Who says Bernard Berrian can't be the Eagles guy at WR?
For weeks there has been rumors about which wide receiver the Eagles will attempt to trade for this offseason. It started with Chad Johnson, then turned to Larry Fitzgerald, and then Roy Williams became the latest name to be rumored amongst Eagles fans. As great as any of those players would be for the Eagles, the chances of any of them becoming an Eagle next season are slim to none. To get any of those players, the Eagles would have to give up a lot in terms of players and draft picks. The Eagles would then have to open up their checkbook and write a check to the tune of around $8 million a year. No matter how much the Eagles need a true #1 receiver, that makes little to no sense from the front-office's perspective.The Eagles would be much wiser to go after a free agent to improve at WR. One free agent that would be a great addition to the Eagles is Bernard Berrian. Berrian has had two solid years in Chicago and has the ability to stretch the field. Although he's not the "true #1 receiver" we're all hoping for, he would be a great addition to the Eagles and would compliment Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown. He's a "burner" that the Eagles could definitely use and he would help Curtis and Brown get more looks.
The only thing in the way of the Eagles making a run for Berrian is the Bears' franchise tag. So far, the Bears have not used their franchise tag on Berrian. If they did, they would owe him $7.8 million next season and they likely don't want to take that kind of cap hit. If Berrian hits the market, he is expected to draw interest from a lot of teams. Oakland is one team that is reported to be interested in him. If Berrian hits the open market, he's expected to get paid slightly more than Patrick Crayton. Crayton was set to become a free agent, but he just signed a 4-year $14 million extension with Dallas.
Berrian has put up solid numbers in his last two seasons. In 2007, Berrian had 71 receptions for 951 yards and 5 TDs. An improvement from his 2006 season: 51 receptions for 775 yards for 6 TDs. Keep in mind, that was with Rex Grossman and Brian Griese as his quarterback. Imagine what he would be capable of doing with a healthy McNabb.
Compare those stats with the stats of Eagles receivers in 2006 and 2007:
Curtis -- 2006 -- 40 receptions, 479 yards, 4 TDs; 2007 -- 77 receptions, 1110 yards, 6 TDs
Brown -- 2006 -- 46 receptions, 816 yards, 8 TDs; 2007 -- 61 receptions, 780 yards, 4 TDs
Avant -- 2006 -- 7 receptions, 68 yards, 1 TD; 2007 -- 23 receptions, 267 yards, 2 TDs
Baskett -- 2006 -- 22 receptions, 464 yards, 2 TD; 2007 -- 16 receptions, 152 yards, 1 TD
Lewis -- 2006 -- 25 receptions, 348 yards, 2 TD; 2007 -- 13 receptions, 265 yards, 3 TDs
Avant/Baskett/Lewis combined had 52 receptions for 684 yards and 6 TDs. Their production combined could simply be replaced by one player: Bernard Berrian. A receiver corp of Brown-Berrian-Curtis looks like it can do a lot of damage.
The good thing about going after Berrian is that he won't be commanding the type of dollars that other players would be demanding. By the way, the Eagles are 22nd in cap room. He will be compensated nicely since WRs are a rare commodity this offseason, but the Eagles shouldn't have to break the bank to get him. Hopefully, that will give the Eagles enough room to acquire Asante Samuel, who should be the Eagles' #1 priority this offseason.
