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Now that 2019 NFL free agency is unofficially one week old, let’s take a look at how much cap space the Philadelphia Eagles have left after making some moves last week.
A lot of people saw the following tweet on Sunday night and asked: “How do the Eagles possibly have this much cap space left?”
From this morning's cap report, teams with the most space ...
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 17, 2019
1) Colts $77.07M
2) Texans $46.94M
3) 49ers $37.18M
4) Browns $35.60M
5) Jets $35.46M
6) Dolphins $33.36M
7) Bills $33.13M
8) Raiders $32.35M
9) Titans $31.464M
10) Lions $29.45M
11) Eagles $28.72M
12) Bengals $25.11M
The answer is ... they don’t.
An updated NFLPA report from Monday morning shows the Eagles “only” have $20,215,474 in cap space. That’s $8.5 million less than the number Breer posted, which indicates Ronald Darby’s one-year contract worth exactly that much wasn’t previously accounted for.
It’s not perfectly clear if Monday’s $20.2 million cap number is precisely accurate. There could be restructures and/or signings that haven’t been taken into account. The same goes for Over The Cap’s projected Eagles salary cap figure, which is $21,157,974.
But while the exact amount isn’t necessarily known, the point is that the Eagles still do have some money to work with.
So, what’s next? The Eagles have options. They could ...
- Look to sign a running back and/or trade for one. This is a position where the Eagles have an immediate need. (Some options here.)
- Bring in a veteran backup quarterback. (The Eagles reportedly have interest in doing so.)
- Add some more roster depth, including along the interior offensive line. (They’re reportedly interested in Brett Jones). Veterans could also be added at tight end and safety.
- Sign Carson Wentz to a big extension now that he’s eligible.
- Hold on to the money and wait for an opportunity that presents itself.
Remember, if the space goes unused, they can always roll the cap room over to next year. But I don’t think the Eagles have been so busy restructuring contracts just to sit tight. They seem aggressive about seriously competing in 2019.
Howie Roseman has a deserved reputation for being on of the league’s most active executives. Given that the Eagles have a desire to compete and ample cap space to work with, I think it’s safe to say they’re not done making moves just yet.