Philadelphia Eagles: By waiving D.J. Swearinger, Washington has given up
By waiving starting safety D.J. Swearinger, the Washington Redskins have all but conceded Week 17 to the surging Philadelphia Eagles.
It looks like Christmas has come early for the Philadelphia Eagles, thanks to a little help from their Week 17 opponents.
That’s right, as the Eagles prepare to march down I-95 with their postseason hopes still very much alive, their final opponent of the season, the eliminated from playoff contention Washington Redskins will be without one of their best defenders in a 4:25 pm EST game that could decide the second Wild Card spot in the NFL East.
Needless to say, D.J. Swearinger is not having a very merry Christmas Eve.
More from Philadelphia Eagles
- 4 Eagles on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
- Best Pennsylvania Sportsbook Promos: Win $650 GUARANTEED Bonus PLUS $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket
- 3 Punters the Eagles Must Target to Replace Arryn Siposs
- Cowboys Trey Lance Trade Proves How Screwed They Are With Dak Prescott
- Devon Allen Took Britain Covey’s Job on Eagles
After establishing himself as one of the most intimidating safeties in the entire NFL, possessing a unique blend of instincts, speed, and power, sixth-year safety D.J. Swearinger has officially been released from the team, as per his own account to 106.7 The Fan’s Twitter account.
The reason? A slew of public criticism that he’s leveled against his team over their lack of effort over the past few weeks.
Now granted, I’m sure plenty of defenders on Washington’s squad aren’t all that keen on having their elite reputation tarnished by having to make up for the offensive shortcomings of relievers like Colt McCoy, Josh Johnson, and Mark Sanchez, but even players on the worst teams can’t outwardly state that disappointment.
In the NFL, where contracts are not fully guaranteed, that kind of rhetoric will send even starting-caliber players onto the street; especially the team will only be on the hook for $1.3 million of their contrcts in 2019.
Sure, the team did just trade for Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who will presumably receive a brand new, big money deal in March, and they could conceivably replace Swearinger with a less-vocal but equally productive rookie a few months after that, but neither of those moves will help the team out in Week 17, when they’ll face off against the Eagles in what will all be their final game of the 2018 calendar year.
This news should be music to Eagles fan’s ears.
As the Eagles attempt to climb out of the NFL’s doldrums and earn a surprise playoff berth with a 9-7 record, Doug Pederson‘s offensive corp, featuring recently reinstated wide receiver Mike Wallace, will have their eyes pointed solely at Swearinger’s replacement Deshazor Everett, a third-year safety out of Texas A&M with only 10 career starts to his name.
After only logging 66 defensive snaps this season alone, Everett could very well double that number in Week 17 alone and be victimized by a blazing hot Nick Foles.
Next. Darren Sproles should never retire. dark
While the Eagles in all likelihood probably would have defeated the Redskins regardless of who they decided to start in Week 17 at safety, even St. Nick needs a little help here and there, and in this case, it looks like Dan Snyder may secretly bleed midnight green.