HEADLINES

Todd Herremans

Eagles Release Todd Herremans

February 27th, 2015 at 12:35pm CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 12:35pm: The Eagles have formally announced in a press release that they’ve released Herremans.

“Todd has been the ultimate professional during my two years in Philadelphia with him,” head coach Chip Kelly said in a statement. “He is a tough player and I wish him all of the best as he moves forward in his NFL career. I spoke to him earlier today and one of the things I told him was that by releasing him now, he will have a full opportunity to explore all of his options around the league.”

THURSDAY, 10:25am: Yesterday, a long-tenured Packer became a free agent when Green Bay released A.J. Hawk, and today the Eagles are parting ways with a player who has been with the team even longer than Hawk had been with the Packers. According to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Philadelphia will release veteran offensive lineman Todd Herremans, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Herremans, 32, has been with the Eagles since the club selected him in the fourth round of the 2005 draft. Over the course of the last decade, the 10-year veteran has appeared in 127 games for the Eagles, starting 124 of them at every spot besides center on the offensive line. In recent years, Herremans has served as Philadelphia’s right guard or right tackle, though his 2014 campaign came to an early end due to a biceps injury.

By releasing Herremans, the Eagles avoid paying his $4MM base salary for the 2015 season. Herremans’ contract still has $2.4MM in dead money remaining on it, which will apply to the 2015 cap, but since his original cap number had been $5.2MM, the Eagles will create $2.8MM in cap savings with the move.

Jason Peters, Jason Kelce, Evan Mathis, and Lane Johnson appear poised to continue to anchor Philadelphia’s offensive line for the 2015 season. Matt Tobin and Andrew Gardner also remain under contract, and both players filled in at times due to injuries or suspensions during the 2014 season — along with Allen Barbre, they look like the frontrunners to compete for Herremans’ old job in the Eagles’ starting lineup this summer.

East Notes: Herremans, Clay, Orakpo

February 26th, 2015 at 8:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

Todd Herremans has not been officially released by the Eagles yet and he cannot start talking to other teams until that happens, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. The move needs to show up on the league’s personnel notice before Herremans is allowed to chat with other clubs. Herremans, 32, has been with the Eagles since the club selected him in the fourth round of the 2005 draft. The Eagles could opt to hand Herremans’ job over to backups Allen Barbre or Matt Tobin but may look at Raiders center Stefen Wisniewski, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane.

Wisniewski started all 16 games for the Raiders in each of his four years, with the last 48 games coming at center. The son of former Raiders great Steve Wisniewski opened his career with 16 starts at left guard, increasing his versatility. Stefen Wisnewski is a cheaper alternative to signing Mike Iupati or Orlando Franklin, although perhaps not too much cheaper. He ranks 32nd on Pro Football Focus’ top 75 free agents.

In other news across the league’s eastern divisions …

  • The Eagles are also expected to pursue free agent corner Byron Maxwell, and Phillymag.com’s Sheil Kapadia examines why they should with a film-based analysis. Maxwell was the fourth Legion of Boom member the past 1 1/2 seasons, starting in two Super Bowls, and served as an effective deterrent as teams attacked the Seahawks defense’s right flank. At 27, Maxwell is one of the market’s top corners.
  • League insiders tell Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald that if the Dolphins can strike a deal with pending free agent Charles Clay in the coming weeks, it probably decreases the likelihood that wide receiver Mike Wallace remains. Top exec Mike Tannenbaum has made it known that he wants to retain the tight end.
  • Washington met with Brian Orakpo‘s agent at last week’s scouting combine and expressed interest in re-signing him, but there’s a long way to go between the two sides, tweets John Keim of ESPN.com. In an extended look at Orakpo’s free agency, Keim notes that many people around the league don’t expect Orakpo to return to D.C.
  • Washington has hired Dave Ragone as their offensive quality control coach, Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com tweets. Ragone served as the Titans’ wide receiver coach from 2011-12 and the team’s quarterbacks coach in 2013.

Zach Links contributed to this report

Eagles Put Herremans On IR, Activate Mathis

November 5th, 2014 at 8:05am CST by Dallas Robinson

WEDNESDAY, 8:05am: The Eagles have officially announced that they’ve activated Mathis and placed Herremans on IR (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 7:54pm: The Eagles saw a familiar face return to their offensive on Sunday, as center Jason Kelce saw game action for the first time since Week 3 following a groin injury. But just when Philadelphia seemed to be stabilizing its front five, which was one of the best in the league last season, health concerns struck again. Guard Todd Herremans, who had been attempting to play through a biceps injury, will have season-ending injury to correct the ailment, writes Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. He’ll be placed on injured reserve shortly, and the club will activate offensive lineman Evan Mathis from injured reserve/designated to return to fill his roster spot.

Herremans, 32, has been with the Eagles for the entirety of his 10-year career. He’s been something of a jack-of-all-trades during his time in Philadelphia, as he’s seen time at every position along the offensive line save for center. He’s settled in at right guard over the past two seasons, though he did play some right tackle while Lane Johnson was suspended to start the year. Herremans, who’s started 124 games during his time in Philly, hasn’t played well this season, and given that he’ll count $5.2MM against the cap in 2015, it’s not a guarantee that he’ll return next year.

Though the loss of Herremans could sting, the return of Mathis, one of the best guards in the league, is an unquestioned boon to a struggling Eagles front five. The 33-year-old Mathis graded as the No.1 guard in football during each of his first three years in Philadelphia, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He’s a strong asset in the run game, and with backup quarterback Mark Sanchez leading the team following Nick Foles‘ injury, the Eagles could look to feature LeSean McCoy even more than usual.

Second-year offensive lineman Matt Tobin, who had been filling in for Mathis at left guard, will slide over to RG in place of Herremans. Herremans’ season-ending injury ensures the Eagles starting offensive line of Jason Peters, Mathis, Kelce, Herremans, and Johnson won’t play one full game together in 2014.

NFC Notes: Bryant, Hardy, Eagles, Schiano

November 4th, 2014 at 11:39am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cowboys are wary of offering Dez Bryant a long-term extension because of the receiver’s past off-the-field issues, sources tell Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports. While Bryant wants a deal that pays him like a No. 1 WR, Dallas has offered the 26-year-old contracts that, while providing Bryant with significant guaranteed money, contain protection clauses for the club in the event of off-the-field incidents. Per Getlin, the Cowboys have provided therapists to help Bryant work out his anger management issues. Bryant, playing under the final year of his rookie deal, said on Sunday that he’d be “highly disappointed” if Dallas opted to place the franchise tag on him for the 2015 season. Here’s more from the NFC.

  • The Mecklenburg County district attorney announced that Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy‘s trial will be postponed until early 2015, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Hardy is currently on the commissioner’s exempt list as his domestic violence case is litigated, but as Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer writes, Carolina head coach Ron Rivera believes Hardy should be able to return to the team immediately if his trial won’t take place until the season is completed, arguing that the star defender has already served an effective eight-week suspension.
  • The Eagles will replace injured linebacker DeMeco Ryans internally, writes Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who points to Casey Matthews and 2014 first-rounder Marcus Smith as options to see more snaps for Philadelphia.
  • Offensive lineman Todd Herremans, who is trying to play through a torn biceps, will meet with Eagles team doctors today and discuss whether it’s best for him to be placed on injured reserve, per Bowen (Twitter link).
  • Ex-Buccaneers and Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano would like to return to an NFL or college sideline in 2015, writes Pete Thamel of TheMMQB.com in an engrossing profile.

Extra Points: Romo, Rams, Keenum, Broncos

October 28th, 2014 at 10:36pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Tony Romo left last night’s game against the Redskins during the third quarter with a back injury, but ultimately returned to play the fourth quarter and overtime. Per Ian Fitzsimmons of ESPN Radio in Dallas (via Twitter), Romo’s season is not in jeopardy. However, the Cowboys’ quarterback’s short-term health could be a concern, and he will be labeled “questionable,” at best, for Sunday’s contest against the Cardinals. Here’s more from around the league.

  • The Rams took on about $902K in 2014 cap charges when they acquired Mark Barron from the Bucs earlier today, and as Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap notes, St. Louis only had roughly $540K in cap room, meaning the club likely had to restructure another player’s contract in order to fit Barron on the roster. Fitzgerald also writes that the new CBA was central to this trade — though Barron was a first-round pick, his guarantees are still relatively low, enabling Tampa Bay to take on his dead money without causing much financial discomfort.
  • Quarterback Case Keenum was waived by the Rams in order to clear a spot for Barron, but it’s fair to wonder if he could soon find another job with the Ravens. As Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com points out (Twitter link), Keenum has a familiarity with Baltimore offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak from the duo’s time in Houston. The Ravens were rumored to be looking for an upgrade over backup QB Tyrod Taylor during the offseason.
  • Sources tell Mike Klis and Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post that although several teams were interested in trading for Broncos cornerback Tony Carter, no club was willing to part a “significant draft pick” in order to acquire the defensive back. We first heard last Friday that carter was drawing interest around the league, but the 28-year-old will finish out the season with Denver.
  • A torn biceps is a season-ending injury for most players, but Eagles offensive lineman Todd Herremans will attempt to play through the ailment, write Jeff McLane and Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Evan Mathis and Jason Kelce should return to the Birds’ line soon, so if Herremans can manage his health concern, Philadelphia should have its Week 1 starting offensive line together again soon.
  • Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News wasn’t impressed with Jets general manager John Idzik’s Monday state-of-the-franchise press conference, and doesn’t believe Idzik should be allowed to hire a new coach if Rex Ryan is let go.

NFC East Notes: Barbre, Randle, Carter

July 26th, 2014 at 1:00pm CST by Matt Feminis

With Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson facing a four-game suspension, head coach Chip Kelly says Allen Barbre is next in next man up, per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter). CSNPhilly’s Goeff Mosher (via Twitter) says Kelly likes Barbre and that the veteran would be pushing for a more prominent role independent of Johnson’s suspension. Mosher wonders aloud if that’s a veiled message to right guard Todd Herremans.

Here’s a few more NFC East links:

  • Giants third-year receiver Rueben Randle is “still something of a mystery,” writes ESPN’s Dan Graziano. “He led the Giants with six touchdown catches in 2013 but got just as much attention (if not more) for mistakes and miscommunications that helped lead to Eli Manning interceptions.” Drafted to be a deep threat in then-offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride’s system, Randle faces an adjustment to Ben McAdoo’s system, which will require receivers to create separation closer to the line of scrimmage.
  • Could Larry Donnell be the Giants’ starting tight end? ESPN’s Dan Graziano said the coaches “really, really like Donnell and don’t have any clearly superior options,” and noted he was listed first at the position on the team’s first unofficial depth chart. Donnell (6-5 265) went undrafted out of Grambling in 2011, but latched on and earned his way on special teams. Now, he’s in position to overtake Adrien Robinson, who GM Jerry Reese is still high on despite the fact the 2012 fourth-rounder has yet to catch an NFL pass and let his weight balloon to nearly 290 pounds last season.
  • Cowboys linebacker Bruce Carter is having fun again, writes ESPNDallas.com’s Tim MacMahon, and DallasCowboys.com’s analyst Bryan Broaddus observes Carter is “playing like a player that has a much better understanding of what his responsibilities are and what technique he has to execute in order to be successful.”
  • Redskins receiver Leonard Hankerson, who is recovering from a torn left ACL and MCL, has been cleared to run, reports Mike Jones of the Washington Post.