Philly D.A.: No Charges For Nelson Agholor
Philadelphia District Attorney R. Seth Williams formally announced today that Eagles wide receiver Nelson Agholor will not face charges in connection with a June rape claim. Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Inquirer first reported that the USC product would not be charged. 
[RELATED: Doug Pederson: Carson Wentz Would Be Inactive If Season Started Today]
“The District Attorney’s Family Violence and Sexual Assault Unit and detectives from the Philadelphia Police Department’s Special Victims Unit thoroughly investigated the allegations of sexual assault against Nelson Agholor. As a result of this joint investigation, our staff and the Police reached the conclusion that we lacked sufficient evidence to bring charges against Mr. Agholor, therefore no charges will be filed,” the D.A. said in a statement.
Even though Agholor will not be charged, there’s still a chance Agholor could face discipline from the league. By the same token, his odds of receiving a fine or a suspension have probably gone down with today’s news.
Last month, Agholor reportedly agreed to pay an exotic dancer $1,400 for their time together in a private room. When she left before the allotted time they agreed upon, Agholor only paid her $800. The dancer was said to have left the bar without informing management of the alleged rape while multiple dancers at the club told management that Agholor didn’t do anything wrong.
Agholor, the No. 20 overall pick in the 2015 draft, caught 23 passes for 283 yards and a touchdown in 13 games as a rookie.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Pederson: Wentz Would Be Inactive If Season Started Today
It’s won’t come as much of a surprise, but Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz will likely be spending at least the first part of his rookie season on the inactive list, according to head coach Doug Pederson (article via Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com). Said Peterson, “Typically, the third quarterback is down. It’s hard right now to look down the road, but if we had to play this week, Carson would be down. He’d be the third quarterback. He’d be deactivated. That’s probably the direction we’re heading, I would think is going that route.”
After re-signing Sam Bradford this offseason and acquiring Chase Daniel, the Eagles can afford to be patient with Wentz, whom the team selected with the No. 2 overall pick of this year’s draft after sending a ransom of draft picks to Cleveland to grab that second overall selection. Philadelphia fully expects Wentz to be a long-term fixture under center, but it knows that the North Dakota State product will need time to transition to the pro game.
Nelson Agholor Won't Be Charged With Rape
Eagles wide receiver Nelson Agholor was informed today that he will not be charged in connection with a June rape claim, a source told Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Though the Philadelphia district attorney’s office declined comment, Bowen hears that an announcement could soon be made that clears Agholor. But as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, there’s a chance Agholor could still face discipline from the league.
Eagles Waive Derrick Lott
- The Eagles have waived defensive tackle Derrick Lott, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). Lott, a Chattanooga alum, was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Titans in 2015. After spending the entirety of last year bouncing on and off the Buccaneers’ practice squad, he agreed to terms with the Eagles in late May.
Eagles Notes: Bradford, Parkey, Sturgis
The Eagles could have gone in a number of directions at quarterback this offseason, but few expected things to play out the way they did. Are the Eagles now better off under center than they were last year? CSNPhilly.com’s Andrew Kulp says yes, even though he sees the change from backups Mark Sanchez and Thad Lewis to Chase Daniel and Carson Wentz as something of a wash.
- Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com looked at the Eagles‘ kicker battle between Cody Parkey and Caleb Sturgis. Recently, head coach Doug Pederson explained that it’s an active battle between both players with no clear leader at this time. “Again, that’s a great battle going on right there,” Pederson said. “We know Cody is coming off the injury from last year and he’s still working himself back into shape, so to speak. But it’s going to be a great competition going into camp. You know, not making any decisions today on that spot, but I like what I’ve seen out of both of them.”
Saints Sign Nick Fairley
JULY 9th, 9:35am: More than three months after the deal was signed, Nick Underhill of the New Orleans Advocate has some details on Fairley’s $1.75MM worth of incentives.
There are three ‘playing time thresholds’ that Fairley could reach, with each bonus adding $250K to his salary. There are also three ‘sack thresholds’ worth $250K each. Finally, if the veteran manages to play 35-percent of his team’s snaps and record at least four sacks, he’ll make another $250K.
MARCH 29th, 11:46am: Fairley gets a one-year, $3MM deal from the Saints, including a $2.235MM signing bonus, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Fairley can earn an additional $1.75MM via incentives, and his contract technically runs through 2018 for cap purposes — the final two years will void.
MONDAY, 10:00am: The Saints have officially signed Fairley, the team announced today in a press release.
8:41am: Defensive tackle Nick Fairley will be signing with the Saints, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who reports (via Twitter) that Fairley has agreed to terms on a one-year contract with New Orleans. Rapoport had indicated last week that the Saints were the frontrunners to land the ex-Ram.
A free agent a year ago, Fairley signed a one-year pact with the Rams, and was a rotational piece on the team’s talented defensive line in 2015, appearing in less than 40% of the defensive snaps. Although he wasn’t a full-time player and his counting stats were modest (29 tackles and 0.5 sacks), the former first-round pick graded out as a top-25 interior defender, according to Pro Football Focus.
This time around in free agency, Fairley once again signed a one-year pact, but he may get an opportunity to play a little more in New Orleans, since the Saints’ defensive line isn’t as deep and talented as the Rams’ unit. Per Rapoport (via Twitter), the 28-year-old chose the Saints over offers from the Patriots and Texans. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle adds (via Twitter) that the Eagles offered Fairley a contract as well.
Fairley is the latest addition for a Saints team that has been busy lately adding pieces to its defense — the club also signed linebackers James Laurinaitis and Craig Robertson last week. It’s not clear how New Orleans is squeezing all these deals in under the cap, since the team had less than $1MM in cap room available at last check. It seems likely that the team has restructure at least one big contract – perhaps Cameron Jordan‘s or Jairus Byrd‘s – and it has yet to be reported.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Eagles A Match For Stephen Tulloch
Just one day after being released by the Lions, linebacker Stephen Tulloch is being linked to other clubs, at least speculatively. One potential destination that would seem to make quite a bit of sense of the surface is the Eagles, as Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com writes. Tulloch played under new Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz in Detroit, and the Eagles have a need for depth at the linebacker position, as the unit is pretty thin after starters Mychal Kendricks, Nigel Bradham, and Jordan Hicks. But another NFC East team could also be on Tulloch’s radar, as James Kratch of NJ.com explains that the Cowboys are also on the lookout for linebacking help, especially after news broke that Dallas linebacker Rolando McClain will be serving a 10-game suspension. The Lions reportedly waited until Tulloch could pass a physical before cutting him, and although that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s fully healthy (it usually requires a major injury to fail a physical), interested clubs can take solace in the fact that Tulloch should presumably be ready for training camp.
- Earlier today, we learned that former Giants first-round pick Kenny Phillips was officially hanging up his cleats. Phillips, 29, spent six seasons in the NFL, and spent time with the Saints and Eagles in addition to New York.
Jason Peters Wasn't Fan Of Kelly Offense's Pace
Although Jason Peters continued his upper-echelon play for the Eagles in 2015 and overall under Chip Kelly the past three seasons, he did not enjoy the offense’s frenetic pace in this period, Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com writes. The belief within the Eagles is Peters, who will be one of the oldest offensive linemen in the league at age 34, can deliver superior production in Doug Pederson‘s more methodical attack in which the 13th-year player thrived previously.
Peters has booked eight Pro Bowls in his past eight healthy seasons and graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 14 overall tackle last season on the strength of his run-blocking efforts. Shorr-Parks points out, however, the Eagles will need to find an heir apparent quickly if Peters looks slower or struggles with injuries in camp.
As Roster Resource shows, the Eagles are fairly deep at their interior-line spots but thin at tackle, so Peters continuing to play at a high level in ’16 looks imperative for the Birds.
Here’s more from the Eagles, as well as the latest from other eastern locales.
- Leodis McKelvin‘s Philadelphia emergence appears to be quite real, with Shorr-Parks writing the former Bills return specialist is expected to be the Eagles’ No. 1 corner. Nolan Carroll and Ron Brooks look like the primary contenders to start opposite McKelvin in Jim Schwartz‘s system. Carroll started 11 games for the Eagles last season, with Brooks being yet another Schwartz disciple from Buffalo.
Kempski: Eagles Should Avoid Supplemental Draft
- With the July 14 supplemental draft 10 days away, Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com took a look at the six-player class and concluded that the Eagles should steer clear of surrendering a 2017 draft choice for any of them.
Sizing Up The Eagles' 2017 Draft Needs
- Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com takes a way-too-early look at the Eagles‘ draft needs for 2017, a list that is currently headlined by the offensive tackle position. Philadelphia looks as if it will field the oldest offensive line in the league for the second consecutive season, and with Jason Peters‘ career coming to an end soon, the Eagles will need to continue to stock up on bookends.