Just when you thought the middle linebacker battle was down to Joe Mays and Matt Wilhelm, another veteran has entered the fray just two weeks before the start of the regular season.
Omar Gaither will practice with the first team defense this week, signaling that the starting spot in the middle of the D is still wide open. Not a good situation to be in with only one preseason game to go. This really shouldn’t come as a surprise given the fact that neither Mays nor Wilhelm impressed in the first three games.
Is Gaither a better option though? Historically, the answer is a resounding no.
“Gaither, in fact, has twice lost his starting job. He lost his starting middle linebacker job to Bradley near the end of the 2007 season, but was moved into a starting role at weakside linebacker. He lost that starting job to Akeem Jordan when the Eagles played at Baltimore in Week 12 last season.”
Unfortunately outside of Gaither or Mays the Eagles options at MLB are extremely limited. Barring a significant cut by another team trimming a roster the Birds will most likely be stuck with a less-than-ideal starter anchoring the defense. Stewart Bradley’s injury just might be the most devastating loss the Eagles suffer all season not because he is an elite talent (although he’s certainly no slouch), but because the Birds were already so thin at the position that they couldn’t afford to lose their man in the middle.
I’ll even go as far as to say losing Bradley would be worse than losing a starter at just about any other position on the roster, with the exception of Trent Cole, or maybe Brent Celek. Lose Westbrook? At least you have Shady McCoy. Asante Samuel? Sheldon Brown, Ellis Hobbs, and Joselio Hansen are still there. As for middle linebacker, the Eagles can only hope Akeem Jordan and Chris Gocong can help pick up the slack on the outside.
