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Jadeveon Clowney and Carlos Hyde have been lingering around the Eagles this offseason like Rocky Balboa in the later rounds of his fictional fights. True or not, the rumors aren’t slowing down.
Hyde has been heavily linked to Philadelphia for the last several weeks as a possible replacement for bruiser Jordan Howard. The former Texans rusher fills the void with his size and power, a relentless closer who could pound the rock in the second half and finish games.
According to NFL Insider Adam Caplan, Hyde is high on the Eagles’ wish list and the team could sign him within the next three weeks. What’s the holdup? Well, they don’t want to spend more than the veteran minimum on a running back. It’s a number somewhere around $1 million per year, the same amount the actually offered to Howard before he left for Miami in free agency.
“They really like Carlos Hyde,” Caplan told The Sports Bash on 97.3 ESPN. “They really want someone who is going to give Miles Sanders, because he’s going to be the starter, to give Miles Sanders a spell. They want someone who can handle five to eight carries a game.”
Caplan, who cited sources within the Eagles’ organization, also threw out former Falcons rusher Devonta Freeman as a close second on their wish list. LeSean McCoy is on their radar, too, but “down on their list” because he doesn’t play special teams.
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Eagles ‘Out’ on Free Agent DE Jadeveon Clowney
The other name that keeps buzzing around — and one that constantly gets swatted — has been Jadeveon Clowney. The former Seahawks defensive end had been seeking $20 million per year but his market has shriveled. The asking price has dipped down to $16 to $18 million, per ESPN’s Dianna Russini.
That kind of money is still too rich for Philly. The Eagles are “not interested” in Clowney, per Caplan, and haven’t even reached out to his agent. There are two main reasons why. For starters, Clowney is coming off a core muscle injury and the Eagles have made it known they are steering clear of any player with a significant injury. And the fact that he wants more than $10 million is a “non-starter” for them.
“Once they found out what the player wanted, that was a non-starter for them and that was it,” Caplain told The Sports Bash on 97.3 ESPN. “Maybe if they could get him on a one-year deal at a significantly reduced price, probably under $10 million or no more than $10 million … I don’t think they make a call even then. I reported at that Combine that the Eagles were going to stay out of injury stuff.”
What About the Jason Peters & Alshon Jeffery Rumors?
Caplan also tried to shed some light on the impending situations with Jason Peters and Alshon Jeffery. Both players have dominated the headlines this offseason for the Eagles.
The Peters’ dilemma started back in March when the Eagles surprisingly released him but kept the door open on a return at the same time. The 38-year-old left tackle has been openly lobbying to come back to Philly and there has reportedly been mutual interest. Caplan said he’s “not putting a high percentage” on a Peters’ reunion. However, he admitted it could happen.
“I asked a team source who he envisioned starting Week 1 if Jason Peters and Andre Dillard were on the roster and he didn’t know,” Caplan said.
It gets even murkier with Jeffery since the Eagles are stuck with his albatross of a contract, with $16.4 million in dead money on the books. They would eat the money by releasing him and no team in its right mind would want to take that contract on. Jeffery will most likely be on the roster in 2020.
“Barring a miracle, they aren’t cutting Alshon Jeffery,” Caplan said. “Geoff Mosher [Caplan’s co-host on their Inside The Birds podcast] put the odds — and I agree and thought it was a good point — at 100 to 1 that someone would be dumb enough to take him in a trade.”
Jeffery is also coming off Lisfranc surgery on his foot, an injury that could sideline him for the first couple of weeks. Caplan downplayed the reports of friction between Jeffery and Carson Wentz, though. The Eagles quarterback and top receiver still have a good working relationship.
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