Eagles likely to make play for free-agent safeties
he guy who brought eardrum-shattering music, luscious protein shakes, sideline cue cards, the fast-break offense and quarterback competition to Philadelphia will absolutely knock the socks off Eagles fans if he adds a top-notch defender in free agency.
Make it a big-time safety.
Unless we’re reading this totally wrong look for Kelly and the Eagles to trust their instincts, go with the NFL flow and throw money at one of the safeties available when free agency starts this weekend.
Jairus Byrd and T.J. Ward are more than familiar to Kelly, who coached the NFL secondround picks during his tour at Oregon. Kelly knows their strengths, weaknesses, favorite colors and music.
Birds offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur coached Ward two years ago, and coached against Byrd.
Why two of the league’s up-and-coming safeties are all but certain to hit the market is a mat- ter of will and resources.
The buzz was the Buffalo Bills and the Browns would use franchise tags on Byrd and Ward. It didn’t happen largely because the players made it clear they were tired of losing and rebuilding, and because management is reluctant to shell out a ton of money to essentially rent them for $8.021 million apiece this season.
The Bills said they tried to make Byrd the highest-paid safety in the league and he wasn’t interested. They also communicated that they considered tagging and trading Byrd. Realizing they had no leverage the Bills didn’t want another headache like last year. The veteran waited until the last minute to sign the $6.9 million franchise tender and report. It’s what players do when they’re tagged.
Dropping the franchise
BOB GROTZ tag on a pro football player is like trying counseling with your soon-to-be ex. In a lot of cases it only delays the inevitable.
Byrd (6-0, 210) has shown he’s a player with 22 interceptions in 73 career games for the Bills, including four last season. The perennial Pro Bowl performer could be the center fielder the Eagles have done without since Brian Dawkins could run. Byrd would be a perfect fit with the Eagles as he’s the essence of what defensive coordinator Bill Davis wants in his players. Byrd gas range, speed and off-the-charts ball skills.
Ward (5-10, 199) is transitioning from hitter to tackler, having ranked among the Browns leaders with 75 stops last year, including 1 1-2 sacks. He also picked off two passes and rarely was at a loss for words.
Ward wouldn’t apologize for a hit tearing the ACL and MCL in a knee of New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski last season. Nor would Ward back off his remarks in which he blamed a late-season Browns loss on turnovers by the Browns’ offense. The Eagles haven’t had a safety who wouldn’t back down since, yeah, Dawkins was in uniform.
Donte Whitner, 28, is another veteran safety slated to hit free agency. Eagles player personnel chief Tom Gamble knows Whitner inside-out from their days with the San Francisco 49ers. Whitner is a hitter who wouldn’t break the bank.
There could be competition for the 27-year-old Byrd from the Browns, of all teams, and newly hired head coach Mike Pettine. The long-ago head coach at North Penn and William Tennent high schools was the defensive coordinator of the Bills last year.
To sign Byrd the Eagles basically are looking at a four or five-year contract worth $40 to $50 million. Ward, 27, would be less pricey. It’s a ton of money to pay any defensive player.
The Eagles clearly have the resources as they’re almost $29 million under the salary cap according to OverTheCap. com.
The same website also states the Eagles also rank in the bottom half of the league in spending on safeties.
The Birds are on the books for just $4.28 million at the position in 2014. The figure could grow if they decide against bringing back Patrick Chung, coming off a difficult injury plagued season.
The defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks are scheduled to pay their safeties $12.7 million next season. Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor are the premier safety tandem in the league. If you want to build an elite defense, the Seahawks care the model.
During the mostly successful Andy Reid era in Philadelphia, the Eagles weren’t going to pay a lot for safeties. No one understood that more than Dawkins, who was let go late in his career and had to be talked into returning to retire with the club.
Unless we’re totally missing something, Kelly, a why-not kind of coach, is going to shatter that stereotype in the near future. Maybe even early next week.
To contact Bob Grotz, email bgrotz@delcotimes. com.