Report: Eagles have no plans to tender Jaylen Watkins

By Josh Liddick, Sports Talk Philly editor 

The cuts on the Eagles' roster and ultimately the salary cap has officially begun, starting with safety Jaylen Watkins.

According to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport, the Eagles don't have any plans to tender Watkins' contract as a restricted free agent, making him an unrestricted free agent when the market opens up.

The #Eagles do not plan to tender DB Jaylen Watkins as a restricted free agent, I’m told, making him a free agent-to-be. It would have been an original round tender for Watkins, who played 28 regular-season games in Philly over the past 2 years.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 20, 2018

Currently, the Eagles are $9.7 million over the cap, so every little bit of savings helps get them to where they need to be.

It would've cost the Eagles $1.9 million to tender the 26-year-old, who didn't see much time as a starter behind the likes of Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod Jr. In all likelihood, this move will allow Watkins to test the waters of free agency, and could sign a veteran's minimum deal with the Eagles if nothing is found.

Watkins had 17 combined tackles on the Super Bowl Champion Eagles team. He also played 333 total snaps for the Birds, about half on defense, and the other half on special teams.

The Eagles are a little bit short on safety help, so it's also possible that the Eagles do have plans on bringing Watkins back if the money and circumstance is right. Corey Graham, the other backup safety is also set to hit free agency as well.