Could Brandon Graham and Connor Barwin be cut by the Philadelphia Eagles?
Big salary cap moves could be on the horizon for the Philadelphia Eagles. With reports stating that the team is in for a big shakeup this offseason, multiple big name players could find their names on the cutting room floor after all is said and done. While there are some big names likely to either be cut or negotiated down, two names that haven’t been mentioned much are Brandon Graham and Connor Barwin.
Both players carry smaller dead cap salaries than their current deals provide, meaning they could be dead weight cuts. However, would the Philadelphia Eagles really cut both of their top outside linebackers/defensive ends? One or the other seems plausible, but cutting both seems like a reach. That said, this team has done stranger things in the past.
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One reason both Barwin and Graham could be out this offseason is the team’s want and willingness to separate itself from the disastrous Chip Kelly-era. Signing multiple players to both big money and length deals during his time with the Eagles, Philly is still feeling the effects with such a limited amount of cap space they currently possess.
The biggest argument one could make against both Graham and Barwin is their lack of top end production. Paid as two of the best players on the team, neither player managed to live up to their potential last season. Recording only 5.5 sacks last season, Graham also saw a drop in forced fumbles and number of snaps last year. Barwin’s numbers were pretty similar as he recorded five sacks and 34 tackles, both drops from the previous season.
Considering the amount of money tied up in Fletcher Cox at this stage, the team needs to free up funds from along the front seven of the defense. Cutting just Barwin would give the Eagles an additional $7.5 million while cutting Graham would free up around $5.5 million in cap space.
With this amount of extra cash, the Eagles could make some solid moves to both replace Graham and Barwin’s numbers while also helping address some other areas of need across the roster. Will the replacement be to the levels of talent both Barwin and Graham possess, likely not. However, for the production the two gave the team last season, cheaper options could be had.
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