Less than 12 hours after he was arrested next to the NovaCare Complex in South Philadelphia, the Eagles have officially released cornerback Daryl Worley.
NBC Sports Philadelphia previously reported it was likely Worley would be cut, so the news isn't shocking, but it is an abrupt end to Worley's homecoming tour.
The 23-year-old cornerback was arrested Sunday morning around 6 a.m. when he was reportedly found passed out in a car on the corner of Broad and Pattison. According to NFL Network, Worley became combative with officers, was tased and a gun was recovered from the scene.
Worley came to the Eagles as the return in the Torrey Smith trade with Carolina. In Philly, he wasn't a lock to make the 53-man roster as one of several young corners on the team. But for his time with the Eagles to end like this certainly wasn't expected. Worley is from North Philadelphia and went to Penn Charter before he attended West Virginia University. He was the Panthers' third-round pick in 2016.
The release will take Worley's $670,000 cap hit off the books for 2018 and won't leave any dead money. The Eagles can simply wipe their hands of him and move on.
Really, adding Worley was just a bonus in the Smith deal. The Eagles weren't likely going to keep Smith at his salary and instead of cutting him, were able to get some sort of return. At the time, it seemed too good to be true. It turns out, it was. That's probably why it was easier to release Worley hours after he was arrested.
Worley became the second Eagles newcomer arrested this offseason after Michael Bennett was arrested and charged for an incident that happened a couple years ago at Super Bowl LI in Houston. This past season, the Eagles won Super Bowl LII behind strong locker room chemistry, so adding two guys who ended up in handcuffs within the span of a month isn't ideal. Of course, every situation is different for a multitude of reasons and the Eagles obviously felt comfortable cutting Worley loose hours after his arrest.
Philadelphia Eagles
Complete coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles and their NFL rivals from NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Even without Worley, the Eagles still have a stable of young cornerbacks on the roster. Jalen Mills, Ronald Darby, Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas will all still be fighting for playing time once the team begins OTAs this spring.
With Worley gone, the Eagles have 68 players on their roster. The team begins its offseason program with voluntary workouts on Monday before the draft later this month and OTAs in May.
