IS GLAD SPRING TRAINING IS FINALLY HERE
The Eagles are making some waves now.
Just an hour after tendering restricted free agent Mike Bell an offer sheet, the team has traded defensive end Chris Clemons and a fourth-round pick to Seattle for defensive end Darryl Tapp, the Eagles confirmed tonight.
Tapp is a restricted free agent. He signed Seattle's tender yesterday, but the Eagles and Tapp also came to terms on a three-year contract, according to a league source. Details of the deal were not immediately available.
During a conference call with reporters, Tapp said that he heard rumors that he might be traded, but he said he was still "shocked" when he heard he had been dealt.
"I had heard stuff but it wasn't anything concrete," Tapp said. "I signed a tender and was ready to work."
The 25-year-old Tapp hasn't missed a game in each of his four seasons in the NFL. He recorded 49 tackles and 2.5 sacks last season, according to NFL.com. His best season came in 2007 when he notched seven sacks, had an interception and forced three fumbles.
“Darryl is a very intense football player and we’re happy to acquire him,” Eagles coach Andy Reid said. “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.”
The 6-foot-1, 270-pound Tapp could be tabbed to play left defensive end opposite Trent Cole. Tapp said that he could play either side and that he was an every down end.
"Rushing the passer is fun, but you don't get the opportunity unless you stop the run," Tapp said.
The Eagles signed Chris Clemons as a free agent in 2008, but he has mostly been a disappointment in two seasons. The Eagles also imcluded the second of their fourth-round picks from the upcoming draft in the deal. It was the pick they received from the Jets in exchange for cornerback Lito Sheppard. The Eagles said they now have six picks in the draft.
The Eagles' offer to Bell was for a one-year at $1.7 million. He signed the sheet tonight. The Saints, who have seven days to match the Eagles' offer, aren't expected to since they could have tendered Bell at a second-round level which would have been just under $1.7 million.
