8 Philadelphia Eagles who could follow Doug Pederson out of town
By Ben Swanger
player. 54. . . . Vinny Curry and Malik Jackson.
Vinny Curry has been a solid rotational defender for the Philadelphia Eagles.
There aren’t many bad things to say about what Vinny Curry has brought to the Philadelphia Eagles. He was never asked to be a top pass rusher in the Eagles defense as the 32-year-old only eclipsed 50 percent of seasonal snaps once in eight years with Philly.
The former second-round pick might have never reached his ceiling, but he tallied 30 sacks as an Eagle and was a key contributor on the way to a Lombardi Trophy.
In 2019, Curry was brought back into Philly’s fold due to a lack of defensive end depth after a one-year hiatus in Tampa. Curry signed one-year deals in 2019 and 2020 worth around $2 million for each season. He tallied eight sacks combined in those two years.
Curry could have trouble finding a job elsewhere as his only season away from Philly failed to pan out. For the Eagles, though, replacing his production with a much younger athlete shouldn’t be too difficult.
Malik Jackson’s time as a Philadelphia Eagle was disappointing.
The Philadelphia Eagles signed Malik Jackson in 2019 to pair alongside Fletcher Cox in what could have been a lethal defensive interior. Unfortunately, it never came to fruition as Jackson failed to finish one game in his first season in Philly then followed that up with 2.5 measly sacks in 2020.
Jackson’s 2021 cap hit is a whopping $13.6 million. So far, a common theme in three of the four veterans discussed is an otherworldly 2021 cap hit. Howie Roseman made this bed, now he has to sleep in it.
Philadelphia will save $10 million and eat the rest of the contract if, and when, Jackson is cut after June 1st. Jackson is as good as gone. It’s more dead money, but it’s the price the Eagles will have to pay in order to infuse much-needed youth.
Jackson will most likely find another job as he will be 31 years of age at the start of next season in what could be his last hoorah in the NFL. His time in Philly will quickly be forgotten.