Philadelphia Eagles: Will Bennie Logan be back in 2017?

With his contract looking like one of the most pertinent things to be dealt with in the offseason for the Philadelphia Eagles, the questions remains: Will Bennie Logan be an Eagle next year or not?

The Philadelphia Eagles look to have a very important decision to make regarding one of the most respected figures in their current set-up, Bennie Logan. Logan is coming off of a season where he had 16 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles; all in all a very modest season. After wrapping up his 4th season in the league, it’s inevitably time for a new contract to be discussed. Most Eagles fans would likely welcome Logan back next season with open arms based on his locker room leadership, familiarity with the team culture, and stellar partnership with Fletcher Cox that makes the base of one of the better DT pairings in the NFL.

Unfortunately, things aren’t that simple. All signs point to Logan wanting a large payday, something he certainly has every right to pursue. This is where the Eagles have to make a tough decision. After tying up Fletcher Cox to a large contract last offseason, shelling out big money to another defensive lineman doesn’t immediately look like the most sensible decision. According to spotrac.com, the Eagles D-Line contributed to roughly 9% of their cap last season, middle of the pack in the NFL. With Cox’s figures set to increase from the $9.4 million he made this season to $17.9 and then $22 million the next two seasons respectively, Howie Roseman will have some serious considerations to make before opening the checkbook for Logan.

Also lost in the shuffle of this conversation is Vinny Curry. Curry signed a 5 year/$47 million deal last year, another sizable deal on the D-line. Curry is due $9 million this year, and $11 million the next two seasons. From a cap perspective, the Cox and Curry deals alone combined with the others on the line will account for roughly 18% of the cap by 2018, and a whopping 28% of the cap by 2019. For perspective, the Jaguars led the NFL this past season with almost 30% of their cap in the D-line.

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This raises the most important question of all: how much do you logically invest in your defensive line? Logan has made it clear he would like to stay in Philadelphia. There are many reasons he would be welcomed back, but he will need to take less than he would get on the open market. Short-term options to keep both parties happy for the next season could be to franchise or transition tag Logan, although that would only be a very short-term solution. Last season, the franchise tag for DT’s sat at $13.6 million, while the transition was around $10.8 million. Given the Eagles haven’t used a tag since DeSean Jackson in 2012 (I’m laughing), that looks fairly unlikely.

Logan has given no signs that he would take a hometown discount to stay in Philly, however. Given the Eagles have made it known they would like to use cap space on help for Carson Wentz on offense, a deal for Logan looks more unlikely by the day. Giving money to running backs and receivers while also signing Logan to a big money deal just isn’t feasible given the Eagles current cap situation. That’s certainly not to say Logan wouldn’t be sorely missed. In the games he played last year, the Eagles averaged around 91 rushing yards per game allowed, a figure that soared to around 141 yards per game without him. Logan is one of the elite run-stopping DT’s in the NFL, but whether that warrants a mega-deal in Philly remains to be seen.

Oct 11, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles nose tackle Bennie Logan (96) celebrates a sack against the New Orleans Saints at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Saints, 39-17. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

Without signing or drafting anyone, Beau Allen and Destiny Vaeao would be the immediate replacements. Allen looks the more ready-made replacement, having been in the league for three years now and showing prowess in stopping the run in his short stints on the field. If Logan ultimately does end up walking, the Eagles will likely want upgrades over Allen and Vaeao. Luckily, this offseason’s FA class has a wealth of DT’s that could come cheaper than Logan and still give good production. Here’s my shortlist of guys that Eagles should poke around with:

Johnathan Hankins, New York Giants
Karl Klug, Tennessee Titans
Sylvester Williams, Denver Broncos (same agent as Fletcher Cox)
Nick Fairley, New Orleans Saints

It’s with almost 100% certainty that all of these aforementioned guys would come cheaper than what Logan will want on the open market. In the case of someone like Nick Fairley, a one or two-year, low-risk deal could easily happen. Although he’s had motivation issues with his various teams, Fairley’s production can’t be questioned. He played all 16 games for New Orleans last year and registered 6.5 sacks, which is always respectable for a DT. Hankins would also make immense sense, as he’s a proven run-stopper and it looks like Giants GM Jerry Reese is prioritizing re-signing Jason Pierre-Paul over Hankins this offseason. Hankins will be 25 at the start of the season, certainly being a piece the Eagles could build with going forward.

The draft can also be another place the Eagles look to at least attempt to fill Logan’s shoes. While unlikely the Eagles mortgage a high choice on a DT, there are some names to kick around. Credit to our in-house draft expert Benjamin Solak on delving into some potential replacements for Logan:

Chris Wormley, University of Michigan (3rd round projection)
Josh Tupou, University of Colorado (6th round projection
Noble Nwachukwu, University of West Virginia (7th round projection)

Those are just seven potential names that could come in to attempt to soften the possible blow of Logan heading for the exit doors. Signing a free-agent DT doesn’t appear to be the most likely thing in the world for the Eagles this offseason, but at the right price, nothing is unlikely. A late-round draft pick could very well be an upgrade over the Allen and Vaeao combination, so that’s also something to keep an eye on.

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This situation still has a way to go before figuring itself out. Paying Logan full market price would tie massive amounts of money into the D-line for the next 5 years at least, and could prove costly to the balance of the remainder of the team. It appears finding offensive help for Carson Wentz remains the immediate offseason priority, but letting Logan walk won’t be easy for the Eagles. Stay tuned to see what Howie Roseman does in one of his biggest offseason decisions this spring.

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