According to a report from Zach Berman of Philly.com, the Philadelphia Eagles have decided not to use the fifth-year option for 2014 first round pick, Marcus Smith. This would mean that the defensive end would be set to walk into free agency after the 2017 season.
According to the report, Smith still carries a cap hit of $2.48M this season..and it isn’t likely that he will breakout as many had hoped. Last year, Smith played in just 21.4% of snaps but actually had his strongest year yet. That year consisted of 2.5 sacks and 16 tackles. Although Smith flashed some of the first round potential under Jim Schwartz that has evaded his career so far, he now faces an even bigger Mountain to climb.
After Connor Barwin was replaced with Super Bowl Champion, Chris Long, the Eagles would go on to draft Derek Barnett in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft. With competition now at an all-time high and the Eagles reportedly stating their intent early..this truly is a tightrope season for Marcus Smith..and one in which his NFL future could well depend.
This is a developing story, so we will update this article as soon as more information is released.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
