By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor
A bit over a month ago, the Buccaneers released Vinny Curry.
Many Eagles fans thought that bringing the veteran back would be a good idea. Apparently, Howie Roseman and the front office agree.
Geoff Mosher mentioned on his Inside the Birds Podcast that the Eagles have an offer on the table for Vinny Curry.
Bringing Curry back is far from a sure thing, however.
While no details on the offer have been released. it is probably somewhere between a minimum deal and maybe $4 million a year at the most. The simple fact is that Curry likely isn’t even worth that $4 million.
The team has Brandon Graham and Derek Barnett entrenched as starters and, should he choose to return, Chris Long is the clear third DE on the roster. The team also has Josh Sweat, who scouts gave second-round value to in the 2017 draft, who could take a massive leap forward with increased snaps and the Eagles could still pick up another lineman in this year’s draft which is historically deep with defensive line talent.
If Curry were to take the offer and return to Philadelphia, he could be anywhere from the third to the sixth end on the roster, though the fourth or fifth would be most likely. It’s difficult to imagine a team paying out big money to such a depth player.
Curry is a good edge rusher, but he is not great. Last season, he made $6.5 million and accounted for only two and a half sacks, seven quarterback hits and 21 tackles. He hit the open market at the right time, just after being a part of the best defensive line in the sport and helping to win a Super Bowl. The Buccaneers paid him big money because of it and ended up opting out of the deal after only one season.
He is an excellent rotational player, but not a player you should count on to be a starter as the Buccaneers did. His return would be a welcome one at a salary that is representative of that and his presence would provide depth in the event that Chris Long does choose to retire.
So far, Curry has visited the Cincinnati Bengals and has received interest from the divisional rival New York Giants. If his offers are all similar to the one the Eagles gave him, it would not be at all surprising for him to return to Philadelphia. At the same time, it would also not be surprising if a team, perhaps even the Giants who seem to lack a clear strategy for assembling their team, were to offer Curry starter money the likes of which the Eagles are unwilling to match.
Curry would be an excellent addition to the roster and a security net in the case of Chris Long’s retirement, but the Eagles are making the right move by sitting on their offer and not tying up big money in a depth signing.
Update: The Eagles and Curry have reportedly agreed to a one-year deal.