Eagles Hosting Dalvin Cook
- Florida State running back and first-round prospect Dalvin Cook is in Philadelphia meeting with the Eagles, reports Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). The Eagles finished an unimpressive 18th in the league in yards per carry last season and don’t have a high-end No. 1 rusher, so it’s possible they’ll give Cook serious consideration if he’s on the board at No. 14.
East Notes: Jets, Eagles, Jenkins, Bills
Muhammad Wilkerson, who inked a monster extension with the Jets last year, appears to be extremely out of shape, according to multiple scouts who saw him at Temple’s Pro Day (via Manish Mehta of the Daily News). Wilkerson’s listed weight last season was 315 pounds and it’s unclear how heavy he is at the moment. The Jets effectively chose Wilkerson over fellow defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson last year by giving him the long-term deal and, so far, it’s not clear if Wilkerson will reward the Jets for their confidence in him. Last year Wilkerson had just 4.5 sacks, the lowest total since his rookie season. This year, he’s set to carry a $18MM cap number with a fully guaranteed $14.75MM base salary, so a trade is probably out of the question. Meanwhile, Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter) posted a picture of Wilkerson from just last week in which he appears to be in the same shape he was last year.
A bit more from the NFL’s East divisions:
- Eagles GM Howie Roseman continues to shoot down rumors that he offered up Malcolm Jenkins in trade talks for Brandin Cooks. His latest denial is the firmest one to date (Twitter link via 97.5 The Fanatic). “The Brandin Cooks, Malcolm Jenkins thing kind of gets under my skin. We were never going to trade Malcolm Jenkins,” Roseman said.
- Initially reported as a four-year deal, kicker Steven Hauschka‘s pact with the Bills is actually a three-year contract, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). It’s worth $8.85MM, nearly half of which ($4MM) is guaranteed.
- In case you missed it, Gang Green agreed to a deal with longtime Cowboys cornerback Morris Claiborne on Thursday.
Draft Rumors: Eagles, Saints, Foster, Lewis
The 2017 NFL draft gets underway six weeks from tomorrow, so let’s take a quick look at the latest new and notes emerging from the draft realm:
- Both the Saints and the Eagles have decided to use one of their predraft visits on Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster, according to Herbie Teope of NOLA.com and Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com. Each NFL club will is allowed 30 predraft visits to use at their discretion. Foster, the best off-ball linebacker in the 2017 draft and a projected top-15 pick, was sent home from the combine earlier this month following an incident with a hospital worker. That dustup shouldn’t Foster’s draft stock, and Todd McShay of ESPN.com sent Foster to Cincinnati with the ninth pick in his most recent mock draft.
- Michigan cornerback Jourdan Lewis has been charged with misdemeanor assault following an altercation with his girlfriend, as John Counts of MLive.com writes. Lewis was never formally arrested, tweets Dan Murphy of ESPN.com, but was indeed charged later on Wednesday. Ranked just outside Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com‘s top-50 prospects, Lewis may have his draft stock affected by this charge.
- Instead of seeking a sixth year of collegiate eligibility, Southern Methodist quarterback Matt Davis will enter the draft, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Davis was injured for most of the 2016 campaign, but passed for nearly 2,300 yards, 16 touchdowns, and seven interceptions the year prior. Though he’ll work out at SMU’s Pro Day, it’s unclear if Davis has any chance of being drafted.
Eagles Notes: Cromartie, Daniel
- Cornerback Marcus Cromartie visited with the has generated interest from the Jets, Eagles, and Seahawks according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, who notes the 49ers are also “keeping an eye” on the three-year pro. Cromartie, 26, hit the open market last week after San Francisco declined to offer him a restricted free agent tender. He’s appeared in 21 games during his three-year NFL tenure, mostly acting as a special teams player during that time. The Lions are also intrigued by Cromartie, and hosted him for a visit over the weekend.
- Before releasing quarterback Chase Daniel earlier this week, the Eagles restructured his offset language in order to be able to recoup more money, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. While Caplan doesn’t detail how exactly Philadelphia restructured Daniels’ deal, the ESPN scribe does note Daniel will still be able to earn more than the $5MM that was fully guaranteed under his Eagles contract.
Eagles Open To Trading Wide Receiver
After signing free agent wide receivers Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith to one-year deals, the Eagles are now open to trading one of their recently-drafted pass-catchers, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. While La Canfora doesn’t name the specific wideouts Philadelphia is willing to move, Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor are the only receivers on the club’s roster who were originally drafted by the Eagles.
Matthews, selected in the second round of the 2014 draft, has offered steady production from the slot during his three-year tenure with the Eagles, but he doesn’t offer the type of No. 1 receiver production that his size (6’3″, 212 pounds) would seem to indicate. In 2016, Matthews posted 73 receptions for 804 yards and three touchdowns. While his scoring was down, Matthews more or less matched his career averages last year.
Now entering his age-25 season, Matthews has one year on his rookie contract, which comes with a base salary slightly north of $1MM. Earlier this month, Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports reported the Eagles may be wiling to deal Matthews if the right offer came about. Matthews was selected while Philadelphia still employed former head coach Chip Kelly, so de facto general manager Howie Roseman might not feel attached to the fourth-year pro.
Agholor, meanwhile, was drafted after Kelly had assumed control of the Eagles’ personnel office, meaning Roseman has even less reason to keep Agholor around. Agholor, 23, has posted extremely disappointed results during his first two years in the NFL, as he’s averaged just 30 catches, 374 yards, and two touchdowns from 2015-16. The 20th overall pick in the 2015 draft, Agholor is due fully guaranteed base salaries totaling ~$2.4MM over the next two seasons.
The Eagles are also reportedly open to dealing center Jason Kelce, guard Allen Barbre, and linebacker Mychal Kendricks.
Kayvon Webster To Visit Eagles, Dolphins
Kayvon Webster may end up logging as many as three visits during his first time as a free agent. The fifth-year cornerback told Troy Renck of Denver7 (Twitter link) he has visits lined up with both the Eagles and Dolphins. These summits will follow his Rams meeting, which is ongoing, per ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson (on Twitter).
We heard about potential pursuits from Miami and Philadelphia earlier this month. Webster’s Rams visit also went “great,” per Renck (on Twitter). So despite not having much of a defensive role on probably the league’s best cornerback depth chart over the past three seasons, Webster looks to have generated significant interest.
The former third-round pick has also served as a high-end special-teamer for the Broncos, doing so after Aqib Talib and Bradley Roby commandeered cornerback jobs midway through Webster’s Denver tenure. The Broncos seem likely to lose Webster, who is eyeing more playing time.
Webster has a clear connection with the Rams, who just hired Wade Phillips as DC, but Adam Gase was on the Broncos’ offensive staff during the corner’s first two Broncos seasons. Each of the three teams possess greater cornerback needs than do the Broncos, who have Roby, Talib and Chris Harris each signed through 2018. The Eagles lost Nolan Carroll in free agency and moved on from Leodis McKelvin, thinning out their corner corps considerably. Miami has a host of young players on a Byron Maxwell-fronted depth chart.
Webster played on just 60 defensive snaps last season but made several impact plays as a punt gunner during his time with the Broncos. He started two games as a rookie prior to the team adding Talib and Roby.
Broncos Notes: Romo, Webster, Peko, OL
Connected to a high-profile quarterback acquisition for the second straight offseason, Broncos GM John Elway didn’t identify the team’s Tony Romo circumstances as being all that different from the ones that had Denver close to adding Colin Kaepernick last year.
“Yeah [it’s a similar situation], because we feel good where we are. There are so many things … everything gets ratcheted. I will just tell you this: There’s been a lot of things out there that are not true as far as what’s going with our quarterbacks. So that’s what happens. Everything gets frothed up,” Elway said, via Troy Renck of Denver7.
Renck adds that the latest coming out of Dallas is Romo is growing restless with the Cowboys’ tactics, with the franchise having backtracked on its intention to release him in order to pivot back to trying to trade the 15th-year quarterback. The Broncos remain unlikely to trade for Romo, per Renck, even after the Texans’ cap space-clearing trade of Brock Osweiler. It would be a “major upset” if the Cowboys found a taker for Romo’s contract in a trade, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
The Broncos nearly traded for Kaepernick last year, but the sides couldn’t agree on a restructured deal. Denver then selected Paxton Lynch in the first round but turned the reins over to Trevor Siemian for most of 2016. That competition would continue for a second straight year if the franchise doesn’t acquire Romo. Vance Joseph said the franchise is in good shape with Siemian and Lynch for “the next four or five years,” per James Palmer of NFL.com (Twitter link). Lynch is under Broncos control for four more years, with Siemian’s rookie deal running through 2018.
Here’s more from the Mile High City.
- Meanwhile, Elway said his understanding is Kayvon Webster wants to play more (Twitter link via Cameron Wolfe of The Denver Post). Webster has been public about his desire to have a larger defensive role and he won’t get that opportunity in Denver, being blocked on the cornerback depth chart. Webster, who made our list of this year’s Top 50 Free Agents, has long been expected to leave. The fifth-year corner has served as one of the Broncos’ top special-teamers, but after a rookie season in which fewer obstacles resided in between Webster and a defensive role, the Broncos’ 2014 additions of Aqib Talib and Bradley Roby effectively buried him on the depth chart for the ensuing three seasons. Now employing his previous defensive coordinator, Wade Phillips, the Rams are hosting Webster on a visit today.
- Domata Peko also received interest from the Bengals, Vikings and Eagles prior to signing his two-year Broncos accord, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post tweets. Peko had obvious connections to the Bengals and the Mike Zimmer-coached Vikings but chose to join the Broncos.
- Elway said the team’s starting left tackle might not be on the roster presently, per Renck, but noted recent right tackle signings Menelik Watson and Donald Stephenson are options there. Watson served as an emergency left tackle after injuries ravaged the Raiders’ tackle corps at a point last season, but Oakland primarily utilized him on the right edge. Stephenson began the 2015 season as the Chiefs’ starting left tackle, when he took Eric Fisher‘s spot, but Andy Reid reversed course and placed Fisher back there. Stephenson didn’t get a starting job back and signed with Denver, where he struggled as the team’s primary right tackle starter.
- Denver still has interest in re-signing backup outside linebacker Dekoda Watson, according to 9News’ Mike Klis, who confirms the team’s interest in bringing back Vance Walker (Twitter link).
- Newly signed Kasim Edebali will likely compete for work behind Von Miller and Shane Ray at outside linebacker, Wolfe writes. He played defensive end in the Saints’ 4-3 scheme and 58.7 percent of New Orleans’ special teams snaps in 2016. The Broncos also have Shaquil Barrett as their top backup at outside ‘backer.
Zach Links contributed to this report.
Eagles Release Chase Daniel
Chase Daniel‘s time in Philadelphia will be limited to one year. The Eagles granted the 30-year-old quarterback’s wish and released him from the three-year contract he signed last March, the team confirmed (on Twitter).
It became clear the Eagles weren’t looking to retain Daniel at the lofty price for which he signed last year ($21MM over three years) after they reached an agreement to bring back Nick Foles (at two years and $11MM) earlier today. Daniel subsequently requested his release, and the move will create $6MM in cap space for Philadelphia while saddling the Eagles with $2MM in dead money.
Offset language does exist in Daniel’s deal, per Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link), taking the Eagles off the hook for up to $5MM should Daniel sign elsewhere. He would seemingly be a sought-after backup quarterback, having served in that capacity for the Saints, Chiefs and Eagles. Daniel was due a $7MM base salary in 2017.
When the Eagles added Daniel, he was set to serve as Sam Bradford‘s backup. But once Philly traded up and took Carson Wentz, that contract — one that included $12MM in guarantees — became an interesting part of the Eagles’ payroll. Once the Eagles traded Bradford, Wentz leapfrogged Daniel. He threw one pass with the Eagles.
“It was best to move forward in a different direction as circumstances have changed since he originally signed,” GM Howie Roseman said, via Jeff McLane of Philly.com (Twitter link).
The Eagles have been connected to releases, trades or pay cuts with numerous talents this month in order to create cap room. Daniel’s release will help an Eagles team creep into double figures in terms of space. Prior to this move, the Eagles had approximately $5MM in space after signing Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith. Philly dangled Daniel in trade talks — just as it did Mychal Kendricks, Jason Kelce and Allen Barbre — but acted quickly to move on from the former University of Missouri talent.
Daniel has thrown just 78 NFL passes, most of which coming in two Week 17 starts for the Chiefs to close the 2013 and ’14 seasons.
Eagles Restructure Zach Ertz’s Contract
The Eagles signed Zach Ertz to an extension last year and watched him turn in a second straight season with 800-plus receiving yards. However, the team used Ertz’s contract to create some cap space today via restructure, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
Philadelphia converted $3.225MM of Ertz’s 2017 base salary into a guaranteed roster bonus, creating $2.58MM in cap space, Yates reports. Despite signing Torrey Smith, Alshon Jeffery and Nick Foles, Philly has not operated with much wiggle room in free agency, holding less than $6MM in cap space (only the Ravens have less at this juncture).
Connected to numerous potential trades and roster cuts — involving players like Jason Kelce, Mychal Kendricks, Chase Daniel and Jason Peters — the Eagles have been busy financially this month. Last year, the Eagles authorized numerous extensions to help push them up against the 2017 cap ceiling. A Daniel release, one that’s likely coming, will create $6MM in additional space, though.
Ertz will now make just $775K in base salary in his fifth season.
Eagles Expected To Release QB Chase Daniel
As expected, the addition of Nick Foles will displace Chase Daniel in Philadelphia. However, he won’t be leaving via trade. Daniel has asked the Eagles to release him and the team is expected to do so Monday, a source tells ESPN’s Adam Caplan. The quarterback personally confirmed the impending move with WIP’s Howard Eskin (on Twitter).
Daniel, 30, inked a lucrative contract with the Eagles last offeason that made him one of the highest-paid backup quarterbacks in the NFL. Under the terms of the three-year deal, Daniel is still owed $7MM base salaries in each of the next two years. In 2017, $5MM of that salary is fully guaranteed, so, combined with the prorated bonus money left on Daniels’ pact, Philadelphia will take a $7MM dead money hit when it releases its No. 2 signal-caller.
The Eagles reportedly tried to trade Daniel last week, and while he drew some interest around the league, no club was willing to take on his contract. Despite his paycheck, Daniel is very inexperienced as an NFL passer, as he’s attempted only 78 passes during his seven-year career. Still, as many as six teams were interested in Daniel last year before he signed with Philadelphia, so he figures to have suitors as a free agent this time around.