Writer: Brandon Apter

Eagles Set to Add Ryan Mathews, Walter Thurmond

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Brandon Apter
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Sports Editor

Published11 Mar 2015

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The Eagles continued their busy offseason this morning with the reported additions of running back Ryan Mathews and former Giants/Seahawks cornerback Walter Thurmond. This comes a day after the Eagles parted ways with Nick Foles and brought Sam Bradford aboard from the Rams.  

The Eagles may have found their LeSean McCoy replacement in former Chargers running back, Ryan Mathews. Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports tweeted early Wednesday morning that the Eagles were hosting Mathews for a visit and then later mentioned that the running back planned to sign. This adds another injury-prone tailback to Chip Kelly's roster as Mathews battled ailements during his first three years with the Chargers. In 2013 though, Mathews broke out, rushing for 1255 yards (4.4 ypc) and six touchdowns. Unfortunately, 2014 was another injury-plagued year as he was limited to just eight games last season. It had been rumored that the Eagles and DeMarco Murray had mutual interest in one another, but if Mathews ultimately signs in Philadelphia, that will be a moot point. 

ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported the one-year deal between the Eagles and cornerback Walter Thurmond. Thurmond, 27, to no one's surprise is an Oregon product, and spent his year last season with the New York Giants, though unfortunately he ended up on injured reserved. A pectoral injury limited him to just two games, but he has spent most of his career (2010-13) with the Seattle Seahawks. During his time in Seattle in a part time role, he limited opposing quarterbacks to a passer rating of 67.5, with no touchdowns, on 53 passes thrown into his coverage that season according to Pro Football Focus. He's started just nine times in 36 career games, but will be reunited with former teammate Byron Maxwell in the Eagles secondary.

Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweeted Wednesday morning about upcoming player press conferences and availability. The Eagles plan to introduce Sam Bradford later on Wednesday while Mark Sanchez and Brandon Graham will also speak with the media. 

 

Update: ESPN's Adam Schefter confirms the deal is official and the terms of Mathews' contract 

Also, Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun has released Thurmond's contract information.