Free Agency This Year Not Exciting As Last Year’s:

So pretty much all the fun has been sucked out of free agency thanks to the awful Franchise Tag, which needs to go!  The Panthers signed OT Jordan Gross to a 6-year deal AND tagged Peppers to boot.  That means the Panthers have to pay Peppers a cool $17 million.  Most people are asking, how do the top 5 DEs make $17 million?  They don’t: a clause states that the tagged player gets the greater of the average salaries of the top 5 highest paid players at that position or 120% of the player’s salary the prior year.  Peppers made $15 million last year.  That’s a nice two-year payday.  I don’t know what he’s complaining about that.

Adding TE Owen Daniels and kicking L.J. Smith to the curb doesn’t seem likely since Bleeding Green Nation reports that Daniels has been tendered at the highest level.  Although, there are some rumblings that Kellen Winslow is being shopped for a 2nd- and 3rd-round pick.  Here are some proposals.

Adding a WR like Antonio Bryant won’t happen either.  A big, physical guy with a lot of talent and upside.  He’s been tagged by the Bucs.

What are the Eagles options?

T.J. Houshmandzadeh — Houshmanzadeh will likely hit the market, but Heckerd says he’s not looking to add a wide receiver (unless he’s bluffing).  I think Houshmandzadeh/DeSean/Curtis would be a perfect combination of receivers.  Housh’s bread and butter is 5-yard catches over the middle, with a high amount of yards-after-the-catch (YAC).  With DeSean Jackson and Kevin Curtis out there as well, I don’t see how #5 cannot hit one of them at will.  With all the other potential free agents out there tagged, the Eagles have room to make one big move.  This is their big move.

Offensive Tackle Outlook:

Looks like Tra Thomas will be resigned.  Jon Runyan will test free agency, find out nobody wants him due to his age and knee injury, and he’ll likely sign late with the Eagles on the cheap. Winston Justice is being shopped, but who are we kidding, who’s going to want him unless the asking price is a sixth-round pick (maybe a fourth, please?).  Justice will probably end up being cut in August unless he gets his act together.

That means you can bet your last dollar that the Eagles will be targeting an OT in the draft.  I say they package their 2 first-round picks to get the OT that they want.  Or I’ll take Michael Oher AND Beanie Wells.  Please NFL Draft Gods!  More on the OT draft outlook coming later.

The Super Bowl is over so it’s time to talk draft and free agent signings.  There’s already some big rumblings going on in free agency.  The names include T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Anquan Boldin, and Julius Peppers.  Here are some links for great supplemental reading.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh: “If the Eagles are interested in me, I’m interested in the Eagles” [Bleeding Green Nation]

Dawkins: Boldin can find a good home with the Eagles [USA Today]

Dear Philadelphia Eagles: Please sign T.J. Houshmandzadeh or Anquan Boldin [Bleacher Report]

Has anyone considered Antonio Bryant? [Yardbarker]  I had him on my fantasy team last year and he stepped up big time for me!  He also fits the Eagles need for a big, physical receiver.  I like it!

Green Peppers? [Recliner GM]  Remember, if Julius Peppers lands with the Eagles, you heard it from the Recliner GM first!

Draft Discussion:

The odds the Eagles snag an OT with one of those first two picks has increased ten-fold.  John Runyan just had surgery on his knee, which had a microfracture and will sideline Runyan for 4-6 months.  Runyan is about to become an unrestricted free agent and is 35-years-old.  It’ll be interested to see what happens with his situation.  Other teams will likely be reluctant to sign him, which could lead to him resigning with the Eagles on the cheap and he should be ready to go by training camp.

From all the Mock Drafts that I checked (see database), the consensus seems to be the Eagles will go RB/OT.  Arizona OT Eben Britton and UCONN OT William Beatty seem to be the popular choices for the Eagles.  They’re both projected to go late in first round in most mock drafts.  The Eagles are probably hoping that Michael Oher can fall to them, which Mel Kiper has happening in his mock draft.