Eagles trade OL Allen Barbre to Broncos before officially releasing him

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Updated: 4:57 p.m.

About 2½ hours after offensive coordinator Frank Reich anointed second-year pro Isaac Seumalo the Eagles' starting left guard, the team said it had released incumbent left guard Allen Barbre, a 10-year veteran.

Only the Eagles didn't cut Barbre.

Before his release, the Eagles were actually able to trade the veteran offensive lineman to the Broncos for a 2019 conditinal draft pick. Instead of getting nothing for Barbre, they'll at least have a chance to get a draft pick. 

Doug Pederson has said all offseason there is an open competition at left guard, a battle that presumably included Seumalo, Barbre and veterans Chance Warmack and Stefen Wisniewski.

But Reich ended the competition Tuesday morning before veteran training camp even began.

No longer in the mix to be a starter, Barbre became expendable with a $1.75 million base salary.

In a statement released before the news of the trade, Eagles executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman indicated Barbre and the team mutually agreed to part ways.

"Allen Barbre is a pro’s pro,” Roseman said in the statement. “Not only did he help the team with his solid play as a starter at left guard, but his ability to step up and play multiple positions helped us battle through some difficult situations.

"We had a conversation (Tuesday) and agreed it made sense to allow him to pursue some other opportunities, but the door is open for him to return here as well."

By trading Barbre, the Eagles save $2.1 million in cap space. He was scheduled to earn $1.75 million in base salary with a $2.25 million cap hit. Instead, he will cost only $150,000 in dead money.

Because of those figures, Barbre was a long shot to make the final roster, at least with that base salary.

Barbre, originally the Packers' fourth-round pick in 2007, joined the Eagles in 2013 and was an emergency replacement for left tackle Jason Peters in a midseason win over the Packers at Lambeau Field.

He went on to become the opening day starter at right tackle in 2014, to only suffer a season-ending ankle injury on opening day. He then started all 16 games at left guard in 2015 and 12 more last year — nine at left guard, three at right tackle.

Barbre, 33, has played in 76 games for the Packers, Seahawks, Dolphins and Eagles.

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