Marcus Smith, the Eagles’ 2014 first-round draft pick, has been cut.
The Eagles tried at times to use Smith as both a defensive end and an outside linebacker, but he just never fit in and managed just four sacks in three NFL seasons. Former Eagles coach Chip Kelly liked Smith’s talent, but the current regime in Philadelphia has had no use for him.
The Eagles declined to pick up Smith’s fifth-year option this offseason, and Smith did not participate in voluntary offseason work. So both sides seemed to understand that they wouldn’t be together much longer.
* edited to change thread title
Last edited by Boris13c on Fri Jul 28, 2017 11:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things." George Carlin
PHILADELPHIA -- Two days after being released by the Eagles, former first-round draft choice Marcus Smith signed a three-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks on Friday.
Smith, drafted by the Eagles with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, was largely a bust during his time in Philadelphia only recording 4.0 sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss and 23 total tackles in 37 games.
Besides a lack of production, it appears that Smith's fate was partially sealed when he opted to skip voluntary OTA workouts this spring.
Following Friday's practice, Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz explained the team's thinking behind releasing him prior to training camp getting underway for the veterans.
"I think the biggest thing as far him not working out this year," Schwartz said of Smith. "Was the acquisitions that were made, and it comes down to how are we going to get reps for all of those guys? We have some really good young players like Alex McCallister, we obviously drafted Derek [Barnett], brought in Chris [Long]. That made it difficult.
"[Marcus] played some good football the last few games. He got a sack on Tyron Smith in the Dallas game. We just got to the point where there were only going to be so many reps in training camp, so many reps in practice, and we really liked the guys we brought in and some of the guys that were already here."
Landing with the Seahawks puts Smith in a position where he can attempt to shake the label of first-round bust and climb out of the shadow cast by three disappointing seasons to begin his career in a situation where he is surrounded by plenty of quality defensive ends.
"Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things." George Carlin
