Now that the Draft has come and gone, we finally have a good idea of what the Eagles roster will look like heading into camp. There may be a few more moves before the start of the season, but you have to figure it won’t be anything too major.
First things first let’s take a look at the key additions and subtractions to the roster since the offseason began.
KEY ADDITIONS (former team is in parenthesis):
- Jason Peters (Buffalo), OT, acquired via trade
- Ellis Hobbs (New England), CB, acquired via trade
- Stacy Andrews (Cincinnati), OT/G, six-year contract
- Leonard Weaver (Seattle), FB, one-year contract
- Sean Jones (Cleveland), S, one-year contract
- Rashad Baker (Oakland) S, one-year contract
KEY LOSSES (new team is in parenthesis):
- Brian Dawkins (Denver), S, free agent
- Tra Thomas (Jacksonville), OT, free agent
- Jon Runyan (Unsigned), OT, free agent
- Correll Buckhalter (Denver), RB, free agent
ADDITION BY SUBTRACTION:
- Lito Sheppard (NYJ), CB, trade
- L.J. Smith (Baltimore), TE, free agent
THE 3 AREAS THE BIRDS IMPROVED THE MOST IN:
1. The offensive line was probably the biggest are of concern for Eagle fans heading into the offseason. Both Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan were aging free agents, and the line struggled to create running lanes for Brian Westbrook through much of the season.
Enter Stacy Andrews and Jason Peters. Andrews was the team’s big signing on the first day of free agency and while a six-year deal is a bit long for a guy coming off a serious injury, Andrews is a talented tackle just starting to enter his prime. The fact that he is Shawn Andrews’ brother is only an added bonus. As for Peters, he didn’t come close to playing to his full potential in Buffalo last season but he too is an elite tackle entering his prime. If Shawn Andrews can stay healthy on the interior, the Birds should have the best offensive line in the division.
2. I think Eagle fans became aware of how important the fullback is to this offense as they watched the revolving door of mediocrity at the position throughout ’08-’09. Big time props to Dan Klecko for giving it his all, but he is much better suited as a defensive tackle. Adding Leonard Weaver to the team not only gives the team the “big back” fans have been screaming for, but it also will help Brian Westbrook to have solid lead blocker in the running game (something he didn’t have last year.) Weaver can also catch the ball out of the backfield, which will add yet another wrinkle to the Eagles’ west coast offense for the opposition to worry about.
3. Sticking with the offensive theme we have going here, I really think the Birds made some great moves to bring in young playmakers to work with Donovan and Co. I can already see the rest of the NFC shuttering at the prospect of having to defend Desean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, a healthy Kevin Curtis, an emerging Brent Celek, Leonard Weaver, and Brian Westbrook everytime McNabb steps back to throw. LeSean McCoy and Cornelius Ingram were two more big play threats added through the draft that we shouldn’t be forgetting about either. When push comes to shove the Eagles will have one of the most exciting offenses in the NFL to watch heading into next season.
THE 3 AREAS THE BIRDS TOOK THE BIGGEST HIT IN:
1. Without question, the defense will be missing some leadership with the loss of Brian Dawkins. He was the heart of soul of that unit last season and the emphasis will be on some of the younger guys to step up and fill the void (I’m looking at you Stewart Bradley, Trent Cole, and Quintin Mikell.) When the opponent has a third and goal on the one who is going to be the guy in the huddle who stands tall and assures the group that they won’t score? I really don’t know, and I sure hope we find out prior to Week 1.
2. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb by saying the secondary will not be as good as it was last season. Yes Dawkins was starting to show his age, but he was still a big time playmaker (remember the forced fumble against Pittsburgh?) and judging by Quentin Demps’ performance in the NFC Championship game last season he still has plenty of work to do before he becomes a solid starter. Sean Jones was a smart investment, but there’s no telling what the Eagles will get from him. Safety will be an interesting position to watch in camp to see who ends up starting opposite Mikell (smart money is on Demps.)
As for cornerback, a lot depends on how the Sheldon Brown situation works out. If he is traded (likely) there will be a hole in the secondary because regardless of what you think of the guy he is a very talented player. Asante needs to prove he can stay healthy for a whole season and I’m honestly not sold on Ellis Hobbs or Joselio Hansen as anything more than nickelbacks. Victor Harris is a DB with upside but he won’t be ready for a big role, and Jack Ikeguonu is inexperienced and coming off a major injury.
3. Former Eagles defensive line coach Pete Jenkins retired this offseason, and he definitely will be missed. Jenkins spent 34 years working at the collegiate level before taking his first pro job with the Birds in 2006, and under his tutelage we saw the emergence of Trent Cole and Juqua Parker. Jenkin’s protege Rory Segrest should be more than qualified to replace him, but Jenkins deserves credit for the production of the defensive line over the past few seasons.
THE BIGGEST ISSUE THAT STILL NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED:
Distractions are the last thing you want around your team during camp. That’s why it will be crucial that the Eagles handle the Sheldon Brown contract situation well before the players start reporting. I highly doubt the Eagles will give in and shell out some more dough to keep Brown happy, so finding a trading partner before the conflict gets even messier will be the top priority for the front office over the next few weeks. Ideally I’d love for both sides to work this out because the Birds do not have a player on the roster right now who could replace Brown’s productivity, but realistically too much damage has been done to try to bring a peaceful ending to the squabble.
As for Donovan’s supposed ultimatum to the team at the start of the offseason (bring in offensive playmakers or trade me)…I think his concerns have been more than dealt with. The offense already looks much improved over last season (not that it was that bad in the first place), but I’m really concerned that by emphasizing the O the Eagles forgot about the D. Not much needed to be done there necessarily, but cornerback and safety are two positions that are really lacking depth right now. If certain players can step up (Hobbs/Hansen, Demps/Jones) the Eagles will be just fine but that is certainly not a given at this point. Looks like we may have to wait till camp before we start getting some answers.
