Getty Eagles LB Nate Gerry has been under intense scrutiny for a variety of reasons this year — on the field and off the field.
Nathan Gerry didn’t even make it to training camp this summer. The San Francisco 49ers released the 26-year-old linebacker on Tuesday after three months in the Bay Area. Gerry is a free agent who will undoubtedly be in the mix for the Tennessee Titans to claim.
Gerry, a fifth-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017, shared a close relationship with Jim Schwartz during his four seasons in Philly. The Eagles placed him on injured reserve in October 2020 and the 49ers inked him to a one-year contract on March 29. San Francisco will save $850,000 in cap space by waiving him and instead turn to some of its younger options at the linebacker spot.
The 49ers waived LB Nate Gerry. At last check, he’d been working through a foot injury and was expected healthy by training camp but was only in realistic contention for a special teams role. There’s now one free 90-man roster spot
Schwartz now serves as a senior defensive assistant for the Titans, so immediate speculation centered on Gerry reuniting with his favorite coach down there. The Nebraska product played in 46 games over four seasons in Philly, including 22 starts in midnight green. He earned a Super Bowl ring with the Eagles in 2018, but it was a tumultuous run toward the end.
Per PFF, here are the passing numbers when Nathan Gerry (a former college safety!) is in coverage:
23 for 23
267 yards
11.6 YPA
4 TD
0 INT
154.6 passer rating
Gerry drew the ire of fans to start the 2020 campaign following huge coverage lapses in picking up tight ends and slot receivers. T.J. Edwards and Alex Singleton eventually replaced him after he cost them games versus San Francisco and Pittsburgh. Schwartz continued to defend Gerry, though.
“Nate has been a very solid player for us, and has helped us win a lot of games,” Schwartz told reporters after Week 4. “And I would just caution this: There’s probably a lot of plays that people outside of our building think might be his fault; that he just happens to be the closest guy when someone else made a mistake, and I think they end up blaming him a lot of times. He’s sort of the closest guy just from plays, and I mean that’s just sort of the way the ball bounces.”
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Patriots WR Being Linked to Eagles
New England Patriots wide receiver N’Keal Harry has requested a trade, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. Harry, a first-rounder in 2019, has mostly been a disappointment in Beantown where he recorded just 45 catches for 415 yards and four touchdowns in 21 games. However, that hasn’t stopped the trade winds from blowing him to Philadelphia.
#Patriots WR N’Keal Harry has requested a trade out of New England, per @MikeGarafolo. Former first-round pick is looking for a fresh start.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder cited the need for a “fresh start” (via agent Jamal Tooson) following numerous conversations with Patriots brass. The Eagles don’t necessarily need another wideout — they have invested first-round picks on receivers in back-to-back drafts — but what if Harry became available for a fair price?
Harry had enough potential coming out of college to warrant the 32nd overall pick. He left Arizona State as the school’s leader in both career receptions (213) and career receiving yards (2,889). He was slowed down by an ankle injury during his rookie year in New England.
“N’Keal understands a key ingredient to production is opportunity,” Tooson told Garafolo. “He will continue to work hard to develop and refine his craft after missing a large portion of his rookie year to injury. His draft-day expectations for his NFL career have not changed. We are confident success is just around the corner for him and will aggressively pursue it.”
Darius Slay Recruiting Steven Nelson
Darius Slay admittedly loves to have fun on social media as evidenced by his fun banter with Julio Jones earlier in the offseason. He was lobbying the Eagles to trade for the All-Pro receiver before he went to Tennessee. He was also spotted playing video games with free-agent cornerback Richard Sherman in what many saw as a recruiting mission.
Well, Slay has jumped on the Steven Nelson train. The former Pittsburgh Steelers corner remains available on the open market, but the sticking point could be the price tag. Money doesn’t matter to Slay, who reached out on Twitter to give some wardrobe advice: “that green will look good on ya.”
Aye @Nelson_Island that green will look good on ya👀