National Football League

Philadelphia Eagles release CB Leodis McKelvin

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 2:18 p.m. ET

Fansided, Ryan Quigley/FanSided via Inside the Iggles

Let the Philadelphia Eagles’ salary cap purge begin.

The Philadelphia Eagles announced Wednesday via Twitter that cornerback Leodis McKelvin has been cut. Ranked by Pro Football Focus at No. 71 of the top 120 cornerbacks in the NFL this season, McKelvin frequently gave up big plays and lacked discipline in coverage.

McKelvin signed a two-year, $6.2 million contract with the Eagles last offseason. By cutting McKelvin, the Eagles free up $3.2 million in cap space.

A large reason why the Eagles signed the 31-year-old corner last offseason comes from McKelvin’s ties to current defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. McKelvin played under Schwartz in 2014 with the Buffalo Bills and had the best season of his career, recording 48 tackles and four interceptions in just 10 games. Unfortunately, McKelvin was unable to replicate his 2014 performance this season.

With McKelvin no longer in the fold, it’s hard to believe the Eagles will not target at least one cornerback during the early rounds of the 2017 NFL Draft. This year’s draft is stocked with quality cornerback talent and prospects such as Marshon Lattimore and Sidney Jones could be available when the Eagles make their first-round pick.

Several other Eagles players are in danger of being cut as well, including defensive end Connor Barwin, running back Ryan Mathews, center Jason Kelce and left tackle Jason Peters.