Kony Ealy - Pro Football Rumors

Cowboys To Cut Kony Ealy

August 31st, 2018 at 2:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Kony Ealy‘s stay in Dallas did not last long. Added earlier this offseason, the former Panthers second-round pick will not make the Cowboys’ 53-man roster after the team made the decision to cut him Friday, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter).

A 2014 second-round pick, Ealy is a vested veteran and will not have to pass through waivers. He’s a free agent after failing to make the Cowboys.

This marks the second straight cut-weekend transaction for the once-highly regarded defensive lineman. The Patriots waived him last year, leading to a Jets claim and 15 games of regular-season action for Gang Green. With the Cowboys, however, he was on the bubble. Dallas tried him at defensive tackle as well but will cut the experiment short.

The Cowboys, who have Randy Gregory back in the fold, are a bit deeper on their defensive line than in the recent past. Former second-rounder Jihad Ward is also on their roster bubble.

NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Ealy, Eagles

August 13th, 2018 at 10:37am CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys are pondering a position change for free agent addition Kony Ealy, Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram tweets. Ealy has not impressed at defensive end this summer, so he’ll get a longer look at defensive tackle.

Starting defensive tackle David Irving will serve a four-game ban to start the season and Maliek Collins‘ status is up in the air thanks to a foot injury, so Ealy could carve out a role for himself in the middle. The veteran was initially expected to fill Benson Mayowa‘s role as the team’s third defensive end, but Taco Charlton, Charles Tapper, fourth-round pick Dorance Armstrong, and the returning Randy Gregory may be ahead of him on the depth chart at this point.

Here’s more from the NFC East:

The Eagles‘ decision to sign Christian Hackenberg has been in development for some time and wasn’t just based off of one workout, SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan tweets. The Eagles are reportedly high on Nate Sudfield as their No. 3 QB behind Carson Wentz and Nick Foles, so Hackenberg may face long odds of making the roster.
As expected, Nigel Bradham‘s one-game suspension will void out his guarantees with the Eagles (Twitter link via Joel Corry of CBSSports.com). Bradham re-signed with the Eagles this offseason on a five-year, $40MM deal with $14MM guaranteed at signing.
Kamar Aiken has had a great showing since signing with the Eagles so far and that should make for an interesting call when it comes to the team’s decision on their No. 6 wide receiver, Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com tweets. The Eagles inked Aiken to a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum in late July. He’ll fight to make the roster behind fellow receivers Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor, Mike Wallace, Mack Hollins, and Markus Wheaton. Shelton Gibson and Bryce Treggs are also among those hoping to make the cut.
The Giants worked out free agent defensive lineman Drew Iddings over the weekend, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
Redskins wide receiver Robert Davis is out for the year with a broken leg.

East Notes: Bills, Dolphins, Cowboys, Ealy

April 10th, 2018 at 9:34pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Here’s that latest from the NFL’s two East divisions:

Guard Richie Incognito‘s sudden retirement could theoretically force the Bills to wrestle with using their draft picks on finding a franchise quarterback, or instead deploying the selections to restock their roster as a whole, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com writes. Buffalo owns nine picks and possesses the third-most overall draft capital in the league, but would likely need to sacrifice several early selections — including both its 2018 first-rounders — in order to trade up for a signal-caller. However, the Bills are now fielding arguably the NFL’s worst offensive line after trading tackle Cordy Glenn and seeing Incognito and center Eric Wood retire, and needs at receiver and linebacker should be addressed via the draft. After surprising earning a postseason berth a season ago, Buffalo now must decide whether to finds it quarterback of the future or revamp its depth.
The Dolphins have their sights set on a defensive player with pick No. 11, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports that club is hoping to select Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith, Virginia Tech linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, or Washington defensive tackle Vita Vea in the first round. Defensive backs Derwin James (Florida State), Minkah Fitzpatrick (Alabama), and Denzel Ward (Ohio State) could also be in consideration, per Jackson, while the Dolphins also like South Dakota State tight end Dallas Goedert, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (although Miami almost surely wouldn’t use a top-15 pick on a tight end). The Dolphins would prefer to select a quarterback at No. 11, but don’t expect any of the draft’s top four QB prospects to be available.
Defensive end Kony Ealy‘s one-year deal with the Cowboys is worth up to $2MM, tweets Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Ealy, 26, will collect an $800K base salary and a $200K signing bonus, while he can also earn as much as $250K in per-game roster bonuses. In order for Ealy to max out his contract, he’ll need to post at least 12 sacks and play in 75% of Dallas’ defensive snaps next season, both of which seem like lofty goals. Because Ealy didn’t reach either of those thresholds with the Jets in 2018, both incentives will be considered “not-likely-to-be-earned,” meaning they won’t appear on the Cowboys’ salary cap immediately.

Cowboys To Sign DE Kony Ealy

April 5th, 2018 at 6:16pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys have agreed to terms with defensive end Kony Ealy on a one-year deal, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Ealy spent last season with the Jets.

Ealy met with Dallas on Tuesday and agreed to terms roughly 48 hours later. He’ll now help to back up starters Demarcus Lawrence and Tyrone Crawford, filling a role previously filled by Benson Mayowa.

Ealy, 26, was traded from the Panthers to the Patriots last offseason, but was cut by New England in the summer. The Jets picked him up him off of waivers, but the Cowboys also had a claim in on him. He went on to put together a solid season in New York, even though his stat line doesn’t jump off of the page.

For his work last year, Pro Football Focus rated him as the No. 61 edge defender in the league, which actually placed him ahead of former teammate Julius Peppers, despite Peppers racking up eleven sacks.

East Notes: Dolphins, Pouncey, Cowboys

April 5th, 2018 at 1:06pm CST by Zachary Links

A look at some items out of the AFC and NFC East:

The Dolphins have replaced Mike Pouncey with Daniel Kilgore, but they do not believe that they have lost an elite center. “Mike was maybe the best or second-best center in the league two or three years ago,” a team source told Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald. Kilgore, they feel, will give Miami a bump in run blocking, but not necessarily in pass protection. He also brings more size to the position and is something of an iron addict whereas Pouncey was never an enthusiastic weight room guy.
New Dolphins defensive end Robert Quinn says he was “pretty much shocked, honestly” upon learning that he had been traded from the Rams to the Dolphins (Twitter links via Salguero). “It’s like this, this is the first time I’ve been traded. You commit yourself to someone and you have your family turn their back on you,” Quinn said. Quinn, 28 in May, racked up 8.5 sacks in 15 games for L.A. last season. He has 62.5 career sacks to his credit, dating back to 2011. The Bucs and Browns also explored trades for Quinn before he was shipped to Miami.
Defensive end Kony Ealy and the Cowboys remain in talks, Clarence Hill of the Star Telegram tweets. However, it might take a couple of days before a decision is made.

Cowboys To Meet With Kony Ealy

April 2nd, 2018 at 11:07am CST by Zachary Links

Jets free agent defensive end Kony Ealy will meet with the Cowboys On Tuesday, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Meanwhile, he has “remained in discussions” with Gang Green over the past few weeks, Rapoport adds.

Ealy, 26, was shipped from the Panthers to the Patriots last offseason, but was cut by New England in August. The Jets claimed him off of waivers – beating out the Cowboys with a higher waiver priority – and he put together a solid season in New York.

Ealy’s one sack and 14 total tackles don’t exactly jump off of the page, but he saw time on 451 snaps as a part of the defensive line rotation and started in four of his 15 games. For his work, Pro Football Focus rated him as the No. 61 edge defender in the NFL last year, which actually slotted him ahead of former teammate Julius Peppers, despite Peppers’ eleven sacks.

The Cowboys are set with Demarcus Lawrence and Tyrone Crawford as their starting bookends, but Ealy could find work off of the bench in Dallas as a replacement for Benson Mayowa.

Top 2018 Free Agents By Position: Defense

March 6th, 2018 at 5:32pm CST by Dallas Robinson

NFL free agency will get underway on Wednesday, March 14th, and while the list of free agents will change between now and then, we do have some idea of who will be available when free agency kicks off. The frenzy is right around the corner and it’s time for us to break down the outlook for each position. After looking at offense on Monday, we’ll tackle defense and special teams today.

Listed below are our rankings for the top 15 free agents at each defensive position. These rankings aren’t necessarily determined by the value of the contracts – or the amount of guaranteed money – that each player is expected to land in free agency. These are simply the players we like the most at each position, with both short- and long-term value taken into account.

Restricted and exclusive-rights free agents, as well as players who received the franchise tag, aren’t listed here, since the roadblocks in place to hinder another team from actually acquiring most of those players prevent them from being true free agents.

We’ll almost certainly be higher or lower on some free agents than you are, so feel free to weigh in below in our comments section to let us know which players we’ve got wrong.

Here’s our breakdown of the current top 15 free agents by defensive position for 2018:

Edge defender:

As a positional group, pass rushers comprise interesting market on the defensive side of the ball. It’s not often that a list of best available players is topped by a 38-year-old, but Peppers is the top free agent edge defender after the Cowboys and Lions deployed the franchise tag on Demarcus Lawrence and Ezekiel Ansah, respectively. As with quarterbacks, NFL clubs are extremely reluctant to allow pass rushers to hit the open market, so top-tier options are rarely ever truly “available.” Peppers, for his part, hasn’t even declared whether he’ll return in 2018, but indications are that he’ll suit up for a 17th campaign after posting 11 sacks last year.

Alongside Peppers, other veterans populate the edge market, and while William Hayes may not be a household name, he’ll be a contributor for whichever team signs him. A stout run defender, Hayes is also capable of generating pressure despite managing only one sack in 2017. The Dolphins used Hayes on only 271 defensive snaps a season ago, and have since replaced him by acquiring fellow defensive end Robert Quinn from the Rams. Now that he’s entering his age-33 season, Hayes should come cheap, but will almost assuredly outplay his contract.

Nearly every other available pass rusher has some sort of flaw which will likely limit his market next week. Trent Murphy is only 27 years old and put up nine sacks in 2016, but he missed the entirety of the 2017 campaign with injury. Pernell McPhee, Alex Okafor, Junior Galette, and Derrick Shelby have also been plagued by health questions in recent seasons. And Adrian Clayborn famously registered the majority of his 2017 sacks (and 20% of his career sack total) in one game against overwhelmed Cowboys backup Chaz Green.

The two names that I keep coming back to are Aaron Lynch (49ers) and Jeremiah Attaochu (Chargers). Yes, Lynch has been suspended for substance abuse, struggled with his weight, and was reportedly in danger of being waived prior to last season. He’s also extremely young (he won’t turn 25 years old until Thursday) and ranked fifth in the league with 34 pass pressures as recently as 2015. Attaochu, a 25-year-old former second-round pick, also has youth on his side, and while he hasn’t quite flashed as much as Lynch, he’s also been buried on LA’s depth chart for much of his career.

Interior defensive line:

Interior rushers are getting more respect in today’s NFL, but that still hasn’t translated to them being paid on the level of edge defenders — the 2018 franchise tag for defensive tackles, for example, is roughly $3MM cheaper than the tender for edge rushers. While the 2018 crop of interior defenders boasts some impressive top-end talent, none of the available players figure to earn a double-digit annual salary. Sheldon Richardson may have the best chance to do so, but Seattle determined he wasn’t worth a one-year cost of $13.939MM, so is any other club going to pay him $10MM per year? I’d guess he comes in closer to $9MM annually, which would still place him among the 25 highest-paid defensive tackles.

Dontari Poe will be an intriguing free agent case after setting for a one-year deal last offseason, but the most interesting battle among defensive tackles will take place Star Lotulelei and Muhammad Wilkerson, and I’m curious to see which player earns more on the open market. Both are former first-round picks, and it’s difficult to argue Wilkerson hasn’t been the more productive player — or, at least, reached higher highs — than Lotulelei. Wilkerson also won’t affect his next team’s compensatory pick formula given that he was released, but his off-field issues, which include a reported lack of effort and problems with coaches, could limit his appeal.

While Beau Allen and Denico Autry are potentially candidates to be overpaid based on their youth, there are bargains to be had at defensive tackle. Tom Johnson is 33 but he’s offered consistent pressure from the interior for years — his last contract was for three years and $7MM, so he shouldn’t cost much this time around. Haloti Ngata was injured in 2017 but plans to continue his career, and he can still stop the run. And Dominique Easley was outstanding as a 3-4 end in 2016 before missing last season with a torn ACL, meaning the former first-round pick could be a value play for any number of teams.Read more

Linebacker:

Although there are a number of high-quality starting linebackers available in free agency this year, I predict most contracts signed by LBs over the next few weeks will come in lower that most expect. The linebacker market is relatively stagnant, and unless the player is a legitimate star or inking an extension with his original club, he’s usually disappointed with his annual value. The most expensive deal for an unrestricted free agent ‘backer who signed with a new team was Bruce Irvin‘s $9.25MM/year pact with the Raiders, and Irvin can almost be considered an edge rusher. After Irvin, it’s Danny Trevathan, whom the Bears signed for a $7MM annual value in 2016.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise if no linebacker listed above is able to top Trevathan’s two-year-old average, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t starting-caliber LBs on the market. Zach Brown, the poster boy for having to accept cheap contracts, is coming off another solid season, but is reportedly asking for top-three inside linebacker money. Good luck. Similarly, Demario Davis is looking for $8-10MM annually, while the Jets — who have interest in re-signing him — view him as a $3-4MM/year player.

Nigel Bradham and NaVorro Bowman should both come in around Trevathan’s $7MM average after posting excellent 2017 campaigns. While the Eagles would surely prefer to re-sign Bradham, the club’s dire cap situation may mean Bradham will hit the open market next Wednesday. Bowman, meanwhile, was traded from the 49ers to Raiders last season, and he seems like a good bet to stay with Oakland after new defensive coordinator Paul Guenther heaped lavish praise on the 29-year-old.

Cornerback:

Top-to-bottom, the cornerback market is the deepest positional group on the defensive side of the ball. Need a No. 1 defensive back with experience in both man and zone? Trumaine Johnson is your guy. How about a top-end cornerback who, while admittedly up-and-down at times, has the ability to shut down opposing wide receivers? Malcolm Butler has you covered. A former first-round pick who has finally played up to his potential over the past two seasons? Take a look at Morris Claiborne. Or is a career journeyman who posted 10 excellent games last year more your speed? Look into Rashaan Melvin.

Slot cornerbacks are also prevalent in this year’s defensive back market, and while I ranked Aaron Colvin, T.J. Carrie, Patrick Robinson, and Nickell Robey-Coleman in order of my preference, they could each be plugged into a starting nickel package immediately. I originally though Robinson could land a disappointing deal given his age (31) and his track record of underwhelming play prior to 2017, but he’s already garnering interest from the Giants, Raiders, and Cardinals, so his market should allow him to reach at least $5MM annually. Colvin could garner even more than Robinson thanks his youth (26), and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com expects Colvin to have a “legit” market.

If teams are looking for a bargain at cornerback, they should target Ross Cockrell, whom the Steelers dealt to the Giants last year for a seventh-round pick. Cockrell has always been overlooked in the NFL, but he keeps producing results. In 2017, Cockrell finished first in Football Outsiders’ success rate, which measures cornerbacks on their ability to consistently stop opposing wideouts short of the sticks. In fact, Cockrell was one of only eight defenders who stopped a receiver short of a successful gain on over half their tackles a season ago, as FO’s Aaron Schatz recently tweeted, but the league consistently undervalues him and his skill-set.

Safety:

The best free agent safety was taken off the board earlier today when the Rams used the franchise tag on Lamarcus Joyner, and the remaining market is extremely top-heavy. Eric Reid, Morgan Burnett, Tre Boston, and Kenny Vaccaro could all be in line for at least $5MM annually, but the rest of the class could struggle to find multi-year deals. Among the top-tier safeties, Vaccaro stands out as perhaps the most interesting name. A first-round pick in 2013, Vaccarro has posted three exemplary campaigns and two dreadful years; in 2017, Pro Football Focus ranked Vaccaro as the single-worst safety in the league among 87 qualifiers. But given his draft pedigree and his ability to man the slot, Vaccaro should land a solid deal.

While I like Reid and Burnett a bit more as players, it wouldn’t be a shock if Boston actually lands the largest contract. Reid and Burnett spend a lot of time close to the line of scrimmage, and both have been used as de factor linebackers from time to time. Boston, on the other hand, is a deep safety who can play coverage, and that repertoire is much more difficult to find on the open market. Similarly, Tyvon Branch has been great in coverage during his career with the Raiders, Chiefs, and Cardinals, so he could also see a nice pay bump next week.

After Branch, the crop of available safeties steeply drops off. Every other free agent we’ve listed above will be at at least 29 years old when the 2018 gets underway except for the Lions’ Tavon Wilson, and he was one of the NFL’s worst starting defensive backs last season. Veterans like Corey Graham or Ron Parker can still play as third safeties who see time in “big nickel” packages, but if you’re looking for a starting safety, you’ll want to bring in one of the top six defensive backs on the board.

Kicker:

Punter:

Jets, Kony Ealy Discussing Extension

December 22nd, 2017 at 10:22am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets and Kony Ealy‘s camp have discussed an extension, the defensive end tells Darryl Slater of NJ.com. Ealy says he’s not focused on a new deal, but he made it clear that he wants to stay with Gang Green.

“Definitely,” he said. “Just got to wait and see. You never know what happens. It’s a long way from that now. Just got to worry about finishing out the year.”

Ealy, 26, was a second-round pick of the Panthers in 2014. His rookie deal is set to expire after the season, meaning that he is scheduled for unrestricted free agency in the spring.

Ealy fell to the Jets at a time when his stock was extremely low. In March, the Panthers shipped him to the Patriots in order to move up from the No. 72 pick to the No. 64 selection. Much to the Patriots’ dismay, Ealy struggled in practice and he was waived at the end of August. The Jets took a low-risk flier on him and it paid off.

This season, Ealy has one sack, one interception, seven quarterback hits, and nine pass breakups. His traditional stat line isn’t overly impressive, but the Jets like the pressure that he provides. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus also show that he is playing quality football. Ealy has a career-best 75.6 overall score from PFF and ranks as their No. 50 edge defender in the NFL.

Giants, Others Tried To Claim Kony Ealy

August 28th, 2017 at 9:13am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets scooped up Kony Ealy after he was waived by the Patriots, but they weren’t the only team that wanted to claim him. The Giants, Redskins, Cowboys, Buccaneers, Lions, and Cardinals also put in claims on the veteran, Jane Slater of NFL Network and Kimberley A. Martin of The Buffalo News report (Twitter links).

The Jets aren’t playing for much in 2017 and Ealy has just one year left on his deal, so one has to wonder if they could entertain trades for him. Clearly, there is a market for his services, even though he struggled in offseason practices with the Patriots.

For now, the 25-year-old profiles as a reserve behind the likes of Leonard Williams, Sheldon Richardson, Muhammad Wilkerson, and Steve McLendon. The defensive line is the Jets’ strongest unit, but it stands to reason that Ealy could make the cut when rosters go from 90 to 53 on September 2.

Prior to the trade that sent him to the Patriots this spring, Ealy had played his entire three-year career with the Panthers. The former second-round pick has started a combined 15 games over the past two years with identical stat lines in each campaign: 32 tackles and five sacks. He also added a total of five forced fumbles during that span.

Jets Claim DE Kony Ealy From Patriots

August 27th, 2017 at 3:16pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jets have claimed defensive end Kony Ealy off waivers from the Patriots, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link).

New York owned the sixth slot in the waiver priority list, meaning Ealy didn’t slide far before being claimed. Indeed, Garafolo reports a number of clubs were putting in research into Ealy before the waiver window closed (Twitter link). Given that teams can roster as many as 90 players until this weekend, the Jets felt it worthwhile to acquire a player with a second-round pedigree at no cost.

Ealy, 25, doesn’t look like a contender for a starting role along the Jets’ talented defensive line, but he could compete for backup snaps. New York, of course, already boats Leonard Williams, Sheldon Richardson, Muhammad Wilkerson, and Steve McLendon, but Ealy could see playing time as a rotational edge rusher.

Last season, Ealy appeared in all 16 games (six starts) for the Panthers and managed six sacks in that time. Carolina traded him to the Patriots following the season, moving up eight spots in the draft in exchange for sending Ealy to New England. Expected to play a large role for the Pats, Ealy didn’t even make to final cuts, and was waived on Saturday.

Ealy’s 2017 base salary is not guaranteed, and his signing bonus proration is still the responsibility of the Panthers, so adding him is a complete no-risk move for the Jets.