Can Eagles land any other free agents at a bargain?
By Chuck Abel
What’s left in the free agent bargain bin for the Eagles?
The first wave of free agent signings has ended, and we’re set to enter week two. Is anyone left that we should be of addressing?
The Philadelphia Eagles have addressed many of their offensive needs, but what about the defense? The Eagles need a defensive lineman or two. They’ll need an outside linebacker if Mychal Kendricks is traded. They’ll also need two starting cornerbacks.
Let’s reunite a defensive lineman with his coach
Jim Schwartz has coached his share of top-notch defensive players. With defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, linebacker Jordan Hicks and safety Malcolm Jenkins on the roster, there are quality playmakers on his unit.
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Still, there are issues at defensive end. They’re light when you compare them to the average offensive lineman in today’s game, so the team could use some bulk. Vinny Curry and Brandon Graham both weigh less than 280 pounds.
When you look around, there are guys like Mario Williams available. He’s a former number one draft pick who, at age 32, finds himself looking for work. A deal like the one the Eagles just gave Torrey Smith would make sense. Then, they could add two or three one-year deals tip round things out.
Williams stands at 6’6 and is 300 pounds. He could easily beef up the rotation and take some pressure off of Curry or Graham. Having played for Schwartz would allow Williams to step in right away and contribute immediately.
Wait a minute. Aren’t the Eagles out of cap room?
The Eagles are indeed out of cap space. If you include the allotted space normally given for draft picks, the Eagles have serious cap issues. More moves are coming, but the Eagles have $12.5 million in dead cap space for Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel alone.
Executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman has done an excellent job lately, but there’s still a major blemish. Over 7% of the salary cap is taken up by the former Eagle QBs. Using Spotrac’s salary cap figures, space can be freed up by moving Kendricks ($4.8 million, only if traded), Ryan Mathews ($4 million), Allen Barbre ($1.8 million) and Dorial Green-Beckham ($900,000). That would free up some money and give the Eagles more than enough to sign Williams.
The Eagles have started they intend to keep Jason Kelce ( and the $3.8 million salary he represents), but he could still be a cap casualty once a depth chart is created.
After Williams, its there anyone else?
Long-time cornerback Darrelle Revis was just cleared from criminal charges stemming from a fight, so teams may look at him now. He might have a year or two left and could sign with someone to prove he can still be effective.
It seems most likely that Revis would sign with a title contender first, but, regardless of what he does, he’s an interesting option. He could definitely give young corners a veteran to watch and learn from.
For now, we’ll all be watching college pro day results to see how the draft rankings change. Expect new mock drafts next week after some of the results are in.