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Eagles acquire linebacker Witherspoon for wide receiver Gibson

The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Eagles

49 comments

Eagles acquire linebacker Witherspoon for wide receiver Gibson

POSTED: Tuesday, October 20, 2009, 4:22 PM

Bob Brookover

The Eagles have acquired St. Louis Rams veteran linebacker Will Witherspoon in exchange for rookie wide receiver Brandon Gibson and a fifth-round draft pick in 2010.

Witherspoon, 29, will inherit the role played by Omar Gaither so far this season. Eagles coach Andy Reid said that Gaither is scheduled to visit a foot specialist and is unlikely to be able to play Monday night against the Washington Redskins.

"We'll put him at the (middle linebacker) spot to start with," Reid said during a conference call with reporters. "It doesn't look like OMar is going to be able to go for a little bit here. He's going to see a foot specialist in a day or so."

Witherspoon left the Rams' overtime loss to Jacksonville Sunday with a bruised tailbone, but Reid said he would be able to play. He had been playing weakside linebacker this season with the Rams, but he has experience at middle linebacker as well. Reid said the fact that he's been playing in coach Steve Spagnuolo's defense with St. Louis should allow Witherspoon to make a smooth and quick transition to defensive coordinator Sean McDermott's system.

The Eagles had also expressed some interest in Witherspoon when he was with the Carolina Panthers, but he opted to sign with the Rams as a free agent in 2006. His best season in St. Louis was 2007 when he had seven sacks and 110 tackles.

One of Witherspoon's strengths in the past has been pass coverage. He had six interceptions and 20 passes defended in his final two seasons with the Panthers, which are both high numbers for a linebacker. He had one interception and one sack last season with the Rams, but does not have a sack or an interception this season.

"He's a three-down linebacker," Reid said. "He came play both (middle and weakside linebacker) and he's very good at both of them. He's a good cover linebacker. He can cover tight ends and running backs, which is a plus."

Gibson, a sixth-round pick by the Eagles in this year's draft, was inactive for four of the team's first five games, but he had impressed the team at training camp and during the preseason. He had also made some incredible catches in practice while playing with the scout team.

"Listen, I kept him on, which I normally don’t keep that many wide receivers," Reid said. "I think that speaks for itself. I think he's going to have a great career in the NFL."

HERREMANS UPDATE

Reid said he expects guard Todd Herremans to be able to practice when the team returns to the field Thursday at the NovaCare Complex.

"There’s a good chance he’ll be out there," Reid said. "I'm not going to say he's 100 percent, but he's pretty close."

49 comments

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Comments (49)

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:34 PM, 10/20/2009

Well, yeah, maybe he can catch up to Oakland's fullback.

— RunUpTheScore

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:38 PM, 10/20/2009

Wrong WR.

— Raggamonkey

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:38 PM, 10/20/2009

Wrong WR.

— Raggamonkey

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:45 PM, 10/20/2009

anyone know much about Witherspoon? I think we all thought Gibson was a future starter perhaps, looked decent.

— peteike

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:47 PM, 10/20/2009

Is there an injury I don't know about? Who is Witherspoon better than? I don't see the improvement.

— dlscholt

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:51 PM, 10/20/2009

future starter? with Maclin and Jackson, i don't think so.

— palmyra21

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:52 PM, 10/20/2009

Love the move. Clearly we needed an upgrade and more depth. I'd think he'd fit right in. RAGGAMONKEY...if you were the Rams would you have wanted Reggie Pinkston or a banged up, overpaid Kevin Curtis?

— THE-KID (WI)

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:53 PM, 10/20/2009

When I made that post, I only saw first sentence and no comments. Now I have some background. Also have to agree with a post I saw yesterday, this auto play on the videos is really annoying. Get loud audio every time you open a page. lame philly.com lame

— peteike

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:53 PM, 10/20/2009

Witherspoon is better than Trotter, And his knees are 30 years younger

— youpeoplehaveissues

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:55 PM, 10/20/2009

Witherspoon, if he has anything left in the tank, is a good one. This is not a "Matt Wilhelm."

— CarpGuy

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:56 PM, 10/20/2009

Of course its the wrong WR, but if the Rams had to choose, they would pick up a rookie WR making probably league minimum over a disgruntled guy whose contract is in the million.

— trungy

Comment removed.

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 5:13 PM, 10/20/2009

Yeah, he is pretty decent and he should be able to pick up the defense since he has been playing under Spags in St. Louis. Love Trott but he is as fast as a tree. Plus he is good in coverage which will definitely help.

— oharabri

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 5:37 PM, 10/20/2009

Witherspoon was pretty darn good in Carolina, particularly because the Panthers brought alot of pressure up front, similar to the Eagles...haven't seen him in STL, which I don't know if his skills eroded or that the other 10 guys on D there are horrible...

— kjuggs77