Eagles in process of trading Mathis, source says

The great Chip Kelly demolition of the foundation he inherited from Andy Reid continues. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the Eagles were trying to trade left guard Evan Mathis. A source close to the situation told your Eagletarian that the chances of a Mathis trade are "very real," and the source added, "I expect something to happen."

Mathis, 33, was among the least heralded signings in the "dream team" extravaganza of 2011, but he turned out to be the best of the group. He has been chosen for the past two Pro Bowls. But Mathis missed seven games last season with a knee injury, part of a blizzard of injuries that struck an aging offensive line.

The Eagles released guard Todd Herremans, 32, last week; he signed with the Colts. The Eagles gave Mathis permission to seek a trade last offseason, when he was unhappy with his contract, but there were no takers. However, four teams are said to be interested now, including Miami and St. Louis.

A thought many Eagles fans are sure to have: The Dolphins employ former Oregon defensive end Dion Jordan, who has not flourished there since being drafted third overall in 2013.

Even though the line does need to get younger, it's a surprise the Birds think they can smoothly replace both Herremans and Mathis in the same offseason, given that there aren't a lot of great free agent options. Current backups such as Allen Barbre, Andrew Gardner and Matt Tobin have not yet shown themselves to be top-notch longterm options

The Eagles would realize a $6.5 million salary cap savings from trading Mathis, against $2 million in dead money, so $4.5 million actual savings.