Latest On Potential Michael Bennett Trade

Although the Eagles are open to trading defensive lineman Michael Bennett, it doesn’t appear the club is desperate to move on from the veteran. Instead, Philadelphia is exploring its options with Bennett after much of the league’s free agent-to-be pass-rushing talent was removed from the market via franchise tags earlier this week, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com.

Six players received the franchise tender ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, and five of those players are adept at getting after the quarterback. With Grady Jarrett (Falcons), Dee Ford (Chiefs), DeMarcus Lawrence (Cowboys), Jadeveon Clowney (Texans), and Frank Clark (Seahawks) now off the board, the Eagles are — perhaps rightly — guessing they could accrue draft capital in exchange for Bennett via the trade market.

Bennett was traded to Philadelphia exactly one year ago today, with the Eagles shipping a fifth-round pick and receiver Marcus Johnson to Seattle in exchange for Bennett and a seventh-rounder. While, Bennett posted nearly identical production with the Eagles in 2018 as he did with the Seahawks in 2017, he did so on roughly 200 fewer defensive snaps. Factor in that he’s now a year older, and it’s unclear if Philadelphia would be able to top what it originally gave up to Seattle in acquiring Bennett.

As Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported earlier this week, Bennett wasn’t pleased about becoming a reserve to begin last season, but he likely wouldn’t enter the 2019 season as a starter, either, as the Eagles recently re-signed Brandon Graham to a three-year deal and plan to deploy former first-round pick Derek Barnett as their other defensive starter. Bennett could still see plenty of snaps — especially given his ability to slide to tackle in passing situations — but his discontent is a situation to monitor.

Additionally, while Philadelphia isn’t as cap-strapped as it once was following the decision not to franchise tag Nick Foles and restructured contracts for offensive linemen Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce, the Eagles aren’t exactly overflowing with funds, ranking in the bottom half of the NFL with roughly $18.6MM in cap space. Trading Bennett would clear $7.2MM off the Eagles’ books, and the club wouldn’t incur any dead money by dealing him.

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