Eagles Cut 2014 First-Round Pick Marcus Smith
The Eagles have waived defensive end Marcus Smith, a first-round draft pick in 2014, the team announced Wednesday.
Smith would have earned a $594,000 roster bonus if he was still with the Eagles on the third day of training camp.
Smith’s time in Philly appeared to be running out even before he was cut. The Eagles signed veteran Chris Long in March and drafted Tennessee’s Derek Barnett with the 14th pick in April, further burying Smith on defensive end depth chart. In May, the team elected not to pick up his fifth-year option, making 2017 his last season under contract with the Eagles.
When Smith opted to skip organized team activities in late May, the Philadelphia media widely speculated that he was attempting to force the Eagles into cutting him. When he reported to mandatory minicamp two weeks later, Smith said he hadn’t asked asked to be released and still wanted to make the team.
The Eagles took Smith with the 26th pick in 2014, after a breakout junior season in which he recorded 16 sacks. Though he played 37 games for Philly over three seasons, he never made a start and totaled just four sacks.
