June and July are always hard months for NFL fans. The major stages of free agency are long gone and the draft is over. Luckily, training camp is just around the corner. That also means that it’s time for lots of roster cuts, creating a mini free agency period where contenders hurry to scoop up veteran players from the bargain bin. The Philadelphia Eagles are far from contending, but they’ll still participate by making some training camp cuts. Philly is a young team that is focused on rebuilding, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see some former high-value veterans hit the chopping block.
Here are three cut candidates for the Eagles.
Fletcher Cox
This is definitely a strange name to see on the list of possible cuts. Cox has been on the Eagles his entire career. He’s made six Pro Bowls and has been a First-Team All-Pro once. The Mississippi State product is one of the best defensive tackles of the 2010s in both pass-rush ability and run defense. Unfortunately, Cox is on the wrong side of 30 while playing on a team that is set on rebuilding. Cutting him would save the Eagles fifteen million dollars in cap space. Philadelphia also has replacements lined up, as they drafted two defensive tackles in this past draft. The Eagles are also notoriously deep on the defensive line, so while Cox will be missed, he isn’t irreplaceable. Trading Cox is also a possibility, as he’s still a very solid football player.
Zach Ertz
Ertz used to be one of the NFL’s premier tight ends. In his prime, Ertz was the deadliest receiving threat on the Eagles, creating mismatches with his unique blend of size and speed. But things have taken a turn for the worse for the Stanford product. He had his worst career season last year, posting only 335 receiving yards and one touchdown. He carries an 8.5 million dollar cap hit, which is just too much for the Eagles to be paying a veteran tight end past his prime. Philly also has one of the best young tight ends in the league in Dallas Goedert, so it’s not like the Eagles will miss his presence at the position.
There have been trade rumors surrounding Ertz for this entire offseason, so if Philadelphia can’t find a suitor, a cut is the next option.
Javon Hargrave
Hargrave is another potential defensive tackle cut. He doesn’t save much money against the cap, but it just doesn’t look like there’s any place left on the team for the former Pittsburgh Steeler. He was solid last year, but his status as an aging veteran doesn’t fit at all with the Eagles as a whole. Hargrave doesn’t have much trade value, and Philadelphia just drafted two players at his position that they’ll probably want to get as much playing time as possible. The Eagles just have no place for Hargrave on the team, so a cut seems like the best thing for both parties, even if the Eagles don’t save much money from making the cut.
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