In my last article, I addressed the possibility of the Eagles drafting Maryland’s Darrius Heyward-Bey.  I think the possibility of that happening is very slim.  The Eagles could have their eyes set on Virginia OT Eugene Monroe, who is a lock to go in the top 10.  However, according to the draft value chart, the Eagles could trade both first-round picks and a fifth-round pick to trade into the top 10 if they find a willing trade partner (Cincinnati at 6 and San Fransisco at 10 are possible trading partners).  If the Eagles can make the move, I think they should do it.  All the top tackles will be long gone by the time the Eagles are on the clock at 21 and they desperately need to find Tra Thomas’s replacement.

If the Eagles are forced to stay put, Darrius Heyward-Bey may go to the Jets (17), Bears (18), or Bucs (19), so it’s time to look at other some other options the Eagles have to boost the offense.  Brandon Pettigrew would be ideal, but let’s go a bit deeper in the draft.  Who could the Eagles target in rounds 2 and 3?  I already posted an article praising the skills of Texas A&M RB Mike Goodson, who reminds me very much of Brian Westbrook with his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.

Another guy you should get familiar with is North Carolina WR Hakeem Nicks.  Nicks is 6’1″, 212 pounds.  He’s not nearly as explosive as Heyward-Bey, so he’s not really a vertical threat, but he reminds me a bit of Calvin Johnson with his long arms, leaping ability, and great route running.  He’s just a tremendous option for the Eagles in the 2nd round.

Watching Material:

With Tra Thomas’s departure to Jacksonville, the Eagles have a huge need to address at the left tackle spot.  We already know the Eagles have stockpiled draft picks.  The Eagles have 12 picks in this year’s draft and they don’t intent to keep them all.  The Eagles traded Lito Sheppard and Greg Lewis to acquire more draft picks that they can deal to either move up in the draft or use a combination of picks to go after Bills LT Jason Peters.  Peters is a 6’4″, 340 lbs., 27-year-old LT with 6 years of experience.  He would be a much needed addition if the Bills are willing to deal him.

Adding a veteran tackle like Orlando Pace is another idea.  Pace was just released by the Rams.  With all the recent injuries, I’m wondering if he’s serviceable at all, but if the Eagles have to draft a tackle, they will want to add a veteran as some “insurance.”

We know that the Eagles wanted a tackle in last year’s draft.  Chris Williams was their guy.  His stock skyrocketted in the days leading up to the draft and the Bears took him with their 14th pick.  The next guy on the Eagles radar was Brandon Albert, but the Chiefs traded up to grab him before the Eagles could make their move to get him.  This prompted the Eagles to trade out of the first round and they still got another guy that they wanted: DeSean Jackson.

Last year was much deeper at tackle than this year’s draft, so I’m wondering what the Eagles thoughts are this year on drafting a tackle.  Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe should be locks to go in the top 10, so they are way out of the range for the Eagles to trade up.  Andre Smith would be another top-10 lock if it wasn’t for his breakdown at the combine.  Perhaps an impressive Pro Day will put him back at the top of the board and a team like Cincinnati could jump on him with their 6th pick.  That would put Michael Oher as a potential guy the Eagles could target, but would have to trade up for.

We also know the Eagles want to get their hands on Brandon Pettigrew to fill the TE spot left by the departure of L.J. Smith.  With the Eagles drafting at 21 and 28, I expect the Eagles to package some of their late-round picks with each of their first rounders to move up a few spots to secure Michael Oher and Brandon Pettigrew.

If the Eagles don’t find a trading partner and have to stay put and the top tackles are off the board, what do the Eagles do?  Do they draft another position of need (RB) or do they go with the next best tackle?  Who knows.  William Beatty and Eben Britton are the consensus next-best tackles.  The Eagles would also have their choice of Beanie Wells, Knowshon Moreno, or LeSean McCoy at pick 28, but the Eagles never draft a RB in the first round and RB is deep in this year’s draft.  I wouldn’t be opposed to waiting until round 2 or 3 to grab a RB.  There are great options in the later rounds.  Iowa’s Shonne Green and NC State’s Andre Brown are good options in round 2, but I think the Eagles will have their eyes set on Texas A&M’s Mike Goodson as a 2nd or 3rd-round target.  If the Eagles go OT/TE with their first two picks, I would definitely jump on taking Goodson with a 2nd-round pick.  Goodson posted a 4.54 40-yard-dash at the Combine, but improved that to a 4.43 at his Pro Day.  Plus, his skills at catching the ball out of the backfield have been praised, which is a prerequisite to be an Eagles RB.

Watching Material (Remind you of Brian Westbrook at all?)

Other good news: FB Leonard Weaver may sign with the Eagles!

Tra Thomas has signed with the Jaguars. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.  What’s the Eagles picture at left tackle now?  It looks grim.  They need to draft a tackle in the draft instead of adding a playmaker like Brandon Pettigrew or Knowshon Moreno in the draft.

The Eagles signed Sean Jones to a one-year deal.  Looks like the Eagles expect Quintin Demps to be their guy, but just needed an insurance policy for one year.

It’s going to be weird to see T.O. in a Bills uniform.  He only got a 1-year, $6.5 million deal.  I thought teams like the Raiders, Ravens, Titans, or Jets would pursue him, but it looks like nobody else was interested.  A good move for the Bills to energize the fan base as there have been talks about moving the franchise to Toronto.

Was Signing Terrell Owens a Smart Move For the Bills? [Bleacher Report]

Most Eagles fans are extremely frustrated with how the Eagles have handled free agency this offseason.  Notably, letting Brian Dawkins go, who to my surprise is going to be the highest paid safety in the NFL as far as cap numbers are concerned.  I guess you can’t blame the Eagles for having to let him go to greener pastures.

I’m still waiting for the Eagles to do something besides sign Stacy Andrews.  We could have boosted the receiving corp with T.J. Houshmandzadeh, but the Eagles clearly had no interest in him and they would be paying a lot of money for guy that is just a bit of an upgrade over Jason Avant. Houshmandzadeh signed a 5-year, $40 million ($15 guaranteed) contract with Seattle.

I still think the Eagles have to go after Seattle FB Leonard Weaver.  Weaver was set to visit New Orleans, but that trip was canceled after Weaver was informed that he would be a backup to Karney.

This rumor has Reggie Brown being traded to the Rams for Tory Holt.

Here is a great video on what the Eagles approach may be in the upcoming days.  Here are the highlights:

– Eagles were interested in Patriots CB James Sanders, but he resigned with the Patriots.

– Eagles may sign a veteran safety for one or two years until Quintim Demps is ready.

– Bills CB Jabari Greer may be targetted by the Eagles.

– If the Eagles pick up Greer, that may lead to Sheldon Brown moving to safety.

– Tra Thomas visited the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the Eagles said that he can go out there and see what his value is, but they’re prepared to match any offer than he receives since they need a starting LT next year.  As you can imagine, most teams aren’t willing to may much for a 34-year-old tackle.

– Eagles may try to trade for Anquan Boldin, but the Cardinals would demand a CB.

– There’s a lot of solid WR talent in the draft.  The Eagles could get a guy outside the first round.

– Eagles need a TE.  Bo Schaife was their guy — he was franchised by the Titans.  Don’t look for the Eagles to go after a TE in free agency.  They like 3-4 guys in the draft.  Brandon Pettigrew is the guy they want, but 3-4 teams are interested, so they would have to trade up to get him.

With the start of free agency just 36 hours away, we are all trying to anticipate what kind of moves the Eagles will make.  The Eagles are $30 million under the cap, so there’s plenty of room to make big moves.  Here are six free agents that the Eagles should court.  This article explores the free agent rankings by position.

Although I’m personally pulling for Houshmandzadeh, who we may risk losing to the Giants, I think the Eagles top priority is the offensive line, so pursuing Ravens G/C Jason Brown may be the Eagles first move.  I think that would be a great move since it would give Shawn Andrews or Todd Herremans the opportunity to move to tackle, which the Eagles seem to be panicking over now that talks with Tra Thomas are moving slowly and Jon Runyan is a free agent and coming off knee surgery.  I’m confident the Eagles will get a deal done with Tra Thomas.  Even though he’s getting up there in years, he’s been solid and consistent and we can’t afford to lose him this offseason.  Not to mention the fact that McNabb won’t be too pleased if his blindside isn’t protected.

Les Bowen doesn’t expext the Eagles to dive into free agency like year.  I can see the only two moves the Eagles make are going after Jason Brown and perhaps upgrading at fullback with Seattle’s FB Leonard Weaver.  Weaver has a great skill set for a FB with his ability to gain short yards, block, and catch out of the backfield.  Klecko clearly isn’t getting the job done and Thomas Tapeh was sorely missed last year.

I fully expect Brian Dawkins back this year, but the Eagles could add former Giants/Raiders safety Gibril Wilson as a backup and let Sean Considine go.  If you recall, Gibril Wilson left the Giants last year for big money in Oakland and he’s already been cut.  Please let Considine go.  I have an aneurysm every time he is on the field.  I can’t stand the guy.

Laveranues Coles was also cut by the Jets.  Although the Eagles don’t need another small wide receiver, if Coles isn’t demanding big money, would the Eagles consider him?  I doubt it, but you never know.  It’s another option on the table.

Let’s see what’s going on in Eagles Nation.  First you have McNabb saying that before he even considers a new deal, he’ll have to see what the Eagles do to improve the team through free agency, which begins this Friday at midnight, and the draft.

Stay tuned for Eagles to sign Brian Dawkins and Tra Thomas soon.  The Eagles also locked up Joselio Hanson for 5-years, $21 million.  Great move!  The secondary is set and Lito Sheppard is now expendable for whatever we can get for the guy, 3rd-round pick perhaps?  I’m sure the Lions or Chiefs will want/need him.

The news from the Combine: Wake Forest LB Aaron Curry whooed the hell out of scouts with his workout and he may go as high as #3 to the Chiefs; Andre Smith, the highly coveted Alabama OT, who was set to be a top-10 lock, had a mental/physical meltdown and left the combine without telling anyone, thus killing his stock and his paycheck dramatically; there’s an impressive list of 40 times from WRs, so the Eagles have some solid options outside the first round, and the RBs (notably Beanie Wells and even Knowshon Moreno) posted poor 40 times.

But the big buzz lately is Marvin Harrison.  The Colts cut Marvin Harrison and Harrison will be a free agent.  Yes, he’s 36 and his production has declined after his knee injury, but a return to his hometown with his college quarterback is the feel-good story floating around and the Eagles need another WR to make McNabb happy.  He’s a cheaper option that Houshmandzadeh, so this may work out quite well.  Here’s some supplemental reading on Marvin Harrison/Eagles talk:

Eagles Rumors: Marvin Harrison homecoming? [Recliner GM]

Eagles Would be Smart to Make Push For Harrison [Eagles Gab]

Schefter predicts Marvin Harrison to the Eagles? [Bleeding Green Nation]

Oh, and Ray Lewis want to play for the Cowboys.

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.

Here is all the reading you need to catch up on the latest in what’s going on in the Eagles free agency rumor mill.

Full List of 2009 Free Agents [NFL Gridiron Gab] — Eagles fans are focusing on T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Anquan Boldin (not an UFA, but they can try to trade for him), and Julius Peppers.  Although I would be thrilled to have any of them, with both Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan entering free agency, I wouldn’t be surprised if Pro Bowl Carolina OT Jordan Gross is the #1 priority on the Eagles offseason list.  Odds are the Panthers resign him and let go of the disgruntled Julius Peppers.  Here’s a more detailed review of the 2009 free agent from Sports2Debate.com

Philadelphia looking at Jordan Gross or Julius Peppers [Off the Record Sports] — They seem to think the Panthers will franchise Peppers and try and sign Gross long-term, which could lead to a bidding war with the Eagles.

Free Agency Report: Jordan Gross [Bleacher Report] — A great in depth look at Jordan Gross.

If Cardinals trade Boldin, Eagles are frontrunners [All Things Philly Sports] — Boldin is locked up in Arizona for two more years and the Cardinals would be stupid to unload him, but if Boldin threatens a hold out and causes more headaches for their front office, it’s always a possibility.  The asking price is likely a first-round and third-round pick.  If that’s the asking price, I think Philly would take it.  If the Eagles don’t bite, he may end up with the Giants.

No tag for Houshmandzadeh? [Philly.com] — If the Bengals franchise Housh, they’ll have to shell out $9.88 million.  Housh said he doesn’t think the Bengals would do it.

Eagles Rank 20th in Pay Roll [Gary Cobb] — How the hell does Oakland have the highest pay roll?  Dallas is second.  Anyway, the Eagles have the room to make a big splash in free agency.

Free Agent Fullbacks [Inside the Iggles] — Although it’s not high on the priority list, the Eagles do need a Fullback.  Here is the list of free agents.  Although Lorenzo Neal is old, he still gets the job done.

Freddie Mitchell busted with Pot [Bleeding Green Nation] — Fred-Ex delivers his weed via Fed-Ex, but he got busted.

BRIAN WESTBROOK — Coach Andy Reid said Monday that Brian Westbrook (ribs) is “progressing” and has a chance to return after the Eagles’ Week 7 bye.

REGGIE BROWN – First a hamstring injury, then a groin injury.  It doesn’t appear to be too serious and now he’ll have 3 weeks to get healthy again.

KEVIN CURTIS — He traveled with the team to San Fransisco, but was inactive for the game.  Now that the Eagles have the bye week, I expect that he’ll be fully healthy and ready to go against the Falcons.

SHAWN ANDREWS — The latest word is that surgery on his back is not likely required and doctor’s are “optimistic” about it.  After missing the last 4 games, and now with the bye week, I wonder if having him back in week 8 is a possibility.  We’ll keep you posted when we hear more.

RECAP FROM ANDY REID’S PRESS CONFERENCE:
– Max Jean-Gilles – Shoulder sprain.
– Lito Sheppard – Hamstring strain.
– Tra Thomas – Foot strain.
– Reggie Brown – Groin strain.
– J.R. Reed – Ankle sprain.  Hamstring strain.
– Brain Westrbook – Making progress with ribs.
– Shawn Andrews – Seeing 4th back specialist.
– Kevin Curtis – Making Progress.
– All players except Shawn Andrews should be ready for Atlanta.

From the Desk of Jay Vaidya

Even as the price of a gallon of gasoline nears $5 and heat indexes soar above 100 degrees in the Lehigh Valley, Eagle fans are once again expected to converge at Eagles Training Camp 2008 on the campus of Lehigh University in record numbers.  Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the summer amongst the fans and the media is nothing new to Coach Andy Reid, who will be preparing for his 10th year as head coach of the Eagles.  Yet controversy and concerns still loom amidst an anxious and eager 2008 Philadelphia Eagle squad before the pads even go on.  As all of Eagle nation knows, six of Coach Reid’s past Eagle teams have found their way into the post season with limited success (aka one Super Bowl appearance) and four of them have forever been deleted from our memories (not to mention the lingering  void from not reaching the playoffs in two of the last three seasons).  This all of course is in addition to the salty taste and anger that has been brewing in Southeastern Pennsylvania ever since David Tyree’s “immaculate reception” in last year’s Super Bowl.

Topping the list of the afore mentioned concerns include the contract dispute of disgruntled Pro-Bowlers RB Brian Westbrook and CB Lito Sheppard, the health of Donovan McNabb, and rookies WR DeSean Jackson and DT Trevor Laws.

(1)          To begin, both Westbrook and Sheppard have fired their current agents and have re-signed with different agents in order to gain leverage against Eagle management, since their previous representation could get nothing done during talks in their favor before training camp.  At the “Welcome to Training Camp” press conference, Coach Reid made it clear that he has been in contact with Westbrook in the past few days, but has not spoken with Sheppard since the discontent cornerback skipped Organized Team Activities (OTA) last month.  To me, although the Eagles can survive and thrive in a season without Lito Sheppard (a la Sheldon Brown), a season without Brian Westbrook would mean disaster.  Let us all cross our fingers and hope that a Westbrook holdout is not in the near future.

(2)          Moving to less turbulent news, Coach Reid also noted (as reported here at www.allphiladelphiasports.com by Zach Zawarski) that Donovan McNabb’s shoulder problems are now in the past.  #5 has spent the last few weeks rehabbing his injury and training in Arizona (as he does every year) along with teammate Brian Dawkins and has been quoted as saying his shoulder ailment is a “non-issue”.  It is good to see the captain of our offense and the captain of our defense spending some of the offseason together butting heads in attempts to get the Eagles Team focused on another Super Bowl run.  Once again, we should all pray that both these cornerstones of our team remain healthy for the duration of not only training camp, but the entire season.

(3)         Finally, we move to the contract situations with rookies WR DeSean Jackson and DT Trevor Laws.  It is my pleasure to report to you that as of July 21st both these explosive players, one on each side of the ball, have inked 4-year deals with the Eagles.  (NOTE:  DT Trevor Laws will likely miss a portion of training camp due to what’s described as a “foot injury”, however this injury does not seem to be a major concern to either Laws or the Eagles’ staff)Near the end of his press conference, Coach Reid announced his new “30 Plus Club” policy.  This policy is specifically targeted at older veterans (i.e. Brian Dawkins, Tra Thomas, and Jon Runyan) to keep them fresh and ready for the start of the regular season.  Basically this means that after these players workout back-to-back days, they will receive the following next day “half-off” in order to relax, recuperate, and keep from getting fatigued in the intense summer sun.  Players over 30 not included in the “30 Plus Club” include Donovan McNabb and AJ Feeley, since they wear the protective red jerseys, and don’t get as physically into the practices as the rest of the players do.

TRAINING CAMP SCHEDULE NOTE: Over the next three days, the Eagles will work out their rookies and some select veterans (27 in total), including throwing sessions with Donovan McNabb, AJ Feeley, and Kevin Kolb so that these select players are ready for when the pads go on this Saturday July 26th.