Shiancoe signs with Patriots; Shockey next?
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Eagles
Shiancoe signs with Patriots; Shockey next?
Jeff McLane, Inquirer Staff Writer
BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Visanthe Shiancoe signed a one-year contract with the Patriots, an NFL source said, ending the tight end's flirtation with the Eagles.
Jason Cole of Yahoo Sports first reported Shiancoe's signing.
The Eagles had Shiancoe in for a workout on Tuesday. General manager Howie Roseman said the tryout went well, but he added at the time that no deal was imminent. The team has also flirted with the possibility of bringing free agent tight end Jeremy Shockey in for a look-see, but those plans were put on hold.
Shiancoe signing with New England could open the door for Shockey.
FROM EARLIER
The Eagles have put on hold plans to bring tight end Jeremy Shockey in for a physical after they worked out Visanthe Shiancoe on Tuesday, a team source said.
If the Shiancoe work out went well -- and signs point to that being the case -- the Eagles could have him under contract before the rest of the team reports to training camp on Wednesday.
"It's the time of year where we're trying to create competition," Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said. "Camp opens for vets tomorrow. We go through our short list. We see if there's any guys that we have good grades on and we work them out.
"Last year we had five tight ends on the roster. Right now we have four. We're looking at everything."
Shiancoe, who recently visited with the Patriots, was negotiating with the Eagles and New England and could finalize a deal by Tuesday night, Steve Wyche of NFL Network later reported.
If the Eagles were to sign any free agent off the street during camp the player would not be permitted to practice for three days, per the league's collective bargaining agreement.
FROM EARLIER:
The Eagles, obviously, aren't satisfied with their options at backup tight end, or at the very least, want to push those options at training camp.
Visanthe Shiancoe is coming to Lehigh University today to workout for the team. And now, the Eagles plan on bringing Jeremy Shockey in for a physical on Wednesday, according to an NFL source.
Shockey, the bad boy tight end who played memorably for the New York Giants, not as memorably for the Saints, and lastly for the Panthers, is 31 and certainly on the downslope of his career. But he still caught 37 passes for 455 yards and four touchdowns last season.
Still, there's a question of whether the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Shockey has any gas left in the tank. The same could be said of the 32-year-old Shiancoe. But he is at least getting a tryout. Shockey has to pass a physical first.
The Eagles, meanwhile, have made it clear that they want to throw a little gas into the competition at backup tight end. Clay Harbor enters camp as the No. 2 behind Brent Celek. Harbor has been serviceable as a backup the last two seasons, but he hasn't been as sure-handed as the Eagles would like.
He caught 13 passes for 163 yards and one touchdown last season, however, and did improve his blocking. The Eagles employed two-tight end sets as much as any NFL team in 2011. Brett Brackett, who the Eagles added to their practice squad last October, is also here. Brackett is a converted tight end having played wide receiver at Penn State.
Celek finished strong last season -- despite hip and sports hernia injuries -- and ended the year with 62 catches for 811 yards and five touchdowns. He was held back slightly in the spring as he recovered from hip surgery. But Eagles coach Andy Reid said Sunday that Celek was good to go for camp and Celek said via text message Tuesday morning that he feels great.
I don't see Shockey accepting a backup role, even if he is signed as one. Don't mess up the team chemistry with this guy.— P Even- He was already the #2 guy last year in Carolina and previously in New Orleans (behind Greg Olson & Jimmy Graham). Shockey is a nice veteran backup that would see limited snaps (his injury-prone body can't handle the wear & tear of starting). — Rob P.
- "Mr Clean adds dirty player" should be the headline— NewMick314
- Shiancoe lets it ALL hang out and either he or Shockey may be a better option than Harbor.— ESFjellin
- Shockey said before he would like to play for the Eagles. Same type vet moves as the Atogwe pick up. Getting veteran back ups who may have lost a bit but can step in and play as fill ins is a good plan IMO.
Really like what the team is doing this year. Kudos to the front office after messing up so badly in previous years.— tpizza - NO WAY do I want that garbage on our team!!!!— MJSI
- Would not be surprised to see 3 tight ends and no full back on roster— camasbud
- Well it's no secret what I think of Celek. If there's any doubt he doesn't and has not been the most reliable receiver in the route. I remember Shiancoe as an outlet for Favre, and he seemed to work between the hash marks pretty good. Good enough to be a critical asset in the Philly offense provided he's still capable of working over linebackers.
Team the Eagles are likely to meet in the Playoffs are going to have very effective skilled Tight Ends, and Celek doesn't begin to fit that bill. A skillful tight end who knows when to extend his route could be a dangerous weapon in the Eagles Offense. Shiancoe and Shockey has that understanding and experience.— Dexter - Celek is a good receiver and he runs hard after the catch. The coaches say he is an improved blocker, too. There is nothing wrong with having three tight ends, and using them a lot. NE did it with a lot of success, right?— Paul SoTX
- U— friedmozzarela
- That tatooed idiot doesn't deserve to wear an Eagles jersey.— 1republican
- Desean Jackson, Jason Babin, and many other Eagles have are tatooed. Do they have to go now too? — Rob P.
- The large tattoo on his right bicep is an eagle - a ferocious looking eagle at that!
- What happened to the Eagles policy of signing only "character" type guys? Oh..I guess that went out the window with Mike Vick. But that aside, Shockey has a long history of injuries and you can't count on him for 16 games.— SteveS11
- Shockey has never been in trouble with the law or been accused of dirty play, and has won two superbowls. I would be happy to add that kind of experience to this team.
FYI: His tatoo is of an American Flag & Eagle, what's wrong with being patriotic?— Rob P.
