Torrey Smith is expecting to be back with Philadelphia Eagles in 2018

Don’t cross Torrey Smith off of the Philadelphia Eagles’ roster yet. He fully expects to return for the 2018 season, but is that even likely?

Salary cap concerns have long been a concern of the Philadelphia Eagles. At least we thought so. With virtually no money to spend, Eagles executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman looked at the team’s roster and decided he’d need to surround Carson Wentz with more offensive weapons if Philly was going to be a force. Wide receivers Torrey Smith and Alshon Jeffery were both available during last year’s free agency period. Eagles fans would have been happy if the team could land one or the other. Roseman was able to land both.

He didn’t stop there. He went out and got running back LeGarrette Blount. Then, he traded with the Miami Dolphins for the services of Jay Ajayi. The Eagles were in business, and they were able to ride their offensive punch all the way to Super Bowl LII.

It’s time to construct a roster for 2018.

Now, here’s the bad news. The thought is the Eagles won’t be able to carry all four of their newly-added weapons into the 2018 season thanks, again, to that dreaded salary cap. Ajayi is still under contract. He’ll make $1.9 million in 2018 according to Spotrac. Jeffery just signed an extension, so he’ll be around. Unfortunately, the future looks more cloudy for both Blount and Smith.

Philadelphia Eagles

Here’s a major part of the decision-making process for the Eagles as it relates to Smith. Of the four players mentioned, Smith was probably the most disappointing. He raked in a base salary of $4 million and received a bonus of $875,000. There were times during the 2017 season where Eagles fans may have had a little buyer’s remorse.

Let’s look at the numbers.

Smith looked good during the Eagles playoff run, hauling in 13 receptions for 157 yards and one touchdown, but prior to that, he underachieved in the regular season. In a phenomenal offense, where he started all 16 games, he only caught 36 passes for 430 yards and two touchdowns. That made him the Eagles fourth-leading receiver. He also had some bad drops at some key moments.

In 2018, he’s scheduled to earn $5 million, but the Eagles can release him without a cap hit. In doing so, they’ll free up money to, possibly, sign other players, or they can use that money to help re-sign other key pieces.

Could that help in securing Trey Burton or Nigel Bradham to long-term deals? Allowing Smith to walk may help the Eagles do a little ‘addition by subtraction’.

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We should have some answers soon.

Smith has already expressed his thoughts, and his desire is to return. Here’s a quote:

"I’m expecting to be back, but I know how the business goes. There would never be any hard feelings. How can you be mad at someone who gave you a chance to win a ring? …I don’t know how it’s going to play out but I’m expecting to be back, and I definitely want to be."

As great as that sounds and as much as he’s loved by the organization and his teammates, it seems highly unlikely. The Eagles have Mack Hollins, who has everyone excited, waiting in the wings. There’s also Shelton Gibson, who sat on the practice squad. What might he bring to the table in 2018?

Here’s something else that no one is discussing. Could the Eagles bring Smith back at a lower price? We’ll all be watching this one closely.