ESPN NFL Analyst Louis Riddick, formerly the Eagles director of player personnel, thinks the team will make a play for the recently-released DeMarcus Ware, a surefire future Hall-of-Famer and one of the best sack masters in NFL history. He was cut by the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday, March 11, in a move that saved the team $16 million in cap space.
I would bet Philly is working hard to get Demarcus Ware. Very hard. — Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) March 11, 2014
Ware, 31, played outside linebacker in the Cowboys 3-4 defense for the first eight seasons of his career but switched to defensive end in 2013 when Monte Kiffin was hired as defensive coordinator and installed a 4-3 scheme. Ware started all 16 games in each of his first eight seasons and recorded double-digit sacks totals in seven of them, including leading in the league in 2008 (20.0) and 2010 (15.5) and finishing second in 2011 (19.5). The combination of position switch and a multitude of injuries (shoulder, quad) contributed to a down 2013 season for Ware, who only had 6.0 sacks (lowest total of his career) and missed three games. He currently ranks 18th all-time in sacks, with 118.0, which is fourth among active players.
The interest in Ware, espeically among upper echelon teams, is already heating up, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
How much interest has DeMarcus Ware received? Six playoff teams have called. He'd like to move quickly if possible. — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 11, 2014