Mychal Kendricks - Pro Football Rumors

East Notes: Pats, Eagles, Gregory, Redskins

May 18th, 2018 at 9:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Josh McDaniels said recently his role remains the same, despite Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick helping to convince him to stay and thus spurn the Colts. But the longtime Patriots offensive coordinator’s presence in what’s generally a “notoriously small” draft room was indeed an expansion of McDaniels’ responsibilities, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. Although many teams may have written McDaniels off after his controversial flip-flop, he was a perennial fixture in HC carousels leading up to his 11th-hour decision to back out of a Colts deal. But the 42-year-old assistant insists he still wants to be a head coach, and taking part in draft-day proceedings would stand to further bolster those hopes.

Here’s the latest from the Easts:

The surgery Brandon Graham underwent will keep him out for the entirety of the Eagles‘ offseason program. Graham is hopeful he will be ready for training camp, per Les Bowen of Philly.com. The 30-year-old defensive end decided to go under the knife to accelerate the healing process from a troublesome high ankle sprain suffered on Christmas night. Graham remains in pursuit of an Eagles extension. His contract expires after the 2018 season.
Mychal Kendricks also underwent offseason surgery, per Bowen. The veteran linebacker and perpetual trade-block mainstay had minor ankle surgery. This duo follows Timmy Jernigan and Derek Barnett among Eagles defenders to undergo offseason procedures.
Arie Kouandjio will undergo surgery, but his recovery time will be far longer than the Eagles’ spate of defensive players who opted for operations. The Redskins guard suffered an injury which Ian Rapoport of NFL.com is calling a partially torn quadriceps and will soon have surgery (Twitter link). It’s unclear at this point how long Kouandjio will be out, but Rapoport notes the recovery time will likely be several months. A recent report pegged Kouandjio as a possible IR candidate, but after this update categorizes the malady as a partially torn quad, the interior blocker may be able to avoid such a distinction.
Randy Gregory will apply for reinstatement soon, and Matt Miller of Bleacher Report notes a Cowboys front office source is optimistic the defensive end will be reinstated this year. Popped for repeated violations of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, the former second-round pick has only played two games since the 2015 season.

Eagles To Re-Sign LB Nigel Bradham

March 14th, 2018 at 8:16am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Eagles will re-sign free agent linebacker Nigel Bradham to a five-year, $40MM deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Bradham was a key part of Philadelphia’s Super Bowl-winning defense a season ago, but given that the Eagles are extremely pressed for cap space, it wasn’t clear if they’d be able to re-sign the 28-year-old linebacker. They’ve somehow made it work, however, and one resulting move will entail the Eagles (once again) placing linebacker Mychal Kendricks and his $5.85MM 2018 salary on the trade block, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

A former fourth-round pick, Bradham followed defensive play-caller Jim Schwartz from Buffalo to Philadelphia prior to the 2016 campaign. He’s arguably posted the best two seasons of his career during that time, and graded as the league’s 21st-best linebacker in 2017, according to Pro Football Focus.While playing on nearly 90% of the Eagles’ defensive snaps, Bradham posted 61 tackles and one sack.

While the guarantees or structure of Bradham’s new deal have yet to be reported, he’ll now become the 12th-highest-paid off-ball linebacker in terms of annual salary. Given that Eagles’ salary cap problems, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Bradham’s pact contains a hefty signing bonus that will be spread across multiple years, while a back-loaded pact also isn’t out of the question.

Heading into free agency, Bradham ranked as PFR’s No. 1 available linebacker and the No. 22 free agent overall.

[RELATED: Eagles Depth Chart]

AFC East Notes: Patriots, Hightower, Cutler

October 26th, 2017 at 11:16am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots were aware of Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks in the offseason when he was on the block and Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link) wonders if he could be a consideration for them now that Dont’a Hightower is dealing with a serious pectoral injury.

Kendricks has long been talked about as a trade candidate and he even requested a trade himself back in January. However, he has become vital to the team in the wake of Jordan Hicks‘ season-ending Achilles tear. Kendricks was on the field for 55 snaps in Week 6 and probably would have been in line for lots of burn last week if not for a hamstring injury. With a 6-1 record, the Eagles probably aren’t inclined to trade away a key defender like Kendricks before the deadline.

Here’s more from the AFC East:

If he’s ruled out for the season, Hightower will lose out on $2.6MM+ in bonuses from the Patriots due to the torn pectoral and his previous knee injuries, Howe tweets. Hightower’s deal includes extra cash based on per-game play and play-time as well as Pro Bowl and All-Pro appearances.
Despite his cracked ribs, Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler is expected to be available a week from Sunday vs. Oakland, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). However, he will not be able to suit up for Thursday night’s game against Baltimore.
The Patriots had wide receiver Jake Kumerow and fullback Marquez Williams in for free agent workouts on Wednesday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. Kumerow was signed to the practice squad on Thursday morning.

NFC Notes: Vikings, Floyd, Lions, Eagles

September 30th, 2017 at 7:43pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Given that wide receiver Michael Floyd‘s four-game suspension will conclude this Sunday, the Vikings will need to make a roster move in order to clear space for the veteran pass-catcher, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes. Clubs are typically given roster exemptions when a player returns from a ban, so Minnesota will likely have until Wednesday or Thursday to make a transaction. The most likely candidates to be removed from the Vikings’ active 53 appear to be rookie wideouts Rodney Adams and Stacy Coley, per Tomasson, as neither has played much during the 2017 campaign. Floyd, 27, inked a one-year, $1.41MM deal with Minnesota that didn’t include any guaranteed money.

Here’s more from the NFC:

The Lions expect left tackle Taylor Decker to return from a shoulder injury in late October or early November, according to Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. Originally given a four-to-six month timeline when injured in June, Decker has been progressing well in his recovery, and nearly every report on his timetable has been positive. Because he’s on the physically unable to perform list, Decker is required to miss at least six games before returning to action. Detroit has a bye in Week 7, however, so the earliest he can realistically come back is Week 9 against the Steelers, as Meinke details. Trade acquisition Greg Robinson has started in Decker’s stead, but he’s graded as the league’s second-worst tackle, per Pro Football Focus.
Linebacker Mychal Kendricks was finally able to play in more than half the Eagles‘ defensive snaps in Week 3 following an injury to fellow defender Jordan Hicks, and Kendricks wasn’t able to stifle his frustration at typically being only a base-package player. “I haven’t been able to play,” Kendricks said, per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I could have been doing this. … You only have so much time to do this [stuff], man.” Kendricks, who posted seven tackles and two passes defensed last Sunday, has frequently been mentioned in trade rumors but hasn’t been moved.
In case you missed it, the NFL suspended Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan two games for his brutal hit on Packers wide receiver Davante Adams on Thursday Night Football.

Dolphins Looked At Mychal Kendricks Before Kiko Alonso Trade

August 20th, 2017 at 8:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

When the Dolphins and Eagles discussed the seminal trade that ended up giving Miami Kiko Alonso and Byron Maxwell and the Eagles the No. 8 pick in the 2016 draft, Philadelphia brass gave the south Florida franchise a list of players they were willing to offer.

Mychal Kendricks appeared on the list, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports. The Dolphins preferred Alonso to Kendricks and ended up making sure the former Bills standout only played one season with the Eagles. While the Dolphins signed Alonso to an extension, Kendricks hovered on the 2017 trade block.

Salguero reports the Dolphins studied Kendricks, who was a full-time player for the Chip Kelly-era Eagles before being relegated to a part-timer under new DC Jim Schwartz. Kendricks said in July he requested a trade out of Philly, but his 2017 salary became guaranteed earlier this year.

Dolphins executive VP Mike Tannenbaum also received reassurance on Maxwell, who did not show much with the Eagles, from Dan Quinn — Maxwell’s DC for part of his years in Seattle. The rangy corner became the player the Dolphins prioritized in this deal — one that helped the Eagles move from No. 13 to No. 8, putting them in better position to make the Carson Wentz trade with the Browns — but the team wanted more, per Salguero, prompting Miami to scan Philadelphia’s linebacker depth chart.

The Dolphins preferred Alonso to Kendricks because of his appeal as a three-down linebacker, Salguero notes. Kendricks is signed through the 2019 season but sits behind Jordan Hicks and Nigel Bradham in Philly’s linebacker hierarchy; Hicks and Bradham function as the Eagles’ nickel ‘backers.

Kendricks is attached to cap numbers of $6.6MM (2017), $7.6MM (’18) and $8.6MM (’19). Alonso’s extension ended up being for nearly the exact same amount as the Eagles signed Kendricks to more than 18 months earlier. The Miami outside ‘backer signed a four-year, $28.9MM re-up more than a year after Kendricks signed for four years and $29MM.

Eagles’ Mychal Kendricks Requested Trade

July 28th, 2017 at 12:12pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Eagles have been reportedly been shopping linebacker Mychal Kendricks for several years, and Kendricks himself asked to be traded or released in January, as Kendricks told reporters, including Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

Kendricks isn’t expected to see a larger role on defense in 2017, and therefore hasn’t dismissed the possibility that he could still dealt, per Zach Berman on the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter links). However, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said March that he expected Kendricks to remain on Philadelphia’s roster for the upcoming campaign. When asked if he would have agreed to an extension had he known his playing time would subsequently be reduced, Kendricks indicated he’d “plead the fifth,” per Berman.

Philadelphia had placed Kendricks on the trade block as far back as the 2015 draft, but the club was reportedly actively shopping him this offseason. The Eagles were looking for a fifth-round pick in exchange for Kendricks, but no team was willing to meet that ask after $4.35MM of Kendricks’ $4.85MM 2017 base salary became fully guaranteed earlier this year. Kendricks, 26, is signed through the 2019 campaign thanks to an extension inked in August 2015.

A full-time starter during his first four seasons with the Eagles, Kendricks was largely relegated to a reserve role in 2016, as he played on only a quarter of Philadelphia’s defensive snaps. In that span, he racked up 28 tackles and fumble recovery, and earned positive marks for his run defense and pass rushing ability from Pro Football Focus. Kendricks’ coverage grade of 47.7, however, was lacking.

NFC Notes: Rams, Cowboys, Eagles, Vikes

June 15th, 2017 at 4:06pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Rams had been holding off on extension talks with franchise-tagged cornerback Trumaine Johnson because they wanted to see how he fit in new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ scheme during their offseason program. Well, Johnson and Phillips are apparently a match, as head coach Sean McVay said Thursday (via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com) that he “fits any system. You’re talking about a big corner who can run, he’s physical, he can tackle and he has great ball skills.” The Rams have until July 15 to reach a long-term deal with Johnson, who’s currently scheduled to rake in $16.742MM this year. The same deadline doesn’t apply to superstar defensive tackle Aaron Donald, as he’s still under control for two more years. The sides have discussed an extension, though, and McVay is “optimistic that something’s going to work out.”

Eagles LB Mychal Kendricks Still On Trade Block

April 17th, 2017 at 2:48pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Despite head coach Doug Pederson‘s statement that Mychal Kendricks would be on the Eagles’ roster come September, Kendricks is still on the trade block, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). Kendricks plans to participate in voluntary workouts this week, per McLane.

Philadelphia had placed Kendricks on the trade block as far back as the 2015 draft, but the club was reportedly actively shopping him this offseason. The Eagles were looking for a fifth-round pick in exchange for Kendricks, but no team was willing to meet that ask after $4.35MM of Kendricks’ $4.85MM 2017 base salary became fully guaranteed earlier this year. Kendricks, 26, is signed through the 2019 campaign thanks to an extension inked in August 2015.

A full-time starter during his first four seasons with the Eagles, Kendricks was largely relegated to a reserve role in 2016, as he played on only a quarter of Philadelphia’s defensive snaps. In that span, he racked up 28 tackles and fumble recovery, and earned positive marks for his run defense and pass rushing ability from Pro Football Focus. Kendricks’ coverage grade of 47.7, however, was lacking.

Eagles Expected To Retain Kendricks, Kelce

March 29th, 2017 at 6:26pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Despite being mentioned in trade talks, linebacker Mychal Kendricks and center Jason Kelce are both expected to stick on the Eagles’ roster, head coach Doug Pederson told reporters, including Jimmy Kempski of the Philly Voice and Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com (Twitter links).

Philadelphia had placed Kendricks on the trade block as far back as the 2015 draft, but the club was reportedly actively shopping him this offseason. The Eagles were looking for a fifth-round pick in exchange for Kendricks, but no team was willing to meet that ask after $4.35MM of Kendricks’ $4.85MM 2017 base salary became fully guaranteed earlier this month. Kendricks, 26, is signed through the 2019 campaign thanks to an extension inked in August 2015.

A full-time starter during his first four seasons with the Eagles, Kendricks was largely relegated to a reserve role in 2016, as he played on only a quarter of Philadelphia’s defensive snaps. In that span, he racked up 28 tackles and fumble recovery, and earned positive marks for his run defense and pass rushing ability from Pro Football Focus. Kendricks’ coverage grade of 47.7, however, was lacking.

Kelce’s name had also been bandied about in trade discussions, but the Eagles weren’t interested in unloading Kelce simply to clear cap space. Kelce, 29, started all 16 games for the third time in the past four seasons. He posted his worst campaign during that span, however, as Pro Football Focus graded him as just the No. 27 center among 38 qualifiers. Signed through 2020, Kelce has cap charges between $6.2MM and $7.2MM in each of the next four years.

Eagles Want Fifth-Round Pick For Kendricks

March 12th, 2017 at 9:07am CST by Dallas Robinson

Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks has reportedly been on the trade block dating back to the 2015 draft, but Philadelphia is now actively shopping him, and is looking for at least a fifth-round pick in exchange, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

A Kendricks deal won’t save the Eagles all that much in cap space (just $1.8MM), but Philadelphia currently possesses the least amount of cap room in the league with fewer than $4MM in reserves. If the club is planing another signing during the free agent period, it could use the extra breathing room. The Eagles were also trying to deal linebacker Connor Barwin before ultimately releasing him, and are still attempting to unload center Jason Kelce, although they won’t do so simply to clear cap space.

Any team that acquires Kendricks will be on the hook for his 2017 $4.85MM base salary, $4.35MM of which became fully guaranteed this week. Kendricks, 26, is signed through the 2019 campaign thanks to an extension in August 2015. An acquiring club would take on cap charges of $5MM, $6MM, and $7MM in the next three seasons, respectively.

A full-time starter during his first four seasons with the Eagles, Kendricks was largely relegated to a reserve role in 2016, as he played on only a quarter of Philadelphia’s defensive snaps. In that span, he racked up 28 tackles and fumble recovery, and earned positive marks for his run defense and pass rushing ability from Pro Football Focus. Kendricks’ coverage grade of 47.7, however, was lacking.