May 03, 2017
Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher Marcus Smith has been in the NFL now for three seasons, and his "bust" status is etched in granite. Over those three seasons, Smith has played just 413 snaps, collecting 23 career tackles and four career sacks.
On Tuesday, Zach Berman of the Inquirer reported that the Eagles declined Smith's fifth-year option in 2018, which was about as obvious and easy a decision as they have had to make this offseason.
Smith has bigger worries than his fifth-year option. His base salary this season is $889,515, with a roster bonus of $594,000 coming on the third day of training camp, according to former NFL agent Joel Corry.
In other words, if the Eagles were to trade (lol) or release Smith prior to the third day of camp, they would save $1,483,515. That is a no-brainer, especially now that Smith is a third-string defensive end, behind Brandon Graham, Chris Long, Vinny Curry, and rookie Derek Barnett.
Smith did play 179 special teams snaps in 2016, which was seventh on the team, however, he did not make much of an impact there. The approximately $1.5 million in savings is far more valuable than Smith's special teams contributions and any delusion hope that he will turn into a productive edge rusher in the NFL.
The expectation here is that Smith has already played his last snap in Philly.
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