Details On Nick Foles' Injury
- Eagles quarterback Nick Foles hasn’t taken the field this preseason because of an elbow injury. Specifically, Foles has a flexor strain and inflammation around a nerve in his right elbow, a source told Les Bowen of Philly.com. While the source indicated that Foles had the same problem during his time with the Chiefs last year, it won’t affect his place on the Eagles’ roster or his regular-season availability, Bowen notes. The plan remains for him to back up Carson Wentz beginning in Week 1.
Eagles Trade LS Jon Dorenbos To Saints
Monday’s been oddly populated by long-snapping news, and the Eagles and Saints jumped into the fray toward the end of the day.
Philadelphia traded long snapper Jon Dorenbos to New Orleans in exchange for a 2019 seventh-round pick, the Eagles announced Monday night.
Dorenbos spent 11 seasons with the Eagles and has been snapping since 2003. The 37-year-old figures to take over the Saints’ specialty snapping duties. The longest-tenured Eagle, Dorenbos made two Pro Bowls — in 2009 and 2014 — and made enough of an impact for owner Jeffrey Lurie to release as statement (via Geoff Mosher of FanRag Sports, on Twitter) thanking him for his contributions over the past decade.
The 15th-year snapper signed a three-year extension in 2016, and $500K of his $1MM base salary is fully guaranteed, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com points out (on Twitter). Caplan adds (via Twitter) $500K of Dorenbos’ 2018 salary ($1.015MM) becomes fully guaranteed on March 18.
Rick Lovato will take over the Philly gig. The 24-year-old Lovato snapped in seven games with the Packers, Redskins and Eagles between 2015-16. The younger specialist was likely going to supplant Dorenbos, Jeff McLane of Philly.com tweets.
The Saints re-signed their longtime snapper, Justin Drescher, earlier this month. Dorenbos figures to be the favorite to win this job, though. Drescher, 29, has snapped with the Saints for seven straight seasons. Sean Payton said just before Drescher’s return he was unhappy with the team’s inconsistent long snapping but noted last week he was pleased with Drescher’s work during the preseason.
Drescher was outfitted with a walking boot on Monday, Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com reveals (on Twitter). That would help explain the decision.
This is the second trade involving a long snapper today. The Jets and Colts made a lower-profile swap earlier. The Ravens and Bears also signed long snappers today.
Eagles Trade Terrence Brooks To Jets For Dexter McDougle
The Eagles have traded safety Terrence Brooks to the Jets in exchange for cornerback Dexter McDougle, Philadelphia announced today.
Brooks, a third-round selection in 2014, will now join the third team of his NFL career (the 26-year-old began his pro tenure in Baltimore before the Eagles claimed him off waivers prior to the 2016 season). Last year, Brooks appeared in 11 games but rarely played on the defensive side of the ball — while he managed only three snaps on defense, Brooks saw action on more than a third of the Eagles’ special teams plays.
Philadelphia didn’t have a need for Brooks, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com, who notes the Florida State product was unlikely to crack the Eagles’ roster. The Jets, on the other hand, could use a third safety behind rookie starters Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). New York’s other defense backs include Rontez Miles, Shamarko Thomas, Ronald Martin, and Robenson Therezie.
McDougle’s chances to earn a spot on Philadelphia’s roster are a bit less clear, as the Eagles now have a decent stable of cornerbacks following the trade that netted them Ronald Darby from the Bills in exchange for Jordan Matthews and a draft choice. After Darby, the Eagles boast Jalen Mills, Ron Brooks, Rasul Douglas, Patrick Robinson, and others, including second-round pick Sidney Jones, who may begin the season on the non-football injury list.
If he does make the Eagles’ squad, McDougle will likely play mostly on special teams. Like Brooks, McDougle was a third-round pick in 2014 — in fact, he was chosen just one selection after Brooks (80th overall). He’s mostly been injured during his three-year stay in New York, as he’s only appeared in 20 total games since 2014.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/26/17
Here are today’s minor moves.
- The 75-man cutdown date no longer exists, but the Eagles made an early start toward paring their roster down to 53 Saturday. Philadelphia waived wide receivers Keevan Lucas and David Watford and also parted ways with cornerback Tay Glover-Wright. An early-entry rookie this year, Lucas spent two weeks with the Eagles. Philly signed Watford to a reserve/futures deal in January; the Eagles cut Watford before the 2016 regular season.
- An injury settlement will lead to the Lions and defensive tackle Bruce Gaston splitting up. Gaston previously resided on Detroit’s IR list. He played in nine games in 2015 for the Bears and Packers, respectively.
Eagles Notes: Kaepernick, Allen
With Nick Foles battling an elbow injury that has kept him out of preseason action and Matt McGloin having such a subpar summer that he’s likely to lose his roster spot, the Eagles may have a backup quarterback problem. They could potentially solve it by signing free agent Colin Kaepernick, Mike Sielski of Philly.com contends. Kaepernick remains unemployed in part because owners don’t want to deal with the backlash that would accompany signing the political activist, but that shouldn’t be a problem for the Eagles. After all, owner Jeffrey Lurie signed Mike Vick as a backup QB in 2009, after he served an 18-month prison sentence for his role in a dogfighting ring. While it’s up for debate whether Kaepernick is in the right, Vick’s actions were undeniably revolting. And yet he was able to land a second chance in Philadelphia.
- It appeared Eagles defensive lineman Beau Allen would miss the first few weeks of the regular season when he suffered a chest injury in April. That won’t be the case, though, as Allen passed a physical Friday and came off the active/PUP list, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). The three-year veteran is now in position to keep his iron man streak alive, as he has never missed a game during his career. The return of Allen will further bolster a strong D-line and give the Eagles a player who was on the field for 554 snaps last year (412 on defense, 142 on special teams).
Blount Feels Good About Making Cut
There has been speculation that LeGarrette Blount could be on the Eagles‘ roster bubble, but the running back seems to think that his job is secure.
Doug Pederson Backs LeGarrette Blount
While recent reports indicated LeGarrette Blount could lose his Eagles roster spot before the season gets underway, head coach Doug Pederson seemingly dismissed those insinuations today, as Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. “LeGarrette Blount is a beast of a runner,” said Pederson. “I’m excited he’s here and he’s going to be a big part of our offense.” The Eagles signed Blount to a one-year deal that contains $400K guaranteed after he led the league with 18 rushing touchdowns a season ago. While there’s virtually no chance the 30-year-old Blount will match his 299 carries from 2016, he should be part of a Philadelphia backfield rotation that also includes Darren Sproles, Wendell Smallwood, and Donnel Pumphrey.
Seahawks Acquire Matt Tobin From Eagles
The Eagles and Seahawks have completed a trade. The Seahawks will acquire tackle Matt Tobin and a 2018 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2018 fifth-round pick. 
[RELATED: George Fant Done For Season]
Tobin, 27, saw significant playing time for the Eagles in 2014 and 2015. Last year, he appeared in 12 games before he landed on IR in December. The 6’6″ lineman was on the field for 101 offensive snaps last year (35 passing, 65 running) and earned a substandard 49.0 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.
Presumably, the former UDFA has healed up from last year’s knee injury, so he might be able to push Rees Odhiambo for the starting job vacated by George Fant‘s season-ending injury. If he falls short in that battle, Tobin’s versatility will work in his favor with experience at both tackle and guard.
The Seahawks still have to figure out their left tackle situation, but they project to start Luke Joeckel, Justin Britt, Oday Aboushi, and Germain Ifedi at the remaining O-Line spots.
Dolphins Looked At Mychal Kendricks Before Kiko Alonso Trade
When the Dolphins and Eagles discussed the seminal trade that ended up giving Miami Kiko Alonso and Byron Maxwell and the Eagles the No. 8 pick in the 2016 draft, Philadelphia brass gave the south Florida franchise a list of players they were willing to offer.
Mychal Kendricks appeared on the list, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports. The Dolphins preferred Alonso to Kendricks and ended up making sure the former Bills standout only played one season with the Eagles. While the Dolphins signed Alonso to an extension, Kendricks hovered on the 2017 trade block.
Salguero reports the Dolphins studied Kendricks, who was a full-time player for the Chip Kelly-era Eagles before being relegated to a part-timer under new DC Jim Schwartz. Kendricks said in July he requested a trade out of Philly, but his 2017 salary became guaranteed earlier this year.
Dolphins executive VP Mike Tannenbaum also received reassurance on Maxwell, who did not show much with the Eagles, from Dan Quinn — Maxwell’s DC for part of his years in Seattle. The rangy corner became the player the Dolphins prioritized in this deal — one that helped the Eagles move from No. 13 to No. 8, putting them in better position to make the Carson Wentz trade with the Browns — but the team wanted more, per Salguero, prompting Miami to scan Philadelphia’s linebacker depth chart.
The Dolphins preferred Alonso to Kendricks because of his appeal as a three-down linebacker, Salguero notes. Kendricks is signed through the 2019 season but sits behind Jordan Hicks and Nigel Bradham in Philly’s linebacker hierarchy; Hicks and Bradham function as the Eagles’ nickel ‘backers.
Kendricks is attached to cap numbers of $6.6MM (2017), $7.6MM (’18) and $8.6MM (’19). Alonso’s extension ended up being for nearly the exact same amount as the Eagles signed Kendricks to more than 18 months earlier. The Miami outside ‘backer signed a four-year, $28.9MM re-up more than a year after Kendricks signed for four years and $29MM.
Blount On Roster Bubble?
- Eagles running back LeGarrette Blount is coming off one of his best seasons, but he struggled to find a new home in free agency this offseason, and the short-yardage specialist may be on the roster bubble in Philly, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (citing Matt Lombardo of NJ.com) writes. Although Blount does not really fit the Eagles’ offense, it may not be wise to cut him, as Wendell Smallwood has had difficulty staying healthy, Darren Sproles is 34, and Donnel Pumphrey is a fourth-round rookie.