The period for NFL teams to use the franchis tag opened on February 20 but we haven't seen one used until today. The Philadelphia Eagles announced that they will be tagging DeSean Jackson and the Oakland Raiders reportedly plan to tag Tyvon Branch, according to NFLN.
The Eagles tagging Jackson is a no-brainer. He's too good to just let walk away. And judging by the Eagles comments in their release announcing the move, they want to get him under contract with a longterm deal. That, or they're just saying that to keep his trade value up.
The Raiders tagging Branch is interesting and could affect the Chiefs. This means that running back Michael Bush likely hits the open market. And the Chiefs are looking for a running back. Just sayin'.
Other no-brainer franchise tags that will be coming soon include the Bears and Matt Forte and the Ravens and Ray Rice.
And you can soon add the Chiefs and Dwayne Bowe to that list.