Eagles Start Major Spending Spree by Paying Ertz

Drafting well has its ups and downs. One one side, you find franchise players who bring youth, excitement, and (most importantly) wins to your franchise. On the downside, you’re going to have to eventually pay those players. We’re seeing that issue with Seattle and now more recently with the Philadelphia Eagles. With excellent drafts in 2012 and 2013, the Eagles are beginning to open their pocket books and pay some of their young talent.

The Eagles made that first step in signing linebacker Mychal Kendricks to a four-year, $29 million contract a couple of months ago. This week, they signed former second round pick Zach Ertz to a five-year $42.5 million contract. Signing these two players were just the first step in making sure good drafting holds its value for more than a players initial rookie contract.

Next up on Eagles Executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman’s plate is Fletcher Cox, the team’s first round pick from 2012. Cox has quickly established himself as one of the best defensive lineman in football. The recent coaching changes in Philadelphia will mean a transition to a 4-3 defense, a scheme Cox is much more comfortable in.

The 25-year old defensive lineman appears to be landing contract wise somewhere in-between Charles Johnson’s six years, $76 million and Mario William’s six-year $96 million deals, the second and third biggest deals for defensive ends respectfully.

JJ Watt has the biggest contract for a defensive end at six years and just over $100 million.

Once Cox is locked up, the Eagles will still have to pay 2013’s 4th overall pick Lane Johnson and former mid-round pick Vinny Curry.

Curry, whom is a free agent this year, is the Eagles number one priority in free agency this year.

Lane Johnson has established himself as one of the premier right tackles in the NFL. Since he was a member of the 2013 draft class, he may have to wait his turn to get a new deal. For now, the Eagles are focusing on locking up Cox and Curry.

So where do the Eagles stand cap wise? Not in a great spot. The cap ceiling is expected to be set somewhere around $160 million for 2016, leaving the Eagles with about $18 million in cap. With that space, they look to sign Sam Bradford, Vinny Curry, and Fletcher Cox to long-term deals. Not to mention starting safety Walter Thurmond is a free agent, but his asking price is expected to be out of the Eagles range.

For a team coming off an extremely disappointing season, not being able to fill holes across the depth chart due to cap issues can spell both uncertainty and misfortune. Howie Roseman (a cap managing extraordinaire) will certainly have his hands full as the team is forced to make some tough business decision heading into the 2016 season.