Eagles place 2nd-round tender on Burton
The Birds tendered restricted free agent Trey Burton at the second-round level, guaranteeing them at least a secondround pick if they decline their right of first refusal.
The Eagles offered some real news on an otherwise fake news Tuesday, the latter stoked by the start of the NFL’s so-called tampering period where teams can negotiate but not sign impending free agents.
The Birds tendered restricted free agent Trey Burton at the second-round level, guaranteeing them at least a second-round pick if they decline their right of first refusal.
Tight end-special teams standout Burton, in turn, is guaranteed at least $2.75 million this season. That’s more than he initially figured the Eagles would pay considering the payroll at tight end already appears maxed by sizable contracts to Zach Ertz and veteran Brent Celek.
The Eagles still could sign Burton to a multiyear contract or trade the versatile veteran, whose skills likely will attract interest from some of the southern teams, including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons.
The first-round tender is $3.91 million. The right of first refusal tender is a mere $1.797 million.
The middle tender is significant in that the Eagles entered the day with just $8.5 million in salary cap space, fourth-least in the league.
The value in Burton, plus the anticipated interest made sense
While the Burton situation simmered, two players emerged that draft scouts expect the Eagles to have on their big board.
Chris Godwin, who set receiving records at Penn State and cornerback Kevin King of Washington are under the radar prospects with skills that suit what the Eagles do and, of course, need.
King measured 6-3 and change and weighed in at 200 pounds at the NFL scouting combine. He clocked 4.43 in the 40 at the combine, a shade faster than more-heralded teammate Sidney Jones (5-11 1-2, 186).
Jones is a consensus firstround draft pick, the thirdrated cornerback out of 263 by NFL Draft Scout. King is rated 14th.
Initially King’s secondthird round grade was a guess. It’s not so much a case of his moving up the draft board by testing well at the combine but rather becoming known to people who generally don’t know much about football.
King, playing opposite Jones, intercepted two passes last season. In the BCS championship semis, he made nine tackles to prevent Alabama from winning by more than 17 points.
King easily could come off the board after Jones in the first round. Big cornerbacks that can run and tackle are at a premium in the NFL. The Eagles, by the way, are in the market for two starting corners.
The Eagles met with Jones at the combine. They will get together with him and King March 11.
Godwin (6-1, 209) ran a 4.42 in the 40 at the combine, the fastest of the 200plus pound receivers.
Factor in the production and Godwin, a product of Middletown, Del., also could come off the board late in the first round or slip to the second.
Godwin had 59 receptions for 982 yards (16.6 average) and 11 touchdowns, the latter a record for a Nittany Lions junior.
Godwin showed up big in big games, particularly the bowl games. Most recently he set school records with nine receptions for 189 yards and two TD’s in the Rose Bowl.
The Eagles met with Godwin at the combine. He told them his family grew up Eagles fans.
The Cleveland Browns opened Tuesday with a league-leading $104 million in cap space, according to the NFL Players Association.
The Dallas Cowboys had the least cap space with $3.3 million.
Elsewhere in the NFC East, the New York Giants had $13.1 million in space, the Washington Redskins $34.4 million.
While teams are able to negotiate with free agents, signings cannot occur until 4 p.m. Thursday, the first day of the new league year.
That’s when several veteran players could be cut as some teams search for salary cap space to sign free agents.