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Darren Sproles

Eagles Notes: Sproles, Bradford, Dawkins

July 30th, 2016 at 11:44am CST by Ben Levine

The Darren Sproles extension follows a trend by the organization to extend their veteran players. As Jeff McLane of Philly.com writes, the team has already wrapped up 31-year-old tight end Brent Celek and 34-year-old offensive tackle Jason Peters this offseason. However, executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman said the team isn’t following any set rules.

“I think we’re more looking at each individual case as it comes,” said Roseman. “When you talk about those guys, we know what they can still bring to our football team on and off the field. And when you’re implementing some young players it’s good to have a nice mix of guys who have done it before and understand what it was like when teams have had success.”

Instead, Roseman believes extending his veterans sends the right message to their younger teammates.

“I think it’s the message that you’re sending to the team and the players. . . . You do the right thing here, and you’re productive, and you got a chance to stay here,” Roseman said. “And we want people to feel that way on and off the field.”

Let’s take a look at some notes out of Philly…

  • Sproles may have signed a one-year extension yesterday, but the running back is already eyeing the end of his career. “When I’m done playing, I’m going to be an Eagle,” the 33-year-old told Zach Berman of Philly.com. When asked how many productive seasons he has left in the tank, Sproles replied “this year and next year.”
  • The Eagles are slated to have the least amount of cap room in 2017 and 2018, leading some to assume that the team would eventually move on from quarterback Sam Bradford. However, Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com explains why the team could keep Bradford in 2017, with the writer citing a recent quote by Roseman. “We’re not in the business of losing good players,” Roseman said. “That’s our job to figure out scenarios and figure out ways to do that, and we’ve gone through all those scenarios. It’s tighter than it’s been since I’ve been here, but we also felt like it was an opportunity now with where our players were that the longer we waited, the more players we’d probably have to lose. Time is never helpful in these things. We went into it knowing that, but, for sure.”
  • Longtime Eagles safety Brian Dawkins has joined the team’s scouting department, tweets Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Zach Berman of Philly.com notes that Dawkins is the “inaugural recipient” of the Nunn-Wooten Scouting Fellowship, a program that “introduce[s] former players to scouting.”

Eagles, Darren Sproles Agree To Extension

July 29th, 2016 at 8:19am CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles and Darren Sproles have reached agreement on a one-year contract extension, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The additional year will take Sproles through the 2017 season and pay him $4.5MM. Sproles was initially set to earn $3.5MM this season, but the Eagles pushed some money into 2016 with the new deal. The Eagles have confirmed the extension via press release.Darren Sproles (vertical)

[RELATED: Eagles Won’t Cut Bradham; Wanted Boldin]

The news is a sharp turn from what we were hearing earlier this spring, when there seemed to be discord between the Eagles and Sproles and questions about his future in Philly. In May, we learned that the Eagles reportedly received calls of trade interest on running back Darren Sproles during the draft. At the same time, the running back staying away from OTAs. Sproles would later claim that his absence was unrelated to those reports, but the timing does not seem coincidental.

Sproles came to the Eagles in a 2014 trade with the Saints. At the time, Sproles was brought in to be a key part of the team’s backfield. Later on, however, the entire backfield was remodeled and Sproles found himself as the No. 3 tailback on the list behind DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews. The Eagles once again overhauled their backfield this offseason when they shipped Murray to the Titans in a surprising trade. That deal left the Eagles with Mathews as their lead back and Sproles as the No. 2, as shown on Roster Resource.

Now, as Mathews deals with an injury, Sproles is being given some extra cash as he prepares for what might be a larger-than-expected role in the Eagles’ offense. If Mathews’ issues drag into the regular season, we could see Sproles as the Eagles’ de facto No. 1 RB.

Sproles, 32, saw time in every game last season and made four starts. In that span, the veteran ran for just 317 yards off of 83 carries but also contributed 55 receptions for 388 yards. For his contributions in the rushing, receiving, and return game, Sproles earned his second-straight Pro Bowl nod in 2015.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Doug Pederson on Eagles, Final Roster, Absent Players

June 11th, 2016 at 5:54pm CST by Ben Levine

New Eagles coach Doug Pederson recently wrapped up his first mandatory minicamp, and the 48-year-old talked to Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com about the experience. The whole column is worth reading, but we pulled out some of the relevant quotes below…

  • Doug Pederson (vertical)There’s still a long way to go, but Pederson is already beginning to determine which of his 90 players will ultimately make the team. “I think you have an idea in the offseason,” he said. “You obviously know what you had coming back from last year, and of course your roster makeup and chemistry changes every year. It’s a new team, regardless of the new coaching staff or not. Next year we will be a new team, as well. Yeah, you begin to kind of go, ‘OK, pencil in guys here and there,’ and try to figure that out.”
  • Zangaro believes Pederson will have a particularly difficult time widdling down his group of tight ends and running backs, but the head coach already has a rough idea of how many players he’ll want for each position. “And again, as you know, once you get to the regular season and the way games are played, you want to make sure you’re covered in all areas,” he said. “But you go in having a general idea of how many you want at each spot.”
  • One thing that Pederson wasn’t focused on was his previously-absent players. Sam Bradford, Fletcher Cox, and Darren Sproles all missed parts of the previous voluntary workouts, but the coach stayed focused on the players who were present. “I didn’t necessarily worry myself too much about those situations,” he said. “Again, it goes back to just the way the offseason is set up and the fact that the entire program, outside of these last four days, is a voluntary program, and I just can’t – I’ve got to worry about the guys that are here during those times, and focus on those guys…I think at the end of the day, we’re just very fortunate that everybody is here this week and getting through this offseason and getting ready for camp.”

Eagles Rumors: Sproles, Cox, Pederson

June 6th, 2016 at 1:50pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at the latest out of Philly:

  • Darren Sproles reported to the Eagles on Monday in advance of the team’s mandatory minicamp, as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. When asked about his absence, Sproles chalked it up to “family stuff.” Recently, we learned that the Eagles fielded trade inquiries for the running back during the draft and Sproles’ absence from OTAs – according to some reports – was related. Sproles, 32, saw time in every game last season and made four starts. In that span, the veteran ran for just 317 yards off of 83 carries but also contributed 55 receptions for 388 yards. For his contributions in the rushing, receiving, and return game, Sproles earned his second-straight Pro Bowl nod in 2015.
  • In related news, Eagles coach Doug Pederson says that he expects Fletcher Cox to also attend the team’s minicamp, though he has not seen him yet (Twitter link via Jimmy Kempski of The Philly Voice). Cox, 25, enjoyed a career-year in 2015, setting a new career high with 9.5 sacks. He also racked up 71 tackles, three forced fumbles, and a pair of fumble recoveries. The performance earned the former first-round pick his first Pro Bowl nod, along with a top-10 spot on Pro Football Focus’ rankings of interior defenders — he placed ninth out of 123 qualified players.
  • Tim McManus of Philadelphia Magazine explained why the talks are dragging on between the Eagles and Cox. For starters, agent Todd France knows that his client is one of the top defensive players in the game and at 25, he has tons of room to grow. France also reps Marcell Dareus, who netted a six-year deal with $25MM signing bonus and an average of $16MM per season. The Eagles know that they’ll have to back up a Brinks truck to sign Cox long-term, but the two sides are going to have to haggle it out a bit first. Meanwhile, multiple sources say that the Eagles have a sizable contract on the table, McManus writes, and he feels that the defensive tackle will get around $60MM guaranteed mark and won’t fall far from Dareus’ $16MM/year salary.

Eagles Expect Cox, Sproles To Report Soon

June 3rd, 2016 at 9:54am CST by Zachary Links

Eagles head coach Doug Pederson told reporters that he expects both Fletcher Cox and Darren Sproles to be in attendance next week, as Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Pederson added that GM Howie Roseman has been in contact with Cox’s agent while assistant coach Duce Staley has reached out to Sproles (Twitter link via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer). 

Cox opted to skip voluntary workouts in May over dissatisfaction with his contract talks. Cox didn’t lose out on any money by staying away from OTAs, but he would be fined more than $76K if he did not attend June’s mandatory three-day minicamp. Roseman contends that Cox is a “huge part” of the team’s future, but the two sides will have to smooth out this contract situation for that to come to fruition. One report earlier this year claimed that the two sides were closing in on a long-term deal with more than $52MM in guarantees while another report indicated that no deal was close. Several weeks later, there’s still no agreement between the standout defensive lineman and Philadelphia.

Meanwhile, the Eagles reportedly fielded some trade inquiries on Sproles during the draft in April. The tailback did not report for OTAs and it was said that he was staying at home while the situation sorted itself out. For what it’s worth, Pederson said that he has no interest in trading Sproles and considers him to be an important part of the offense. Sproles currently sits as the team’s No. 2 back behind presumptive starter Ryan Mathews.

Cox, 25, enjoyed a career-year in 2015, setting a new career high with 9.5 sacks. He also racked up 71 tackles, three forced fumbles, and a pair of fumble recoveries. The performance earned the former first-round pick his first Pro Bowl nod, along with a top-10 spot on Pro Football Focus’ rankings of interior defenders — he placed ninth out of 123 qualified players.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC Notes: Eagles, Lions, Falcons

May 19th, 2016 at 8:12pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Eagles running back Darren Sproles took to Twitter on Wednesday to shoot down the notion that he’s holding out for a long-term contract (links here). “Totally false,” he claimed in one of the tweets. As of earlier this week, the soon-to-be 33-year-old was reportedly staying away from Eagles workouts amid trade rumors, but head coach Doug Pederson responded by calling Sproles “a big part of this team.” Sproles, who’s entering a contract year, will count $4.6MM against the Eagles’ cap this season.

More regarding Philly and a pair of other NFC clubs:

  • Whether Pederson can actually develop quarterbacks remains an open question, opines Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Sielski points to 2011, the year Pederson was the Eagles’ quarterbacks coach and when Michael Vick declined significantly from the prior campaign, as a reason for skepticism. Pederson also failed to tap into former first-round pick Vince Young‘s talent, adds Sielski, who writes that the beleaguered Chip Kelly did manage to get production from Nick Foles, Mark Sanchez and Sam Bradford during his oft-criticized run in Philadelphia. While Alex Smith played well during Pederson’s three-year reign as Kansas City’s offensive coordinator, his career was revived by Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman – not Pederson – as Sielski offers.
  • Lions safety Glover Quin believes teammate Darius Slay is one of the 10 best cornerbacks in the NFL, but there’s one thing missing from his game. “Everybody is going to say it from now until the end of time — he’s a great, great, great cover guy. The only thing that he can do to take it to the next level is intercept the ball. I mean, that’s it,” Quin said Wednesday (via Kyle Meinke of MLive.com). Slay has just four interceptions during his three-year career – all of which came during the previous two campaigns – but Pro Football Focus graded him as the second-best corner in the league last season (111 qualifiers). Thanks to his reputation as a shutdown corner, Slay should land a sizable raise between now and the expiration of his contract after next season. A deal could be in the works, as Slay’s agent – Drew Rosenhaus – was at Lions practice Thursday.
  • The Falcons are making a few changes to their defensive alignment, including shifting Vic Beasley to strongside linebacker. The eighth pick in last year’s draft, Beasley spent his rookie campaign as a LEO pass rusher, as Kevin Patra of NFL.com notes, and totaled four sacks while playing in all 16 of the team’s games. The ex-Clemson star had a difficult time against the run, writes Patra, which would explain the switch. Beasley will now fill the role that former Seahawk Bruce Irvin occupied when Falcons head coach Dan Quinn was Seattle’s defensive coordinator in 2014. Patra, however, is skeptical of the decision because it’ll lead to fewer pass-rushing opportunities for Beasley.
  • In addition to moving Beasley, the Falcons will give Ra’Shede Hageman a look at defensive end and try DE Tyson Jackson at D-tackle, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Hageman, a second-round pick in 2014, spent his first two seasons at tackle, amassing 43 tackles and two sacks in 32 games (11 starts). On playing end, the former Minnesota standout said, “It’s something I did in college. It’s a nice little move for me.” The Falcons believe the change will give the 310-pound Hageman a better opportunity to take advantage of his size and strength.

NFC Rumors: Sproles, 49ers, Lions, Slay

May 19th, 2016 at 3:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Darren Sproles makes his offseason home in California and, on paper, his experience be a welcome addition to the 49ers‘ roster. However, Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee can think of a few reasons why he wouldn’t be a great match for the Niners.

For one, the 49ers likely would be wary of striking a new deal with a runner who turns 33 next month. San Francisco has already bid farewell to several notable names that were north of 30, including Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, and Anquan Boldin. And, even if SF really wanted him, the Eagles would probably be hesitant to help out their former head coach in any way. For what it’s worth, the Eagles say Sproles is not available, even though the team reportedly received trade inquiries on him during the draft.

Here’s more out of the NFC:

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC Notes: Bradford, Bennett, Seahawks, 49ers

May 17th, 2016 at 5:53pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Given the addition of No. 2 overall pick Carson Wentz, Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford is unsurprisingly aware that he’s likely on borrowed time as the team’s starter.

“I’m not completely naive. At some point it’s not going to be my team,” Bradford told reporters Tuesday (via Rob Maadi of The Associated Press).

Bradford looked like a good bet to retain the starting job in Philadelphia for a little while longer after the club kept him from free agency with a two-year, $36MM deal in March, but the Eagles subsequently surrendered a massive haul to move up in the draft for Wentz. Bradford then briefly held out for a trade, which didn’t materialize. The decision to stay away from the Eagles was his agent’s, according to Bradford, who eventually concluded that Philadelphia “is the best place for me.”

“Tom Condon’s been my agent for my entire career,” Bradford said, per Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com. “He’s a guy that I really trust. At the time where we were going through this process, he felt like that was the best option for me. And given that I trust him and know that he has my best interest at heart, I’m always going to follow his advice.”

Bradford added that he’ll help Wentz break into the NFL, saying, “I’m not going to hide anything and if I can do something to help him become a better player, I’m going to do it. It’s only right I fill that role right now. If I wasn’t willing to do that it’s not having respect for the game.”

Wentz, meanwhile, stated that there isn’t any tension between him and Bradford.

More on Philly and a couple other NFC franchises:

  • Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett tore into Bradford on Tuesday as a result of his holdout. “I can’t believe Sam Bradford is complaining about making $40 million in the next two years, and because he actually has to compete for a position. This guy… this guy right here definitely sets a bad tone of what a player should be,” Bennett told 710 ESPN Seattle (per Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com).
  • Bennett hasn’t been happy with his own contract, a four-year, $28MM pact he signed in 2014. Nevertheless, he told reporters – including The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta – that holding out of training camp isn’t an option. General manager John Schneider realizes Bennett isn’t thrilled with his deal, but he said that players with more than a year left on their contracts aren’t the priority when it comes to extensions. Bennett still has two years remaining on his accord, so a possible extension might not come until next offseason.
  • When asked about the possibility of acquiring Eagles running back and potential trade candidate Darren Sproles, 49ers head coach Chip Kelly said, “I’ve had nobody call me from Philadelphia since December” (Twitter link via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle), referring to his late-2015 firing. Sproles, of course, played the previous two seasons under Kelly after the Eagles acquired him via trade in 2014.
  • Colin Kaepernick still hasn’t been cleared to practice after undergoing shoulder surgery last fall, but it’s not going to cost the 28-year-old in the 49ers’ quarterback battle between him and Blaine Gabbert, Kelly said (via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com). “There’s not a race. The first day we’re able to against defenses is today. We’re not naming the starting lineup for the Rams game today.” Kelly added that Kaepernick has “a great grasp of what we’re doing. I’m really impressed by both Blaine (Gabbert) and him and their intelligence and being able to pick up what we’re trying to do.

Eagles Pondering Darren Sproles Trade?

May 17th, 2016 at 12:25pm CST by Zachary Links

12:25pm: The first-year Eagles coach denied the report of a potential Sproles trade, telling media (including Berman, via Twitter) “We had no decisions to do that. I want Darren Sproles on this football team. … He’s a big part of this team.”

11:57am: Doug Pederson has been in direct contact with Sproles this offseason and insists the veteran scatback is not unhappy, Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. The first-year coach’s stance on this matter is that Sproles wants to spend time with his family and preserve his legs, Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News tweets. Sproles will enter his 12th season and age-33 campaign. 

10:16am: The Eagles received calls of trade interest on running back Darren Sproles during the draft, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Right now, it sounds like the Eagles are considering some of those offers. For now, Rapoport says, he’s staying away from OTAs until it’s all sorted out.

Sproles came to the Eagles in a 2014 trade with the Saints. At the time, Sproles was brought in to be a key part of the team’s backfield. Later on, however, the entire backfield was remodeled and Sproles found himself as the No. 3 tailback on the list behind DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews. Now, Chip Kelly is out of the equation in Philadelphia, but the Eagles are still not sure if they feel the diminutive back is essential to their offense.

The Eagles once again overhauled their backfield this offseason when they shipped Murray to the Titans in a surprising trade. That deal left the Eagles with Mathews as their lead back and Sproles as the No. 2.

Sproles, 32, saw time in every game last season and made four starts. In that span, the veteran ran for just 317 yards off of 83 carries but also contributed 55 receptions for 388 yards. For his contributions in the rushing, receiving, and return game, Sproles earned his second-straight Pro Bowl nod in 2015.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC Notes: Peterson, Sendlein, Guion, Saints, Sproles

August 7th, 2015 at 9:31pm CST by Rob DiRe

The relationship between the Vikings and star-running back Adrian Peterson had seemingly become strained since he missed 15 games last season after a domestic violence charge. Even so, Peterson has stated that not only does he want to keep playing until he is in his late thirties, and said he would have no problem signing another long-term contract with the team, in a Q&A with Ben Goessling of ESPN.

Here are some more stories from around the NFC:

  • Newly re-signed Cardinals center Lyle Sendlein said he had interest from other teams throughout the NFL, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (via Twitter). “Deep down,” said Sendlein, “we wanted to come back here.”
  • The appeal of Letroy Guion‘s three-game suspension stemming from an offseason arrest will be heard by the NFL on August 24th, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
  • Tight end Jean Sifrin got a tryout with the Saints, according to Nick Underhill and Joel Erickson of the New Orleans Advocate (via Twitter).
  • Former Saints defensive end Glenn Foster, who was released recently, said he needs about one month to complete the rehab on his knee, according to Mike Triplett of ESPN. Foster still plans to sign somewhere when healthy and play in 2015.
  • Despite adding workhorse running back DeMarco Murray and former Charger Ryan Mathews, head coach Chip Kelly sees a bigger role in the Eagles’ offense for Darren Sproles. While that could be the result of a pair of running backs with injury history, Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer believes the extra snaps and touches will like come as a receiver in 2015.
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