Free Agency Buzz: Moore, Cook and Smith


So far, the NFL’s new negotiating period has been a bit of a dud.

As we explained yesterday, starting at midnight, teams were permitted to negotiate with agents. But according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the league sent a memo to teams on Friday, threatening tampering charges if they agreed in principle to deals with any free agents before Tuesday at 4 p.m.

The memo has apparently scared everyone involved from leaking information, and we’re left with what’s turned out to be a quiet start to the negotiating period.

Having said that, there are a few items worth noting for the Eagles.

First and foremost, one safety option is off the market. William Moore is going back to the Falcons on a five-year deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. If you’re wondering why the deal can be announced before Tuesday at 4 p.m., it’s because teams are allowed to re-sign their own players at any time.

San Francsico’s Dashon Goldson is the consensus No. 1 safety expected to reach free agency. Here is our rundown of some others.

Titans tight end Jared Cook is a name to keep an eye on for the Eagles, but he’s expected to draw quite a bit of interest around the league. According to a Miami Herald report, Cook could seek as much as $8 to $10 million per year. But the St. Louis Dispatch is hearing it’s more around $6 million.

Meanwhile, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald reports that between three and five teams have expressed interest in Dolphins cornerback Sean Smith. Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com says the Eagles are still in the mix for Smith’s services. But they could be competing with their old friend Andy Reid. Per Albert Breer of NFL Network, the Chiefs are also interested in Smith.

Speaking of the Chiefs, they signed cornerback Dunta Robinson to a three-year deal, per Schefter. I guess Reid took notice of Robinson’s devastating hits on DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin over the years.

One name that I probably should have included when running down the nose tackle options in free agency is Detroit’s Sammie Lee Hill. He played in a 4-3 with the Lions, but at 6-4, 329, has the size to play the nose. Anwar Richardson of MLive.com says Hill is expected to leave Detroit and at least four teams are interested. Hill is 26.

Follow Sheil Kapadia on Twitter and e-mail him at skapadia@phillymag.com.
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