Eagles Notes: Sproles, Pederson
Eagles running back Darren Sproles took to Twitter on Wednesday to shoot down the notion that he’s holding out for a long-term contract (links here). “Totally false,” he claimed in one of the tweets. As of earlier this week, the soon-to-be 33-year-old was reportedly staying away from Eagles workouts amid trade rumors, but head coach Doug Pederson responded by calling Sproles “a big part of this team.” Sproles, who’s entering a contract year, will count $4.6MM against the Eagles’ cap this season.
- Whether Pederson can actually develop quarterbacks remains an open question, opines Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Sielski points to 2011, the year Pederson was the Eagles’ quarterbacks coach and when Michael Vick declined significantly from the prior campaign, as a reason for skepticism. Pederson also failed to tap into former first-round pick Vince Young‘s talent, adds Sielski, who writes that the beleaguered Chip Kelly did manage to get production from Nick Foles, Mark Sanchez and Sam Bradford during his oft-criticized run in Philadelphia. While Alex Smith played well during Pederson’s three-year reign as Kansas City’s offensive coordinator, his career was revived by Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman – not Pederson – as Sielski offers.
Why Darren Sproles To 49ers Wouldn't Make Sense
For one, the 49ers likely would be wary of striking a new deal with a runner who turns 33 next month. San Francisco has already bid farewell to several notable names that were north of 30, including Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, and Anquan Boldin. And, even if SF really wanted him, the Eagles would probably be hesitant to help out their former head coach in any way. For what it’s worth, the Eagles say Sproles is not available, even though the team reportedly received trade inquiries on him during the draft.
Chase Daniel OK With Carson Wentz Pick
- While everyone is paying attention to Sam Bradford and his feelings on Carson Wentz, we haven’t heard much about fellow Philly newcomer Chase Daniel. When Daniel signed with the Eagles this offseason, he was told he could compete with Bradford for the starting role. Now, with the No. 2 overall pick in the mix, Daniel’s path to playing has gotten a whole lot tougher. Still, Daniel says he’s taking everything in stride. “There’s a reason they brought me here. It wasn’t necessarily to just sit on the bench and not push people for starting jobs,” Daniel said Tuesday, according to Jeff McLane of The Inquirer. “But I think there’s a fine line there. I’m a professional. I’ve been in about every situation you could possibly be in. . . . So I have a clear view of what’s expected of me and the funny thing is I expect even more out of myself.”
Eagles Notes: Cox, Bradford
Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said Tuesday that he has reached out to Fletcher Cox multiple times, but he hasn’t spoken with the defensive lineman (link via Josh Paunil of PhillyMag.com). Cox, who has one year left on his contract, has been absent from the Eagles’ voluntary May workouts. If the two-time second-team All-Pro misses the club’s mandatory three-day minicamp in June, it’ll cost him upward of $76K.
- In holding out for a trade, Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford and agent Tom Condon made a rational business decision, opines Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Bradford’s Eagles teammates understand his point of view, which is why they haven’t attacked him for seeking a better opportunity elsewhere, adds Sielski. “A player can get cut before his contract is up. Teams have no loyalty necessarily to their players. So when players make moves, it’s all business,” said safety Malcolm Jenkins
Eagles Notes: Bradford, Sproles
Given the addition of No. 2 overall pick Carson Wentz, Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford is unsurprisingly aware that he’s likely on borrowed time as the team’s starter.
Bradford looked like a good bet to retain the starting job in Philadelphia for a little while longer after the club kept him from free agency with a two-year, $36MM deal in March, but the Eagles subsequently surrendered a massive haul to move up in the draft for Wentz. Bradford then briefly held out for a trade, which didn’t materialize. The decision to stay away from the Eagles was his agent’s, according to Bradford, who eventually concluded that Philadelphia “is the best place for me.”
Eagles Waive McLeod Bethel-Thompson
- The Eagles announced that they have signed tight end M.J. McFarland and linebacker Ty Powell while waiving quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson and offensive lineman Brett Boyko, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. The addition of Powell means that the Eagles now have four players from the Buffalo’s 2014 defense on their roster. Jim Schwartz, of course, served as the defensive coordinator of that team.
Eagles Pondering Darren Sproles Trade?
12:25pm: The first-year Eagles coach denied the report of a potential Sproles trade, telling media (including Berman, via Twitter) “We had no decisions to do that. I want Darren Sproles on this football team. … He’s a big part of this team.”
11:57am: Doug Pederson has been in direct contact with Sproles this offseason and insists the veteran scatback is not unhappy, Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. The first-year coach’s stance on this matter is that Sproles wants to spend time with his family and preserve his legs, Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News tweets. Sproles will enter his 12th season and age-33 campaign. 
10:16am: The Eagles received calls of trade interest on running back Darren Sproles during the draft, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Right now, it sounds like the Eagles are considering some of those offers. For now, Rapoport says, he’s staying away from OTAs until it’s all sorted out.
Sproles came to the Eagles in a 2014 trade with the Saints. At the time, Sproles was brought in to be a key part of the team’s backfield. Later on, however, the entire backfield was remodeled and Sproles found himself as the No. 3 tailback on the list behind DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews. Now, Chip Kelly is out of the equation in Philadelphia, but the Eagles are still not sure if they feel the diminutive back is essential to their offense.
The Eagles once again overhauled their backfield this offseason when they shipped Murray to the Titans in a surprising trade. That deal left the Eagles with Mathews as their lead back and Sproles as the No. 2.
Sproles, 32, saw time in every game last season and made four starts. In that span, the veteran ran for just 317 yards off of 83 carries but also contributed 55 receptions for 388 yards. For his contributions in the rushing, receiving, and return game, Sproles earned his second-straight Pro Bowl nod in 2015.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Eagles, Matt Tobin Agree to Extension
- Eagles guard/tackle Matt Tobin has signed a two-year deal with the team, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Tobin was previously set to play out this year on his one-year restricted free agent tender. Now, his new deal will lower his base salary for this season.
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Browns “Surprised” By Return From Trade With Eagles
The Browns, with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 draft but with a fairly depleted roster, were looking to trade the N0. 2 pick in an effort to acquire more selections and address their numerous weaknesses with as much young talent as possible. Apparently, though, they did not know just how fruitful such a trade would be.
Rather than keeping the No. 2 overall pick and selecting quarterback Carson Wentz or an elite defensive prospect like Jalen Ramsey, the Browns–who had already signed Robert Griffin III in free agency–traded the pick, along with a fourth-round selection in 2017, to the Eagles in exchange for the No. 8 overall choice, a third-rounder and a fourth-rounder in 2016, a first-rounder in 2017, and a second-rounder in 2018.
Cleveland executive VP of football operations, Sashi Brown, speaking at a state of the team address at the Browns’ Fan Fest yesterday, said, “We were pleased with it. I was a little surprised we got as much as we did, but some hard negotiating and [VP of player personnel Andrew Berry] was a big help in that, keeping me at bay and not pulling the trigger too soon. We were able to come away with what should be the foundation of the championship team that we’re going to build.” (link via Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer).
The Browns, of course, were not done there. On draft day, they dealt the No. 8 overall pick from Philadelphia to the Titans in exchange for Tennessee’s No. 15 overall choice, the No. 76 overall choice, and a 2017 second-rounder. After even more wheeling and dealing, Cleveland ended the draft with 14 new players, including a quarterback, Cody Kessler, and now have two first-round and two second-round picks in 2017.
But building upon that youthful foundation and turning it into a winning product is an entirely different matter, as Browns fans know all too well. As Brown said earlier this month, “You always have that second-guessing in the back of your mind that if the player that we would’ve selected there at two pans out. You’re going to be thinking about it for a long time certainly.”
Nonetheless, Brown cannot doubt the process that led him to this point, especially since Philadelphia was willing to part with more assets than Cleveland had anticipated. Said Brown, “When we really sat down and talked with Philly, understand the batch of picks they were wanting to put together, where we sit as a roster today, this was the right decision for us. We felt like we could still get the No. 1 wide receiver on our board (Corey Coleman), which was coveted by us certainly in the building to support [Griffin], and what we want to do on offense and the running game that will be the engine of what we want to do on [offense]. But we were able to do position ourselves for today to address the roster but also moving forward in the future to have more flexibility.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Carson Wentz Anticipating "Competitive Atmosphere"
- Eagles rookie quarterback Carson Wentz isn’t anticipating any issues with teammate Sam Bradford. “I think the relationship with him, and really, the other quarterbacks in the room, I think it’ll be great,” Wentz told Les Bowen of Philly.com.“I think it’ll be a really competitive atmosphere. Hopefully, we’ll all learn together and grow together and really push each other, and ultimately (that will) lead to benefiting the team and winning a lot of ballgames.” An April report suggested that Bradford wanted out of Philly.
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