Eagles Tender Tobin

PHILADELPHIA (973espn.com) — A couple of dominos fell on the Eagles offensive line Friday as the team tendered Matt Tobin and announced that backup center David Molk called it a career.

Philadelphia certainly wants to upgrade at guard but they also think enough of Tobin to keep their options open. The Eagles
extended a one-year contract tender to the pending restricted free agent, a deal worth a little over $1.6 million for 2016.

By doing so the team now has have the right to match any offer Tobin might receive in free agency, although it is the lowest possible  tender possible, meaning Philadelphia would receive no compensation if it fails to match any potential offer Tobin receives.

Tobin, a University of Iowa product originally signed as an undrafted free agent in 2013, can sign his tender at any time if he is comfortable with it and return to the Eagles. He has until April 22 to generate an offer sheet from another team. Philadelphia, meanwhile, has the right to rescind the tender at any time if Tobin chooses not to sign it, a move that would make the 25-year-old an unrestricted free agent.

The most likely end-game here is Tobin, a versatile player, returns to the Eagles under the one-year deal as a backup at both guard and tackle.

Tobin has played in 30 games with the Eagles, starting 20 of them, including a career-high 13 last season. He was given an opportunity to win the right guard spot in training camp last year but lost out to Andrew Gardner. That didn't last long, however, because Gardner wnet down with a season-ending foot injury in Week 3 and the 6-foot-6, 290-pound Tobin started the final 13 games at the position, struggling for the most part, particularly as a pass blocker.

Of the 81 NFL guards rated by ProFootballFocus.com last season, Tobin came in at No. 64 but as a pass blocker, only two -- Buffalo's John Miller and Kansas City's Jah Reid -- rated out worse.

Molk, also a pending restricted free agent after missing most of last season with a torn biceps suffered in Week 2, decided against continuing his career.

Originally a seventh-round pick by San Diego out of Michigan, Molk signed  a futures deal with the Eagles in 2014 and made the club as Jason Kelce's caddy.

Some have speculated that the Molk is the anonymous author of the recent tell-all book about life in the NFL titled "NFL Confidential: True Confessions from the Gutter of Football."

Needless to say the book isn't all that positive about the NFL lifestyle so Molk's early exit from the league is only going to fuel that speculation.

-John McMullen covers the Eagles and the NFL for 973ESPN.com. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen