Philadelphia Eagles: Is Isaac Seumalo headed for a June 1st release?

June 1st is one of the most important days on the NFL calendar.

No, it’s not the start of the NFL calendar year, the date of the trade deadline, the Super Bowl, or even the start of the first day of the draft; no, it’s the day where teams no longer have to pro-rate dead money over future seasons and can instead release players to free up much more short-term cap space (read more on the topic from Spotrac here).

Though it’s been June 1st for less than a day – at least at the time of publication – Howie Roseman has already technically used the distinction twice so far this season, first when Brandon Brooks announced his retirement from the game on January 26th and again when Fletcher Cox was released on March 17th.

Could the Philadelphia Eagles make it a trifecta? Could they say goodbye to another overpriced veteran who has become an unnecessarily luxury after securing a very compelling player in the 2022 NFL Draft? Well, depending on how the Birds feel about Isaac Seumalo, Jack Driscoll, and Cam Jurgens, that very well may prove to be the case.

Don’t be surprised if the Philadelphia Eagles say goodbye to Isaac Seumalo.

Isaac Seumalo has the sixth-highest cap number of any player on the Philadelphia Eagles’ roster right now. He’s slated to make more than A.J. Brown, Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, Jordan Mailata, Haason Reddick, and even Fletcher Cox, assuming you discount the $9.64 million in dead money on the books with his name on it.

Between you and me, I don’t have a problem with that, but hey, I’m not the one signing the checks.

Now don’t get me wrong; Seumalo is unquestionably a starting-caliber NFL guard. He’s appeared in 70 games over six seasons if you count the playoffs, and while he never became the center of the future he was initially drafted to be, his work at guard has been good-to-very good since midway through the 2018 season.

With that being said, Jack Driscoll has also been good-to-very good when thrust into action on the interior and with an extra year of team control thanks to the four-year, $3.79 million contract he signed after being drafted with the 145th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and he’s actually done so on the right side of the line. At only 25, Driscoll could theoretically be the Eagles’ starting right guard for the next half-decade plus, and that upside, when coupled with comparable play, could be enough to give the Auburn product the edge over Seumalo if everything else is equal.

And as for Cam Jurgens? Well, theoretically, he could beat out both Seumalo and Driscoll for the starting spot between Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson, but his presence could prove just as valuable as the team’s sixth man coming off the bench, where he could serve as a plug-‘n-play backup at three different players. With only so many players available in any given game, rolling with Jurgens as a reserve may be deemed good enough by the Eagles’ brass, though your personal taste may vary.

When the Philadelphia Eagles released Nate Herbig to save a few million dollars, many assumed that it was a good sign for Isaac Seumalo. The Oregon State product would slide in at right guard, and the trio of Andre Dillard, Cam Jurgens, and Jack Driscoll would serve as the primary backups at left tackle, left guard/center, and right guard/right tackle, respectively. But if the Eagles still feel that’s a tad too much depth – is there ever such a thing? – or simply like deeper reserves like Sua Otepa, Jack Anderson, or even 2022 UDFA William Dunkle in a more expansive role, then who knows, maybe Isaac Seumalo will be a member of the New York Jets like Herbig before we know it.