Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that the Patriots have gauged the trade market for DE Kony Ealy, who should be someone worth watching in Friday’s preseason game.
Although, Pelissero adds that Ealy has “started to settle in lately” for New England.
It’s rare for a player to be traded twice in a career, let along twice in the same year. But Ealy got off to a slow start with the Patriots and it couldn’t hurt to see what kind of offers are out there for a player who plays a premium position in the NFL.
Ealy, 25, is a former second-round pick of the Panthers back in 2014. He’s currently in the third year of his four-year, $3.546 million contract that included $1.249 million guaranteed and stands to make a base salary of $803,660 for the 2017 season.
The Panthers traded Ealy to the Patriots for a third-round pick in this year’s draft.
According to OverTheCap.com, trading Ealy will free up $903,660 of available cap space while creating no dead money.
In 2016, Ealy appeared in all 16 games for the Panthers and recorded 32 tackles, five sacks, an interception, two forced fumbles and three pass defenses. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 79 edge rusher out of 109 qualifying players.
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