March 13, 2018
If the Philadelphia Eagles had any hope of re-signing free agent linebacker Nigel Bradham, they took a hit on Tuesday when the Kansas City Chiefs set the market high on linebackers by signing former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens to a lucrative deal.
Per Ian Rapoport:
The #Chiefs are now adding a big weapon on defense: They plan to sign former #Cowboys LB Anthony Hitchens to a deal worth $9M per year, sources tell me and @TomPelissero.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 13, 2018
I'm not so sure Hitchens is a "big weapon," but whatever. If Hitchens' reported $9 million per year contract is any indication of what Bradham will fetch on the open market, the Eagles won't be able to afford him.
Should the Eagles lose Bradham in free agency, they will still have two good starters in place in Jordan Hicks and Mychal Kendricks, but their depth will take a significant hit. With Hicks and Kendricks both having a history of injuries, the Eagles are going to have to add a linebacker at some point, whether that be in the free agent bargain bin or in the 2018 NFL Draft.
The first quarterback domino has fallen, with former Vikings quarterback Case Keenum landing in Denver, per Adam Schefter of ESPN:
When free agency opens Wednesday, former Vikings’ QB Case Keenum intends to sign with the Denver Broncos, sources tell ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 13, 2018
First QB domino has fallen.
QB race is on.
Previously, we named the Broncos as the fifth-most likely team to trade for Foles, with the following explanation:
The Broncos are a little bit like the Vikings, in that they have a lot of talent on defense, even if the Broncos' D had a down year in 2017. They can still compete in the playoffs with that defense, provided they turn it around in 2018, but they're going nowhere without a better quarterback.
The Broncos have extra third- and fifth-round picks in this draft:
| Round | Overall |
| 1 | 5 |
| 2 | 40 |
| 3 | 71 |
| 3 | 99 |
| 4 | 106 |
| 5 | 142 |
| 5 | 163 |
| 6 | 182 |
| 7 | 225 |
If the Broncos go hard after Kirk Cousins but come up short, that will signal that they don't believe there is a slam dunk quarterback that they can have at pick No. 5. So if not Cousins, why not Foles? The short answer, obviously, is that Foles will cost something close to the Broncos' 40th overall pick, and John Elway doesn't like giving those up.
The Keenum deal would seemingly take the Broncos out of the equation for any potential trade for Foles.
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