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1. |
LB |
High Med |
*03/18/2005 - Keith Adams has resigned with the Eagles to a 1 year contract. *03/04/2005 - Trotter has resigned with the Eagles with a 5 year contract. *03/03/2005 - Reports had Trotter being close to signing with KC. Trotter has left KC for Seattle. Other interested teams are the Falcons and Vikings. If the Eagles will not pay for Trotter, they will be unlikely to be in contention for Bell or Hartwell. *02/13/2005 - Trotter is confident that he will be resigned for 2005. *12/12/2004 - The Eagles realized that they needed some attitude at LB and were pleasantly surprised by Trotter's play. LB is an athletic position were you need speed, tackling, pass coverage, the ability to take on blockers, and smarts. Nate Wayne's missed tackles and Simoneau's version of MIKE-lite were not getting the job done. The problem is that Trotter is a 2005 Free Agent. Backups Ike Reese and Keith Adams have played well. But Reese is a small LB and Adams is also a Free Agent. The Eagles have drafted poorly at LB using two 2nd round picks to draft the disappointing Quintin Caver and Barry Gardner. The Eagles have reorganized their scouting and may make another attempt although experience is an important LB asset.
Free Agent Option:
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2. |
RB |
High |
*03/03/2005 - Lamont Jordan has signed with the Raiders. The Eagles have resigned Buckhalter to a 2 year deal. *02/28/2005 - The Eagles are unlikely to pursue Jordan. Instead relying on the Draft. Jordan for his part would rather play where he would have a chance to start. *12/12/2004 - The Eagles seem gifted at drafting RB talent. Both Westbrook and Buckhalter were 3rd Round selections. Free Agency however offers interesting options. The Eagles need to compliment Westbrook with a change of pace RB that can be a threat to opposing defenses running between the tackles and of course that can catch out of the backfield. Buckhalter has been frequently injured and is a 2005 Free Agent.
Free Agent Option: |
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3. |
DE |
Med |
*03/14/2005 - Burgess has signed with Oakland. Kalu was injured last season and this is the last year of his contract. *03/03/2005 - The Eagles have resigned veteran Hugh Douglas to a one year deal. *02/07/2005 - The Saints are likely to place the franchise tag on Darren Howard. Derrick Burgess' impressive playoff performance may prompt the Eagles to try and resign. *01/22/2005 - Rumor is that the Eagles are unimpressed with Abraham not showing up for the Jets Playoff Game. He may not show up after he gets a big Free Agent Contract either. *12/12/2004 - The Eagles need a DE who can play the run and rush the passer from RE. Free Agent Derrick Burgess spends more time on Injured Reserve than John Madden at the Cheesecake Factory. ND Kalu did not produce last year. The Eagles may let Burgess walk and give Jerome McDougle and Jamaal Green a chance to produce.
Free Agent Option: |
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4. |
WR |
Med |
*03/18/2005 - Burress has changed agents and signed with the Giants. *03/12/2005 - Burress is not happy with the offers that he received from the Vikings and Giants. He reportedly is now looking for just a one year deal with the Vikings or Eagles so that he can improve his marketability. The Eagles may be in this just to make sure that the Vikings use as much of their Cap as possible in the deal. *03/03/2005 - TJ Hous has resigned with the Bengals. Derrick Mason has signed with the Ravens. *02/26/2005 - Muhammad according to his agent is signing with the Bears. *02/22/2005 - The Redskins have failed to release Coles but are seeking a trade. Jerry Porter has been resigned by Oakland. *02/21/2005 - According to reports, Laveranues Coles will be released by the Redskins. *02/20/2005 - Tennessee is planning on releasing Derrick Mason to do some Cap repair. Mason is 31 and is scheduled to be paid $4.6 Million. Some Eagles players have adopted the same route that was taken with the recruiting of Owens at the Pro Bowl to initiate a conversation with Muhsin Muhammad who will be 32 this year. Its interesting having so many top quality WRs available. The Eagles are reluctant to invest big dollars in an area where they have invested so much already but then again the WCO emphasizes the pass so it must be tempting. Stay tuned. *02/19/2005 - Kevin Johnson has reported expressed interest in playing with the Eagles. He is originally from Trenton and like McNabb is from Syracuse. He may be the most reasonable Free Agent fit with the Eagles. *02/13/2005 - Reports are that negotiations have deteriorated and Porter will explore FA options. Long shot. *02/07/2005 - Porter will likely resign with Oakland. TJ Hous is asking for an 8 Million signing bonus. TJ is an excellent route runner but is not fast. His 8 Million request may be posturing. *12/12/2004 - Now that the Eagles realize what a solid #1 WR can do, would it be too much to ask that they consider what a solid #2 WR threat could accomplish playing alongside Terrell Owens? Todd Pinkston has benefited greatly by the contact rule change and the presence of Owens.
Free Agent Option: |
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5. |
TE |
Med Low |
*02/22/2005 - Eagles signed James Whalen 6-2 244 to a two year deal. Whalen appears to be a receiving TE who will get his chance to do just that in Philadelphia. *12/20/2004 - The playoff foot injury to Chad Lewis raises the prospect of the Eagles needing to find a replacement. LJ Smith has played well but the Eagles will more than likely look for another TE in the middle rounds of the draft to work with LJ in the 2 TE sets. |
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6. |
OL |
Low |
*03/03/2005 - Mike Wahle has signed with the Panthers. *02/28/2005 - Packers are at an impasse with G Mike Wahle, he may be released to avoid a cap busting roster bonus. *12/12/2004 - If Free Agent Jermane Mayberry leaves in 2005, the Eagles would move Artis Hicks to LG leaving Steve Sciullo and Alonzo Ephraim as backups at G. As Andy Reid would say both "have done nice jobs." But neither are dominant at the position. Also, the Eagles OL would struggle with an injury to Runyan or Thomas. Hicks and Andrews are not ready to play T. An upgrade to Center would be useful especially when playing against teams with 3-4 defenses.
Free Agent Option: |
| 7. | DT | Low | *03/19/2005 - Hollis Thomas' recent public outburst about his contract has drawn attention to the DT position. The play of Simon and Walker have been disappointing. After taking the first half of the season off, Simon elevated his play only after being threatened with the loss of playing time to Rayburn. Simon may be playing on a one year contract this year under Franchise terms. Walker has not improved since signing his contract. Now, Thomas is threatening to join the ranks of unmotivated DT s. In the Draft, Anttaj Hawthorne has the talent but he is also known as a player who takes plays off. The Eagles will need to look at that closely. |