USA Today
Andrew Sendejo out; Jordan Matthews In?
Another Eagles defensive player hit the streets on Tuesday after safety Andrew Sendejo was released, while free agent receiver Jordan Matthews may be in position to return to the team for a third stint.
Sendejo finishes his Eagles career after nine games and one interception. He will best be remembered, though, for the friendly-fire hit in Green Bay that took out teammate Avonte Maddox for four straight games with a concussion and neck injury.
Matthews was in town for a physical as the Eagles search for receiver help after DeSean Jackson underwent abdomen surgery on Tuesday and is expected to be out four to six weeks.
Sendejo’s release opens a roster spot that Matthews could slide into.
Matthews was drafted by the Eagles in the second round back in 2014. He was traded to Buffalo following the 2016 season for cornerback Ronald Darby, but returned last year after the Bills cut him. He was productive in his first two stints and he and quarterback Carson Wentz are good friends, so there is no reason to think that he wouldn’t be an immediate help.
Meanwhile, Sendejo, 32, is the fifth member of the Eagles’ defense to be released since Oct. 14, when linebacker Zach Brown was cut. Since then, the Eagles released defensive tackles Akeem Spence and Bruce Hector, and cornerback Orlando Scandrick.
Hector was signed to the practice squad days after he was cut, Brown is now with the Arizona Cardinals and Spence with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Scandrick is still unemployed after ripping the Eagles on the FS1 program, “Undisputed,” just days after his release.
The release of Sendejo has at least two ramifications.
First, in the complex formula used to determine compensatory draft picks, the Eagles will now receive a fourth-round comp pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to go along with a third-round comp pick after Nick Foles went to Jacksonville.
So Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is loading up on draft picks, something he no doubt wanted to do after having just five selections in each of the past two drafts and to help reload a roster that is the third-oldest in the NFL.
Second, the Eagles now will need a third safety behind starters Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod.
That was Sendejo’s role. He had played 43 percent of the defensive snaps this season heading into Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears, but played just 11 snaps in that game.
Rudy Ford is a safety who plays most of the special teams snaps, so the Eagles may be hesitant to remove Ford of those duties in order to play more defensive snaps.
Maddox played some safety a season ago out of necessity, but is also a solid slot cornerback, starting over former second-round pick Sidney Jones, who was a healthy scratch against the Bears.
Jones may return to the slot if Maddox is needed at safety, and Pederson said that Jones was “in a really good spot” despite being benched against Chicago.
“We just had to make a tough decision, and Sidney's healthy, and had to make a decision there,” said Pederson on Monday when asked why Jones was inactive. “But he's in a really good spot. He continues to work. He practices well. He plays hard when he was in there in the Buffalo game, and you never know.
“Just sometimes it's dependent on the game plan, how many corners or safeties or do you need more receivers, or whatever it might be to get the 46 up on game day. But he's playing with a lot of confidence. He's got that back, and he's in a good spot.”
Jones, though, may find it difficult to get off the bench once Cre’Von LeBlanc is ready to return from Injured Reserve. LeBlanc is eligible to return to practice after being placed on IR at the start of the season with a foot injury. He has not been activated, however.
If/when LeBlanc returns he could also work in the slot and allow Maddox to move back to safety.
So there are options to play that third safety, and the Eagles are comfortable enough with them and felt a fourth-round compensatory pick was worth it to release Sendejo.
