The Philadelphia Eagles are perpetually in need of a talent infusion at the cornerback spot. They were in luck on Tuesday, as a great one unexpectedly came on to the open market. The Cleveland Browns ditched Joe Haden, casting him off to the wolves. There were plenty of teams vying for his services, and, if the Eagles wanted him, they needed to work fast before he signed a deal with another team -- however, they were too late...
Joe Haden cut loose
Trade rumors popped up earlier in the week, putting Haden's Cleveland career into much cloudier shape.
Clearly, the team wasn't drawing enough interest in that realm, leading them to simply cut him on Wednesday. It will save the Browns plenty of cap space, although the team already had more than enough cap room with Haden on the roster. Frankly, it was just a chance for a struggling franchise to turn the page at a logical time.
Haden emerged in 2013, when he made the first of two consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl. Injuries -- including a concussion -- began to wreak havoc on his abilities and playing time, though. He has never started 16 games in his career and has been limited to 18 in the past two seasons. Last season, he recorded 48 tackles to go with three interceptions and 11 defended passes.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will enjoy his talent, though.
Eagles miss their chance
That's right, the team from across the state where the Eagles play swooped up Haden almost as soon as he was released. He signed a three-year contract with the Steelers worth $27 million. Cornerback was one of the biggest needs for the Super Bowl contender, so he'll serve in a beneficial capacity for another AFC North team this season.
The Eagles could have used him in some capacity too, though. Ronald Darby was acquired from the Buffalo Bills earlier this month and they brought in Patrick Robinson in free agency. Additionally, the team parted ways with Ron Brooks earlier in the day. Even with diminished skills, Haden would've been the best of the bunch.
Joe Haden is entertaining 1year and multi-year offers. Expected to pick a team w/in 24hrs. PIT, MIA, NO, PHI, KC, SF very much in mix...
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) August 30, 2017
It was always going to be a difficult proposition, however, as seemingly a third of all NFL teams were linked with Haden as soon as news of his release broke.
In addition to Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, other prominent teams mentioned included the Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, and Kansas City Chiefs, all with intriguing sales pitches of their own -- it just wasn't meant to be.
What do you think of this signing?
