3 surprise cuts the Eagles can make this offseason
By John Buhler
After making the NFC playoffs in Nick Sirianni’s first year as head coach, the pressure is on the Philadelphia Eagles to be even better in 2022.
The 2021 Philadelphia Eagles were among the most pleasant surprises in the NFL playoffs last season, but that does not change the fact they face immense pressure to build on it in 2022.
Nick Sirianni’s team has roughly $21 million in available cap space entering 2022 NFL free agency. While that should be a sufficient amount to land a marquee free agent or two, 13 NFL franchises have more financial capital heading into the new league year. For that reason, the Birds could be potentially parting ways with a few of its players a tad prematurely. Who is getting cut?
Here are three prime candidates the Eagles could cut ahead of free agency to free up cap space.
Philadelphia Eagles: 3 prime candidates to be cut this offseason
Pick Analysis. OT. Philadelphia Eagles. 3. player. Scouting Report. Andre Dillard. 54
Andre Dillard is not living up to his draft status one bit and could be traded
To say Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has made some strange picks in recent years would be putting it lightly. One pick that did not make sense at the time it was made was using the No. 22 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on Washington State offensive tackle Andre Dillard. He played on the offensive line in the quintessential Air Raid for Mike Leach. This was not that hard.
Thus far in Dillard’s NFL career, he has played in 31 games over three seasons and making only nine starts. While he missed all of the 2020 campaign with a torn biceps, Dillard has not flourished into being the prospect Roseman clearly reached on. With Sirianni now in his second season at the helm as head coach, Dillard’s days in the City of Brotherly Love could be numbered. Will he get cut?
Dillard is in the final year of his rookie deal where he is slated to make $3,936,095 in salary and signing bonuses. Though he only equates to 1.75 percent of the Eagles’ cap, that nearly $4 million in cash would become a dead cap hit. So cutting him does not really save space. What it does is free up a roster spot. This is why trading him for any day-three draft compensation is preferable.
In a worst-case scenario, the Eagles will cut Dillard just to free up that roster spot for someone.