The Philadelphia Eagles have parted ways with a longtime stalwart of their defensive line. The Eagles announced on Friday afternoon that they've released defensive end Vinny Curry, who had been with the team since being selected in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. 

Curry has been a rotational defensive lineman for the Eagles for the last five years, collecting 122 tackles and 22 sacks during that time. (He had nine tackles and zero sacks while appearing in six games as a rookie.) Curry started all 16 games for the Eagles during the 2017 season and played an important role during their run to the Super Bowl. He finished the regular season third among Eagles defensive linemen in snaps behind only Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham, and he was one of the most versatile contributors on the line, playing extremely well against both the run and the pass. 

The writing has been on the wall for Curry all week, however, as the Eagles recently traded for former Seahawks star Michael Bennett, who seems likely to assume much of Curry's role as someone that can move around the line of scrimmage and be disruptive. 

The Eagles attempted to get Curry to take a pay cut, but after failing to come to an agreement, decided to cut him in order to prevent $5 million of his $9 million base salary from becoming guaranteed on Sunday. Instead, Curry will count against the cap for a dead money charge of $6 million. 

Still productive and heading into his age-30 season, Curry figures to have a market for his services among 4-3 teams looking for a rotational defensive end that is particularly strong on early downs and in rushing situations. It would not be surprising, for example, to see the Patriots and/or the division rival Cowboys emerge as suitors, especially if Curry is willing to play on a one-year deal at relatively low cost. Other possibilities include the Rams (who traded Robert Quinn earlier this offseason), Seahawks, and Lions, among others.