Two For The Road

Howie Roseman is one of the best traders in the NFL, if not the best. But he is a mere mortal. When teams know the Eagles are likely to cut a player, not even Howie relentlessly working the phones can be enough.

#Eagles have indeed released DE Vinny Curry, NFL source said. They will trim $5M from the salary cap, but eat $6M in dead money.

— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) March 16, 2018

They couldn’t work out a trade. Some reported the Eagles couldn’t get him to take a pay cut. I’m not sure what to make of that idea. No matter what was going on, the bottom line is that Curry is gone and the Eagles now have additional cap space.

Curry was a good player for the Eagles, despite the fact he had some tough circumstances at times. He didn’t play much as a rookie in 2012 and then was thrown into the 3-4 defense from 2013-2015. Curry did post good numbers in 2014, with 9 sacks and 4 FFs. I thought Curry would thrive when Jim Schwartz brought the 4-3 back in 2016. That just didn’t happen.

Curry proved to be an excellent run defender as the RDE. He set the edge, forcing RBs to stay inside or bounce deep and to the outside. Curry had 13 TFLs over the last two years. He would penetrate and blow plays up.

The problem is that Curry wasn’t good enough as a pass rusher. He only totaled 5.5 sacks over the past two seasons. Curry did get pressure more frequently than that sack total would indicate, but the coaches were frustrated with his inability to finish plays. Curry was due $11M this year and you can’t get paid like that if you aren’t more of a playmaker.

It would have been cool for Curry, who grew up an Eagles fan, to play in Philly for his whole career. Unfortunately, football is a business and that didn’t happen. Curry did say goodbye with an Instagram post.

Who would’ve thought a small town boy from Neptune, NJ who grew up an Eagles fan, would’ve been… https://t.co/Kj0rFn5JjI

— Vinny Curry (@MrGetFlee99) March 16, 2018

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In about a week in 2016, the #Eagles gave big contracts to Vinny Curry, Lane Johnson and Zach Ertz, mostly based on projection. Johnson and Ertz ended up being bargains, Curry ended up getting cut. Not a bad hit rate.

— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) March 16, 2018

That’s a great way of looking at things. Not every contract extension is going to work out. When two guys turn into stars and the other is still above average…that’s how you build a Super Bowl team.

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More news.

The #Lions are signing FA RB LeGarrette Blount to a 1-year deal worth $4.5M, source said. He’s back with Matt Patricia, as the New England ties are strong.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2018

This is good news for the Eagles.

Blount played well for the Eagles in 2017. He had some great moments (that run vs the Chargers was football heaven). But Blount was an awkward fit as well, with his limited ability as a receiver. He’s 31 and more of a luxury than a necessity. I’m shocked he got that much money, but happy for him.

The Eagles will have Jay Ajayi as the workhorse RB this year. Corey Clement is going to be a key player for the offense. Wendell Smallwood and Donnel Pumphrey give the team another couple of young options. The Eagles will add a rookie RB to the mix. The draft class is loaded so the team will have some good options.

If anything happens between now and August, the team could look to add a veteran. I think the smart thing is to go young at RB. Save money there if you can.

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Blount’s deal with Detroit helps the Eagles in the hunt for 2019 comp picks. PK Caleb Sturgis signed with the Chargers as well.

If the Eagles made no more moves, they would likely earn a 4th round comp pick and (2) 6th round comp picks in 2019.

— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) March 17, 2018

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Tyrann Mathieu signed a one-year deal with the Texans tonight. It wasn’t ever likely that he would come to Philly, but it made for a fun thought.

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