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Philadelphia Eagles re-structured Blake Countess’ contract

By Justin Grasso

NEW ORLEANS, LA - NOVEMBER 4: Blake Countess #24 of the Los Angeles Rams returns a kick off during a game against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on November 4, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints defeated the Rams 45-35. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - NOVEMBER 4: Blake Countess #24 of the Los Angeles Rams returns a kick off during a game against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on November 4, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints defeated the Rams 45-35. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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After claiming veteran safety Blake Countess off of the waivers courtesy of the Los Angeles Rams, the Philadelphia Eagles have re-worked his deal.

Recently, the Philadelphia Eagles brought back a familiar face. Their 2016 sixth-rounder Blake Countess will be back in the mix at safety for the 2019 NFL season as long as he makes the squad. Considering the current depth at safety, and the idea to re-work his deal, it seems as though the Eagles are more serious about Countess this time around than they were a few years back.

The former Michigan defensive back arrived in Philly thanks to the 2016 NFL Draft. Countess was one of a few draft picks during the start of Howie Roseman’s second stint while in charge of the front office. Unfortunately, Countess’ time with the Eagles was quite brief. After an underwhelming offseason during his rookie year, the young safety found himself released by the time the final 53-man roster was finalized. Fortunately, the young safety found a new home.

Countess would ink a deal to join the Rams practice squad just days after getting cut from the Eagles. It took a few months before Countess would get called up to the active roster, but once he did, he remained on board for quite a while – mostly as a special teamer. Countess only started two games for the Rams over three years, but he’s had his fair share of snaps in L.A. Once his third year wrapped up though, the Rams decided to cut him loose. That’s when the Eagles decided it would be a good idea to claim Countess and bring him back to where it all started.

Countess is back with higher hopes

The Eagles were a team that was expected to spend a high-priority pick on a safety this year. With Malcolm Jenkins being over 30-years-old and Rodney McLeod on the last year of his deal, a developmental safety could make sense. Also, with the departure of Corey Graham and Chris Maragos, the Eagles needed to add some depth. While they do have Tre Sullivan, Andrew Sendejo, and others on board, none of those guys are official locks to make the final roster.

Once Countess was waived by the Rams, it only made sense for the Eagles to try and form a reunion now that he has some NFL regular season and postseason experience. The Countess claim didn’t seem significant at first, but the idea to restructure the young veterans deal does show that the Eagles are seriously interested in his services.

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According to Penn Live’s Daniel Gallen, the Eagles have made some changes to Countess’ deal. The veteran safety was set to make a little over $2 million for the next season, and next season alone. While there are no specific details on the actual number changes, the Eagles have apparently moved around some numbers to lower Countess’ salary and even added a year onto his deal. Being that Countess won’t be making a ton for the next year or two, his spot on the roster still isn’t locked in. However, the idea of restructuring his deal with an added year shows some promise.

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