The Philadelphia Eagles announced on Sunday afternoon that they have released linebacker Corey Nelson. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported the release earlier in the day.
Nelson is a former seventh-round pick in 2014 out of Oklahoma. He appeared in all 16 games for the Broncos in 2014, 2015, and 2016, starting five games in 2016.
- MORE ON THE EAGLES
- Eagles' Week 1 game is kind of a big deal and they could really use Carson Wentz for it
- Grocery shopping: Five college players to watch who could interest the Eagles in the 2019 NFL Draft
- Eagles' Super Bowl odds drop after ugly preseason losses
- What they're saying: Preseason has been uninspiring for Eagles
Nelson signed with Philly this offseason to take on a "larger role." That never happened, as Nelson was often invisible during training camp, and was thoroughly outplayed by Nate Gerry and Kamu Grugier-Hill in the competition for the third linebacker spot.
This was a miss by the Eagles, as they made Nelson something of a priority, signing him on the first day of free agency. However, that miss won't cost them much. Nelson will count for $600,000 on the Eagles' cap (in dead money) for their mistake. By releasing him, the Eagles will save $1 million that they would have otherwise paid him.
More importantly, the Eagles will likely preserve a sixth-round compensatory pick by cutting Nelson. You can read a much more detailed version of how here, but the Cliff's Notes are as follows:
- If Caleb Sturgis loses his kicking competition against Roberto Aguayo out in Los Angeles, the Eagles will preserve a sixth-round comp pick they otherwise would have lost if they kept Nelson.
- If Sturgis wins that kicking competition, the Eagles will gain an extra seventh-round pick they they otherwise wouldn't have.
To replace Nelson, the Eagles signed linebacker Jaboree Williams. Their depth at linebacker now looks something like this:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| OLB | Nigel Bradham | LaRoy Reynolds | Asante Brown (R) |
| MLB | Jordan Hicks | Joe Walker | Kyle Wilson |
| OLB | Nate Gerry | Kamu Grugier-Hill | Jaboree Williams |
The expectation here is that the six guys on the first- and second-team units above will make the roster.
Follow Jimmy & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @JimmyKempski | @thePhillyVoice
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
Add Jimmy's RSS feed to your feed reader