Upon signing running back LeGarrette Blount, the Eagles decided that they would be moving on from Ryan Mathews. Nearly two months later, Mathews remains on the roster. Now, it seems we’re at least two weeks away from a resolution on the matter. 
Mathews’ neck injury will be evaluated when veterans report to camp later this month, Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News tweets. If Mathews can pass a physical, the Eagles can release him without being on the hook for injury protection. The Eagles are not interested in releasing him before that point, because they would have to pay out an extra $1.15MM otherwise, leaving them with a $2.15MM cap charge when factoring in the dead money on his deal. By waiting until he passes the exam, however, the Eagles will be left with just $1MM on the cap while saving $4MM.
Mathews‘ season ended in December when he suffered the painful neck injury. Even with that injury plus the MCL sprain he was dealing with, he still managed to turn in an okay season. In 13 games, he had 661 yards off of 155 carries for an average of 4.3 yards per attempt. He also had eight rushing touchdowns plus 13 catches for 115 yards.
With Mathews out of the picture, the Eagles plan to use Blount, Darren Sproles, and Wendell Smallwood as their top backs. Fourth-round pick Donnel Pumphrey and Byron Marshall are also on the 90-man roster.