I find this little tidbit somewhat revealing:
Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks
revealed to reporters on Friday that he requested to be traded in the offseason. The Eagles had an option to release the sixth-year linebacker with no additional money owed, per Kendricks, but the team decided to keep him.
“It’s cut and dry. That’s the business. It’s just like that. You tell them what you want. They either do it or they don’t and you are in the contract that you signed. That’s it,” Kendricks said.
Revealing in the sense that there is still some residual resentment by some players who were drafted by the Eagles in the Andy Reid or Chip Kelly regimes over how their positional roles had to change due to a new coaching staff…
I don’t think it’s really that big a deal… plus most of those guys drafted back then are either gone from the team or now playing the position they were drafted for.
It’s just one of those unexpectedly candid and unprovoked comments coming from a guy (Kendricks) who has had his shares of ups and downs with this team. Maybe he volunteered the information with the intention of strengthening his bargaining position with the hope of other teams’ becoming aware of his desire to be traded? Who knows for sure…but something to watch play out this summer.
Asked if he thought the trade window was now closed, Kendricks responded with a smile: “No, it’s never closed. There’s a million teams out there. You’ve only gotta have one of them that loves you, one of them that likes what you’re doing. There’s 32 out there. It’s never closed. Everyone’s up. We’re all renting space here, coaches included.”
Cheeky, that one!
Tim McManus of ESPN.com kinda put a rational wrap on the whole deal:
“The former second-round pick out of Cal was used sparingly last season under new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. Part of the issue is that blitzing is among Kendricks’ top strengths, but Schwartz relies on his front four to generate pressure.
“The Eagles were in sub-packages around 70 percent of the time last season. With Jordan Hicks and Nigel Bradham as the top linebackers, Kendricks was on the field for just 27 percent of the defensive snaps. He finished with 32 tackles and no sacks.
“The trade buzz surrounding Kendricks has been at a steady hum for months now. Two teams circulating around the Kendricks camp near the time of the draft were the San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons. While a deal with the 49ers was reportedly close, nothing came to fruition.”
The funny thing is, if Kendricks thought all of this mini-brouhaha would increase his trade prospects, it is probably not increasing his tradability value for the Eagles.
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Saturday’s open practice was moved to Sunday due to inclement weather warnings. So all I have fresh off the grill is highlights from Friday’s training camp practice, which the Eagles’ staff of media reporters noted here at PE.com….
Let’s check back with each other on Sunday night…
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