Following the Philadelphia Eagles' first Super Bowl win post the NFL-AFL merger, the team has been highly active in altering the roster to better position themselves for another deep run in the playoffs next season.
Among that was the constant rumblings around the long-term future of veteran linebacker Mychal Kendricks, who was discussed in trade rumors over the first few months of the offseason. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Eagles have come to a decision on Kendricks by parting ways with him on Tuesday afternoon after six seasons.
Eagles releasing veteran LB Mychal Kendricks, per source. Kendricks spent six years with Eagles; he’s not expected to be unemployed long.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 22, 2018
This shouldn't come as much of a surprise given that there was already discussions about his future in Philadelphia being up in the air. The decision to cut Kendricks likely has come after the team was unable to find a feasible trade that would benefit them for the 2018 campaign and possibly further down the line.
Since being selected with the 46th overall pick in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft, Kendrick has brought much consistency and stability to the Eagles' linebacker corps, recording 459 total tackles with 14.0 sacks, three interceptions, six forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries. The 27-year-old is coming off a productive 2017 campaign where he recorded 77 total tackles with 2.0 sacks and six pass deflections.
That said, the Eagles were not interested in carrying his $7.6 million on the cap for the 2018 campaign, which the release being a post-June 1 designation will help free up $6 million in cap space on June 2 for the team. This is a huge benefit that could see them find additional help at the linebacker position, especially with offseason addition Paul Worrilow going down with a torn ACL on the first day of voluntary OTAs on Tuesday.
Given Kendricks' talent level, he will likely not sit in the free agent market long as he could immediately step in to be a high impact player for another defense.
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