The Philadelphia Eagles, operating under a new head coach in Doug Pederson and a new-old GM in Howie Roseman, have been plenty active over the past two days, which is impressive considering the new league year hasn't even started yet. But when it does kick off Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m., expect there to be a flurry of activity out of One Novacare Way.
After agreeing to trade Byron Maxwell and Kiko Alonso to the Dolphins - a deal that was on, then off, then on, then off, and now on again - sending DeMarco Murray to the Titans, and signing Leodis McKelvin, the Eagles are moving quickly on other available free agents.
Recent reports suggest Philadelphia will sign quarterback Chase Daniel and safety Rodney McLeod at the outset of the 2016 NFL league year.
Daniel, formerly the back-up for the Kansas City Chiefs where he played under Pederson, will be joining the Eagles on a three-year deal. Daniel has never been a starter during his seven-year NFL career and has thrown a grand total of 77 passes during that time, but he comes with a familiarity with Pederson and strong track record as a No. 2, which the Eagles will sorely need behind starter Sam Bradford.
For those of you wondering what this means for current Eagles back-up Mark Sanchez, it sounds like the Sanchize is most likely headed for the door. The team was trying to deal the veteran signal-caller, but with a $5.5 million cap hit for 2016, that was always going to be difficult to pull off.
Instead, it's likely that the Eagles jettison Sanchez, which will clear $3.5 million off their cap and add to the space created by the Maxwell, Alonso and Murray trades.
As for McLeod, he'll be landing in Philadelphia on a five-year, $37 million deal that carries a reported $17 million in guarantees. He'll likely be taking over Walter Thurmond's spot in the Eagles defensive backfield next to the recently extended Malcolm Jenkins, giving the Eagles a pair of expensive, free agency-acquired safeties.
McLeod isn't a big guy at just 5-foot-10, 195-pounds, but he plays much larger than he looks. McLeod, a former undrafted free agent, seems to be just entering his NFL prime at 25. Over his four-year career, he's collected 245 tackles, 8 forced fumbles and 5 interceptions.
With McLeod and Daniel's signings, it looks as though the Eagles have already done most of their heavy free agent lifting. A wide receiver could be in the cards, as could a running back, but in all probability the next order of business for Roseman and Co. will be locking up defensive star Fletcher Cox.
