HEADLINES

Julian Vandervelde

Eagles Re-Sign Vandervelde, Cut Wade Smith

October 14th, 2014 at 1:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Eagles have re-signed center Julian Vandervelde, releasing veteran offensive lineman Wade Smith to make room on the 53-man roster, the team announced today (Twitter link). It had been expected for some time that Philadelphia would attempt to bring back Vandervelde when the team was permitted to re-sign him.

Vandervelde, 27, was a fifth-round draft pick by the Eagles in 2011. After playing his college ball at Iowa, he was active for 16 games over three seasons with the Birds; he rarely played, however, as he saw just nine offensive snaps in 2013. Expected to make the squad again in 2014, Vandervelde suffered a back injury and was waived with an injury settlement in late August as Philadelphia trimmed its roster to 75 players.

Players cut with injury settlements aren’t allowed to return to their former teams until six weeks have passed, plus the length of the settlement. Vandervelde has been a free agent for exactly seven weeks, which suggests that his original settlement with the Eagles was only for one week.

Smith, meanwhile, was signed as insurance after the Eagles’ sustained several early-season injuries to their offensive line, but he didn’t see the field much, playing just 18 offensive snaps in Week 3 against Washington. As a vested veteran, Smith won’t have to pass through waivers, and is immediately free to sign with any team.

Eagles Meet With Julian Vandervelde

October 4th, 2014 at 1:47pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After benefiting from having one of the more stable offensive lines in the league in 2013, the Eagles have been forced to make several adjustments along their front five in the wake of several injuries. Center Jason Kelce is expected to be sidelined until Week 10, guard Evan Mathis is on injured reserve/designated to return, and versatile backup Allen Barbre is out for the rest of the season. Second-year right tackle Lane Johnson returns from suspension this week, allowing Todd Herremans to shift to right guard, but Philadelphia is starting Matt Tobin and David Molk at center, an alignment the team certainly didn’t have in mind at the outset of the season. As such, Field Yates of ESPN (link via Yates’ colleague, Phil Sheridan) reports the Eagles met with center/guard Julian Vandervelde on Friday, an indication the team is hoping to bolster the depth along its O-line.

Vandervelde, 26, was a fifth-round draft pick by the Eagles in 2011. After playing his college ball at Iowa, he was active for 16 games over three seasons with the Birds; he rarely played, however, as he saw just nine offensive snaps in 2013. Expected to make the squad again in 2014, Vandervelde suffered a back injury which allowed Molk to earn a place on the team. Vandervelde was waived with an injury settlement in late August as Philadelphia trimmed its roster to 75 players.

As Sheridan notes, the Eagles’ interest in Vandervelde could either signify a willingness to move on from Molk, whom Pro Football Focus (subscription required) grades as the worst center in the league through four weeks, or a sign that Philadelphia wants an upgrade over backup lineman Wade Smith. Smith, 33, was signed on September 10, but hasn’t started a game and has seen just 18 offensive snaps despite the injuries to the Eagles’ front five.

Saints, Eagles, Bears Down To 75 Players

August 26th, 2014 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Saints have officially announced their roster cuts down to 75 players, and many of the names – most notably linebacker Victor Butler – have previously been reported. However, three players’ releases had previously been unreported. According to the team (via Twitter), quarterback Logan Kilgore, linebacker Kevin Reddick, and defensive back Rod Sweeting are among the players who didn’t make the cut down to 75.

The Eagles, who were vanquished from last year’s playoffs by New Orleans, have also finalized their 75-man roster in advance of this afternoon’s deadline. Sheil Kapadia of PhillyMag.com tweets that offensive lineman Julian Vandervelde has been waived by the team with an injury settlement. In a series of tweets, Vandervelde thanked the organization for the opportunity.

Meanwhile, a third NFC playoff contender has also trimmed its roster down to 75 players, with the Bears announcing today (via Twitter) that offensive lineman James Brown and cornerback Isaiah Frey are the latest roster casualties in Chicago.

All three teams, as well as the NFL’s other 29, will have until Saturday afternoon to further cut their rosters down to 53 active players.