DEMARCO MURRAY & BYRON MAXWELL TRADED??? Eagles Rebuilding?
The Eagles wasted no timefiring Chip Kelly, and now theyre quickly dismantling the roster he assembled. Having axed the coach in December with a week still to go in the regular season Philadelphia spent Monday, the first day of the NFLs legal tampering window, wheeling and dealing.
The Eagles reportedly agreed to a pair of trades, one of which sends linebacker Kiko Alonso and cornerback Byron Maxwell to the Miami Dolphins, and the second of which will shiprunning back DeMarco Murray to the Tennessee Titans (trades can be completed when the NFLs new year officially begins on Wednesday afternoon). All three players were acquired by Kelly, who at the time had won a power struggle for control of personnel decisions last offseason.
The purging of Murray and Alonso, assuming the trades becomefinalized, are especially noteworthy because their acquisitions stemmed from a deal Kelly had made, one that sent running back LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills for the linebacker. Having dealt away his Pro Bowl back, Kelly initially signed Ryan Mathews away from the San Diego Chargers, then he more than doubled down at the position, luring Murray away from the Dallas Cowboys with a five-year, $40 million contract that included $21 million guaranteed.
Now all the Eagles have to show for the McCoy-Alonso deal is unspecified draft pick compensation (it is not yet known what the Titans have agreed to give up in exchange for Murray), anda roster that appears worse off than before Kelly began re-shaping it. The coach, who arrived in Philadelphia in 2013, received criticism for getting rid of a trio of offensive stars in McCoy and wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, especially ashis teams production waned after a strong start.
Murray was coming off of a massive season with the Cowboys, one in which he led the NFL with1,845 rushing yards, 13 rushing touchdowns and2,261 yards from scrimmage and won theAP Offensive Player of the Year award. But he struggled to fit into Kellys offense, gaining just702 yards rushing, with a 3.6 per-carry average, plus 322 yards receiving and seven total touchdowns.
Early in December, before Kelly was fired, rumors swirled that Murray was unhappy in Philadelphia and wanted to return to Dallas. That didnt quite happen, but the Eagles did give him permission to seek a new team, and Murrays agents were able to strike a deal with Tennessee.
Kelly gave Maxwell a huge free-agent deal worth$63 million over six years, with $25 million guaranteed. However, Maxwell struggled, and his trade is reportedly contingent on him agreeing to a revised contract with Miami.
Not every player associated with the Kelly regime is being shown the door in Philadelphia. Quarterback Sam Bradford and safety Malcolm Jenkins, who werealso brought in last offseason,were recently re-signed by the Eagles, as was offensive tackle Lane Johnson, the teams first draft pick after hiring Kelly in 2013.
On the other hand, Johnsons agent recently insisted that Howie Roseman, a veteran personnel man who survived the Kelly era, was the one who made his client the No. 4 overall pick that year. In addition, soon after Kelly was fired, Johnson himself referred to the deposed coach as a dictator.
The dictatorship, or however people want to look at it, is now over, and the Eagles are apparently intent on putting that tumultuous period far behind them. How soon they can put together a contending team is another matter, of course.
Des writes for the Early Lead and the D.C. Sports Bog, scouring the Web to bring readers items of interest, both serious and amusing. He also covers fantasy football, as well as fitness topics for the MisFits.
Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNG-TIzwytqoz-HOe6Sl3vMw0ZFFCQ&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52779059356506&ei=i_veVtCJAofO3gHL4I2QCA&url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/03/07/eagles-agree-to-trade-away-demarco-murray-continue-purge-of-chip-kelly-era/
