Instant analysis: Eagles release veteran Safety Chris Maragos

USATSI_11278562_168382939_lowres

Just moments after the Eagles had announced the return of Jake Elliott and Rick Lovato, they announced the departure of a key special teamer in Chris Maragos.

Maragos spent a year and a half on the NFL’s PUP list, after going down in week 6 with a knee injury. Having spent five years with the team, his impact on the locker room was extremely strong.

In a year where the Birds were decimated by injury, there were times where the presence of Maragos was almost being pleaded for. Mack Hollins did a very good job of filling in for Maragos on special teams in 2017, but one year later, they weren’t afforded that luxury as the UNC product was also out of the picture.

Maragos has a team-high 49 special teams tackles since joining the team in 2014.

“…Chris has been such an instrumental part of this team, kept him involved with the defense, with the special teams.” Doug Pederson said earlier in the year. “He’s such a… gosh, he’s such an inspiration to a lot of the guys with his leadership. It’s unfortunate, but he’s a great person, great human being and more of a good teammate to the guys.”

The 31-year old is no longer on the Eagles pay-roll and instead of re-signing him, Howie Roseman has opted to let him walk. Maragos underwent surgery back in December.

The Eagles restructured his previous three-year extension during last season, making him a pending free agent at the end of the year.

The goodbye is an emotional one for a player who was once a special teams captain. The question now becomes, who replaces the veteran Safety both as a locker-room leader and as a leading producer in Fipp’s prestigious unit?

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports