Trey Burton Signs Eagles RFA Tender
- As expected, tight end Trey Burton signed his one-year RFA tender, per an announcement from the Eagles. It’s a one-year, $2.746MM contract.
Eagles Interested In Obi Melifonwu
- The Eagles hosted UConn safety Obi Melifonwu for a top-30 draft visit on Thursday, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. At least seven other NFL teams have expressed interest in Melifonwu, who is expected to be drafted in the the first or second round. Philadelphia is set at safety for the immediate future, although veteran Malcolm Jenkins has reportedly been discussed in trade talks.
Roseman Cedes Draft Power To Douglas
- Howie Roseman‘s given more power over the Eagles‘ draft board to VP of player personnel Joe Douglas than he did previous lieutenants Ryan Grigson or Tom Gamble, Jeff McLane of Philly.com writes. “The draft is going to be really built by Joe,” Jeffrey Lurie said, via McLane, before adding “the final decision will be made by Howie.” This will be Douglas’ first draft with the Eagles after landing in Philadelphia last May. McLane writes this will take some of the prospect-evaluation burden off of Roseman.
Chris Long's Contract Contains Four Options
- Chris Long‘s contract with the Eagles includes options from the 2018 to 2021 season, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). The total deal could max out at $11.25MM, and he’ll essentially earn $2.25MM each season from 2019 through 2021.
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Connor Barwin Helped Eagles Sign Chris Long
- The Eagles released pass rusher Connor Barwin earlier this month, and believe it or not, he then helped the team find his replacement. Before signing with Philadelphia on Tuesday, defensive end Chris Long talked with Barwin, who gave glowing reviews of the city and the franchise, writes Zach Berman of Philly.com. Now that he’s an Eagle, Long expects to thrive in their system. Even though Long’s numbers dropped over the previous three seasons, during which he combined for eight sacks in 34 games with the Rams and Patriots, the 32-year-old believes he still has “a lot left.”
Eagles Notes: Brooks, Long
- Eagles defensive back Ron Brooks took a pay cut Friday, reports Field Yates of ESPN (via Twitter). He’s now slated to make $1MM in 2017, down from the $1.85MM he had been scheduled to collect. The Eagles also changed 2018 into an option season for Brooks, whom they signed to a three-year, $6MM deal last March. Brooks missed most of last season with a ruptured quad, appearing in six games and picking up five starts.
- Defensive end Chris Long‘s two-year contract with the Eagles is worth $4.5MM plus incentives, per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).
Eagles’ Malcolm Jenkins On Trade Rumors
Earlier this month, the Eagles reportedly offered up Malcolm Jenkins and draft picks to the Saints for Brandin Cooks. Ultimately, Cooks went to the Patriots and top exec Howie Roseman came out swinging against talk that the safety was made available. Now, comments from Jenkins himself seem to confirm that he was in fact being discussed with New Orleans. 
“His message was that they want me to be an Eagle,” Jenkins said as he recounted a recent conversation with Roseman (via CSNPhilly.com’s Dave Zangaro). “They love what I’m doing on the field, they love what I’m doing in the community and they want me to be a big part of what they do from a long-term standpoint. But at the same time, if somebody is going to offer something ridiculously high for me that he thinks is in the best interest of the team then he would definitely consider, which he would with anybody. And I understand that. So that doesn’t give me any anxiety or any worry.”
Jenkins added that he thinks he would have been involved in the deal, for the right price. Although he’s still playing at a high level, Jenkins will turn 30 in December and he probably shouldn’t be considered an untouchable. It seems like Roseman denied the trade talk in order to avoid things getting awkward for the veteran. Fortunately for him, Jenkins seems to be taking it all in stride.
Jenkins is signed through 2020. He is scheduled to carry cap hits of $7.5MM, $10MM, $9.75MM, and $9.25MM in each of the next four seasons.
Eagles Structured Sam Bradford Contract For Trade
When the Eagles re-signed quarterback Sam Bradford to a two-year deal in the spring of 2016, the club structured the contract in such a way that enabled them to trade Bradford before the end of the pact, owner Jeffrey Lurie told Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com and Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter links). Lurie equated the Bradford deal to buying a draft pick, as the Eagles gave the veteran signal-caller an $11MM signing bonus that would immediately accelerate on Philadelphia’s salary cap in the event of a trade. The Eagles, of course, did end up dealing Bradford to the Vikings for a 2017 first-round pick.
Eagles Expected To Retain Kendricks, Kelce
Despite being mentioned in trade talks, linebacker Mychal Kendricks and center Jason Kelce are both expected to stick on the Eagles’ roster, head coach Doug Pederson told reporters, including Jimmy Kempski of the Philly Voice and Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com (Twitter links).
Philadelphia had placed Kendricks on the trade block as far back as the 2015 draft, but the club was reportedly actively shopping him this offseason. The Eagles were looking for a fifth-round pick in exchange for Kendricks, but no team was willing to meet that ask after $4.35MM of Kendricks’ $4.85MM 2017 base salary became fully guaranteed earlier this month. Kendricks, 26, is signed through the 2019 campaign thanks to an extension inked in August 2015.
A full-time starter during his first four seasons with the Eagles, Kendricks was largely relegated to a reserve role in 2016, as he played on only a quarter of Philadelphia’s defensive snaps. In that span, he racked up 28 tackles and fumble recovery, and earned positive marks for his run defense and pass rushing ability from Pro Football Focus. Kendricks’ coverage grade of 47.7, however, was lacking.
Kelce’s name had also been bandied about in trade discussions, but the Eagles weren’t interested in unloading Kelce simply to clear cap space. Kelce, 29, started all 16 games for the third time in the past four seasons. He posted his worst campaign during that span, however, as Pro Football Focus graded him as just the No. 27 center among 38 qualifiers. Signed through 2020, Kelce has cap charges between $6.2MM and $7.2MM in each of the next four years.
Eagles Still Looking For Edge Help
- Although the Eagles signed veteran defensive end Chris Long earlier today, the club is still expected to target edge rushers in the draft, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The same can probably be said at cornerback, where Philadelphia agreed to terms with Patrick Robinson. Both Long and Robinson are veterans who agreed to short-term deals, so their additions shouldn’t affect the Eagles’ plans to add to their defense as the draft approaches.