eagles.
To be clear, Dorenbos’ health is clearly the most important issue at hand, and the re-acquiring of a draft pick isn’t at the top of the Saints’ itinerary at the moment given Dorenbos’ impending surgery. As Katzenstein tweets, Payton didn’t bring up the effects on the original trade and was merely answering a question from the media.
Nevertheless, New Orleans will need to replace Dorenbos on the field. Free agent long snapper Jeff Overbaugh will work out for the club today, joining a group of snappers that will audition for the Saints on Friday, reports Herbie Teope of the Times-Picayune (Twitter link). Justin Drescher, whom the Saints cut after acquiring Dorenbos, could also be an option, although that’s entirely speculative. Drescher was released with an injury settlement, so New Orleans might not have the right to re-sign him just yet.
For what it’s worth, Dorenbos has been dealing with a heart murmur for at least five years, according to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link), who adds the Eagles were “monitoring” the condition.
Pryor Reveals Eagles Pursued Him As UFA
Evidently hoping this one-year agreement can be a pathway to more lucrative long-term proposals, the 28-year-old Pryor also revealed he was negotiating with the Eagles prior to his Redskins pact. Pryor said he “believed” the Eagles were one of the teams pursuing him before something “in house” changed. This could allude to Alshon Jeffery signing a one-year deal on the same day Pryor agreed to his Washington contract. The Eagles were connected to just about every UFA wideout of note this offseason, and Pryor’s comments back up a March report of five teams being interested in signing him.
Chance Warmack Extension Details
- Offensive guard Chance Warmack‘s one-year extension with the Eagles has a base value of $2.5MM and can be worth as much as $5MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Given that Warmack, a former top-10 draft pick, is scheduled to earn roughly $1.3MM in 2017, his new deal could allow him to take a leap in terms of salary in 2018. Warmack isn’t projected to start for Philadelphia during the upcoming season, but he’ll be the club’s top backup guard behind Brandon Brooks and Isaac Seumalo. Speculatively, the Eagles could view Warmack as a future starter if they part ways with Jason Kelce and shift Seumalo to center.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/5/17
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: LB Jordan Tripp
- Placed on IR: LaRoy Reynolds
Chicago Bears
- Released from IR: S Chris Prosinski
Detroit Lions
- Released from IR: DB Tramain Jacobs
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Marcus Burley
- Released from IR: WR Wendall Williams
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived: LB Nick Dzubnar
Los Angeles Rams
- Released from IR: WR Nelson Spruce
New England Patriots
- Released from IR: DE Corey Vereen
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: T Bryce Harris
New York Giants
- Released from IR: S Duke Ihenacho, S Mykkele Thompson
New York Jets
- Signed: TE Neal Sterling
- Waived: FB Julian Howsare
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: S Erik Harris, LB Xavier Woodson-Luster
- Placed on IR: OL Denver Kirkland, S Obi Melifonwu
Philadelphia Eagles
- Placed on IR: DE Alex McCalister, S Tre Sullivan
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DL Will Clarke, LS Garrison Sanborn
- Placed on IR: QB Ryan Griffin
- Waived: DL Channing Ward
Eagles Were Outbid For Sloter
- The Vikings gave quarterback Kyle Sloter an above-average salary of $20K/week to join the practice squad, allowing them to outbid the Broncos, Redskins, Eagles, Falcons, and others, Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press tweets. Sloter excelled in the preseason, but the Broncos went in a different direction to solidify their quarterback void.