Eagles deal for defensive end
The Eagles have sent defensive end Chris Clemons and a fourth-round pick to Seattle for defensive end Darryl Tapp, a source close to the situation confirmed to the Daily News. The Eagles have two fourth-rounders; the deal involves the later pick.
Eagles deal for defensive end
Daily News staff and Les Bowen
UPDATED: The Eagles have confirmed the trade and issued a press release. Darryl Tapp has spoken to reporters in a conference call. And a league source says the Eagles and Tapp have agreed to a three-year contract, pending Wednesday's physical.
Tapp, 25, who signed his restricted free agent tender Monday, said he was "really shocked" and that the deal came together over "the last couple of days." A source close to the situation confirmed the Birds and Tapp's agent, Fletcher Smith, were working out a contract extension. (Just think, a day or so, "Eagles working on extension with Fletcher Smith" would have been a huge scoop. Smith's other Eagles client is Donovan McNabb.)
"I think I'm an athletic end," Tapp said. "A lot stronger and quicker than people think I am."
Said Eagles coach Andy Reid: “Darryl is a very intense football player and we’re happy to acquire him. He plays very hard every snap. He’s smart, he’s a good person and he’ll fit very well into our defensive scheme.”
Said Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, “Darryl is an up-and-coming player in this league, in my opinion. He’s a good player and a good person, and we liked him very much coming out of Virginia Tech. We believe he’ll be a good addition to our defensive line.”
EARLIER: The Eagles have sent defensive end Chris Clemons and a fourth-round pick to Seattle for defensive end Darryl Tapp, a source close to the situation confirmed to the Daily News. The Eagles have two fourth-rounders; the deal involves the later pick, which originally belonged to the New York Jets.
The deal was originally reported by Fox Sports' Jay Glazer via Twitter.
Tapp, 6-1, 270, was dealt a day after he signed his restricted free agent tender. Tapp signed a 1-year, $1.76 million contract with the Seahawks. Coach Pete Caroll has repeatedly mentioned Tapp's possible role as a roving pass rusher.
The Eagles have been searching for a defensive end to play opposite Trent Cole. It is unclear whether the Eagles intend for Tapp to be that guy.
Tapp, a second-round pick out of Virginia Tech in 2006, has played in all 16 games in each of his four NFL seasons. Tapp's best year was 2007, when he started all 16 games and had seven sacks. He started 11 games and had 5.5 sacks in 2008 and started five games with 2.5 sacks last season.
In his career, he has appeared in 64 games (32 starts) in his four-year career, posting 177 tackles, 18 sacks, eight forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, and two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.
The Eagles signed Clemons to a 5-year deal as a free agent from Oakland before the 2008 season. Clemons played in all 16 games last season, with three sacks and two hurries. He also had a sack in the Eagles' NFC wild-card loss against Dallas.
"We had a big group of defensive ends, six defensive ends, last season, and I knew it was going to be hard to keep that many," Clemons said last night. Asked if he minded being traded, Clemons said: "If it was going to get me more opportunities to get on the field, I didn't have a problem with it."
He said he learned a lot in his two years with the Birds, especially from late defensive coordinator Jim Johnson.
After the trade, the Eagles now own six picks in the 2010 draft.
They have their own picks in rounds 1-4 and have an extra pick in round 3 (from Seattle in 2009 trade) and round 6 (from Indianapolis in 2009 trade).
Their sixth and seventh round draft picks were traded to Buffalo and New England, respectively. A fiftth round pick acquired from New Orleans in a 2009 trade was sent to St. Louis in exchange for LB Will Witherspoon. A fourth-round pick acquired from NY Jets for cornerback Lito Sheppard was sent to Seattle in exchange for Tapp.
More to come.
watsonmr: Wanna bet? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darryl_Tapp
I thought we still had 8 picks (including two compens. ones).— hobbit
They gave up ZERO to get him. Addition by subtraction.- ZZZZZZ... ZZZZZZ... ZZZZZZ... Cough cough ohh ok!!!— nixman101
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Ladies and Gentlemen, your new defensive end, Spinal Tapp!- If he's half as good as Weaver, cool.— dansdigs
- I'm not sure what everyone is getting so worked up about. The addition of Tapp cost the Eagles very little besides the fact he is young and has some upside. Sometimes its surprising what happens to a young player when they get away from a team like Seattle and join a regular playoff-bound team. I think their are reasons to be optimistic about the deal and the potential this off-season still has with the draft upcoming. Thus far the team has been conservative but smart in not overpaying for both aging and overrated players (Peppers). Let's give the additions of Jackson and Tapp some time to pan out before we criticize them. Occasionally low-risk high-reward players like the aforementioned can make a notable difference.
- Love all the fans that think a "splashy" move wins games in December. If that were the case, the Redskins would be perennial contenders. They're not. We are. Shut your pie hole and let people that know what they're doing run the team.— vafan
- I love how people defend the Eagles; you know cause they are real a real class organization, they really aren't arrogant in the least bit, their loyalty is off the charts, and not to mention they have won multiple chamopionships since the new brass has been in town— Fightins85
- Well, better than nothing, considering we'll probably get a DE in the draft too. And better than washed-up veterans that do nothing but rob you of your money. We do not need a Peppers-type, wake up guys. Look where Kearse got us. And look where mega-hot free agent signings got the Redskins. Every single year we have all these stupid fans screaming to get 20 million dollar FAs, but you should know better by now. Signing hot shots on the decline doesn't get you a SB.— goeagles87
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- yo, fightins - love your sarcasm but it's all actually true. The Eagles ARE a class organization. Arrogance? You think because they don't bow down to the idiot vocal minority that is ready to jump at the slightest bump in the road that makes them arrogant? I think that makes them smarter than you. Loyal? You gonna bring up BDawk and Duce? BWest? Again, smarter than you. Multiple championships? You think it's easy to win the Super Bowl? You think you deserve the Super Bowl? Entitled to it? You're a spoiled little brat of a fan that's seen the Eagles win for far too long. You need to go through a Norman Braman stretch of depressing seasons to learn that the Eagles are a top tier team and organization that we are DAMN lucky to have. You spoiled little brat.— vafan
- Pathetic front office.— Nezhy
- this press release out of the no-one-care's complex had half the noise of the clemmons' signing in '08 - expect half the impact from mr. tapp, and that ain't saying much - is mamula on speed dial?— jbarch
