Jaquiski Tartt's Contract and its Potential Impact on Anthony Harris
The Eagles added Jaquiski Tartt to the mix at safety by agreeing to terms with the veteran safety last week during what is essentially the dead period in an NFL that is between minicamps and training camp.
The Eagles were one of just two teams to not have a minicamp, joining the Bengals in that line of thinking. Philadelphia will open training camp on July 26 at the NovaCare Complex.
This quiet time did not prevent the Eagles from making some noise, however, with the signing of safety Jaquiski Tartt. Typically, we'd already have the details of the veteran's one-year deal by now but because of the calendar, everything isn't quite buttoned-up just yet.
Mid-June and the fact that Tartt signed his third contract with San Francisco last year for one year at the veteran minimum foreshadowed a carbon copy of that template with the Eagles.
An NFL source, however, described a slightly better offer to Tartt when taking with Eagles Today, one that is comparable with Philadelphia's offer to its other safety with significant experience, Anthony Harris.
Harris re-signed a second one-year deal with the Eagles back on March 18 that could be worth up to $2.5 million with $1M of that fully guaranteed.
If Tartt does get the same deal or something very similar, it could indicate that the Eagles want to see who wins a camp battle between the two veterans this summer.
What seems fixed is that the Eagles want and expect fourth-year safety Marcus Epps to handle one of the starting spots. Meanwhile, the team's other younger option at the position, K'Von Wallace, will beed to prove himself this summer.
It could be as simple as Harris, Epps, and Tartt as the three-man safety rotation with Wallace being No. 4.
That said, if the light goes on for Wallace and he proves to be a reliable and capable backup coupled with the team valuing Andre Chachere's special teams' acumen, it would be easy to move on from either veteran by Week 1 with little salary-cap trouble.
Also complicating things is the added depth at linebacker in the form of free-agent acquisition Kyzir White and third-round pick Nakobe Dean, players who could make three-safety packages less important for Jonathan Gannon.
Despite starting a career-high 14 games last season and finishing No. 72 of 92 when it came to safeties graded by Pro Football Focus, an indication Tartt's film wasn't great, San Francisco's biggest issue when it came to the decision to move on was Tartt's durability.
Since becoming a full-time starter in 2017, Tartt has missed 31 games over those five seasons, an average of over 6 per year.
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Sports. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talker Jody McDonald, every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube.com and JAKIBSports.com. You can reach John at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
