Eagles expected to trade linebacker Mychal Kendricks in offseason

Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks has been a solid player in Philadelphia for five seasons. However, the Eagles could look to trade the 26-year-old over the offseason, according to the Philly Voice.

Teams around the league should have interest in Kendricks. The veteran linebacker will count for $6.6 million against Philadelphia’s salary cap next season. But the Eagles can save $1.8M if they decide to release or trade him. He would also count for $4.8M in dead money.

Philadelphia would have to find a trading partner who would want to pick up the last two years on Kendricks’ contract and the $5 million-plus salary that he has.

Sources also expect Philadelphia to free up cap space in order to be active in free agency. In five seasons in the City of Brotherly Love, Kendricks racked up 381 tackles, 12 sacks, six forced fumbles, and three interceptions.

In 2015, Kendricks inked a four-year, $29 million contract extension with the Eagles. However, the 26-year-old did not live up to expectations in 2015 or 2016. He racked up 82 tackles in 2015 and only 28 in 2016. He only rushed the passer nine times in 2016.

In December, Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said Kendricks does “rush well” when asked why the 26-year-old doesn’t receive many opportunities to blitz.

“He is a good blitzer. A lot of it has to do with times he’s in there. When he was in there when they were in their two tight end packages, a lot of that is max protection. Blitz another guy in max protection, you’re going to isolate your corners a little bit more.”

Schwartz mentioned “Every game is a little bit different with him.”

“When we’ve been able to get that and complete the coverage behind him, he’s been effective there. But he doesn’t stand alone. He can have a great pass-rush, and if our matchup is bad outside or we don’t cover the guy long enough, that doesn’t make a difference.”

No one knows if Philadelphia will be able to find a trade partner for Kendricks. It’s going to be tough for the Eagles to convince another team to trade for a linebacker who gets paid a lot but doesn’t perform well.