Philly Sports Jabronis
By Dave Spadaro, Eagles.com
The first of many moves to re-shape and upgrade the Eagles’ roster came on Thursday when the team released tight end James Casey, a move that has some ripple impact.
Casey, a hard-working tough guy who did whatever the Eagles asked him to do, played 170 offensive snaps in 2014, 14 percent of the 1,176 plays the offense had during the season. His contributions were particularly eye-popping — 3 catches, 59 yards, 2 touchdowns — but Casey was available as a versatile piece who could block, move around the formation and catch the football when called upon. More importantly, Casey was a four-core member of the NFL’s best special teams unit and he was a valuable piece for coordinator Dave Fipp.
But the Eagles are loaded at tight end with Brent Celek
and Zach Ertz and the up-and-comingTrey Burton. And the reality of the NFL is to maximize every roster position and every dollar within the salary cap — projected to be between $140 million and $143 million in 2015 — and Casey’s cap number was significant. Prohibitive, in fact, for a player who didn’t figure to be an offensive starter.
According to spotrac.com, Casey’s base salary in 2015 was to be $4 million against the salary cap. By releasing Casey, the Eagles free up that money and give themselves more wiggle room as they construct the roster.
Casey will find a job and he’ll play well in the league and, the way things happen in the NFL, he could somehow, some day maybe work his way back to the Eagles. You learn to never say never. Everyone wishes Casey the best of luck.
And now the tight end position becomes more defined. Celek continues to play at a high level as he enters his ninth season. Ertz figures to be a huge component in the offense after his 58-catch second NFL season, one that offered extended glimpses of just how much of a weapon he can be in the passing game. Burton should advance his role after making the roster as a non-drafted rookie from Florida last year and contributing heavily on special teams (7 total tackles, a blocked punt and a blocked punt returned for a touchdown).
It’s a really good group and it’s going to be interesting to see how head coach Chip Kelly and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur use the talent in the offense this year. There are many ways to use this athletic group and the coaching staff will explore every avenue.
Casey, signed as an unrestricted free agent prior to 2013, was expected at that time to be used more extensively in the passing game. He was a versatile piece for Houston who was chased heavily in free agency. The thought at the time was that Casey would team with Celek in the two-tight end set and the Eagles would utilize both in a variety of ways.
But then came the NFL draft. And when Ertz was still on the board with the 35th overall pick that year, the Eagles jumped at the chance to add the athletic and smooth player who was impressive at Stanford.
Casey’s role, then, never developed beyond a third tight end and a core member of special teams, and the combination of a deep and talented group at tight end — bolstered by Burton’s rookie season — and the obvious interest to gain as much salary cap room as possible, made Casey expendable.
This is just the beginning, of course. Free agency begins on March 10 and the Eagles want to be in the best shape they can be to delve into the market. There is always the possibility that players will be cut between now and then or that contracts will be restructured or that the Eagles will sign players.
It’s all so fluid and so very exciting. Kelly has a plan and a vision and the move to release Casey is the first piece of a very complicated puzzle. We’ve waited a long time to see what Kelly had in mind. Be ready for a flurry of moves leading into the meat of free agency as the Eagles, who have spent January and the first two weeks of February analyzing 2014 and making changes to the front office and coaching staff while laying out the blueprint for 2015, spring into action and try to upgrade every corner of the roster.
