Potential free agent targets for the Eagles
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Eagles
Potential free agent targets for the Eagles
Over the weekend I wrote that you shouldn’t expect the Eagles to go nuts with free agent spending. That’s not to say they won’t be players for some top prospects at key positions. I also wrote that the team also believes in making calculated free agent strikes, and I do think they intend to bring in help at cornerback and possibly along the defensive line. But, I don’t think they’ll overpay for some of the big names that have been thrown around.
In my chat last week on Philly.com, there was a lust from some questioners for players like Nnamdi Asomugha, Jason Babin and Reggie Bush. My sense is the Eagles will be looking for younger, slightly less expensive options who they can sign while still maintaining the salary cap flexibility to address multiple needs.
So, who might the Eagles pursue? Here’s a quick look at what I would consider the Birds’ top two needs as we await the start of free agency. These are my thoughts on the positions, and ideas I've shared when asked about them in chats, but are not based on any inside information at this point. If all goes well, teams could start re-signing their own players by Friday and on July 25 begin going after guys on the open market. (UPDATE: Sports Business Journal is now reporting that it could be about a week between the ratification of the CBA and full free agency; teams would get three days to study the new CBA rules and three days to resign their own players before full-blown free agent signings; with an owners' vote expected July 21, that would put free agency's full open around July 27 or 28).
Cornerback: The biggest question for many fans this offseason, and to me the toughest one to answer, is whether the Eagles make a serious play for Asomugha. My instinct has been no – though I’m not totally convinced that I’m right. The arguments for Asomugha are strong: the Eagles biggest need is at cornerback, and he’s one of the best in the game. And if the Eagles are only going to make one massive signing, he’d be the biggest splash possible. (Also there seems to be a local media consensus growing that the Eagles won't pursue Asomugha, which probably means we're all wrong).
These are the reasons for doubt: he would cost so much that it could hamper the Eagles’ ability to bolster their front seven. Also, Asomugha is 30, an age at which the Eagles are reluctant to hand out big deals, and in general the team puts more value on defensive linemen than corners. There’s good evidence that that approach makes sense. I posted earlier this summer that if you look at the top defenses in the NFL, most have one star corner and one solid complement, if that. Many lacked even one star on the corner, and just had two solid players. For the vast majority of top defenses, having one Pro Bowler (like Asante Samuel) and one solid complement is plenty, provided you have a strong front line. I expect that if the Eagles make one big move, it will be on the line, and they’ll look for a nice complementary corner.
Johnathan Joseph of the Bengals would certainly fit that mold. So might Ike Taylor, a veteran Steeler who could provide a physical complement to Samuel. If I had to guess, I’d bet on the Eagles to move for one of these two. (Taylor, 31, would go against the idea of signing young; if the Eagles chased him, I'd think they would try to get him for either a shorter contract or less guaranteed money; we'll see if that means they get outbid).
Defensive line: Here’s where I would expect the Eagles to make their biggest move, and possibly pursue some of the top names on the market. No, not Albert Haynesworth.
Ray Edwards (who is 26) and Charles Johnson (25) are both young and rising. If the Eagles want to upgrade their pass rush, they could do so for years to come with either of these two.
Babin? He’s 31 and 2010 was his only stand out year. The rest of his career has been only mildly productive. I think the Eagles go younger.
The defensive tackle crop is not particularly deep, though Barry Cofield, of the Giants, is a solid name who could help the Eagles get pressure up the middle. The Eagles have many bodies at defensive end – though not many who inspire confidence – so tackle depth might be more important.
If the Birds get either of the corners named above and any of those pass rushers, they will nab some of the top free agents of 2011, even if their names don’t draw the same attention as some of the others tossed about in the vacuum of the NFL lockout.
As we’ve covered here before, there are many hurdles with Haynesworth. He just turned 30 and didn’t seem to want to play all that hard last season. Not to mention the fact that he’s not a free agent and the Redskins probably want to keep him out of Philadelphia.
The wild card in all this is a potential Kevin Kolb trade, which I figure will get done nearly as soon as the trade window opens. If the Eagles can bring back a starting defensive player in the deal, obviously their free agent shopping list changes.
The team will also need to sign a backup quarterback and possibly a second-string running back if Jerome Harrison leaves. Those moves will probably also be less splashy ones - I don't see Reggie Bush coming to Philly to be a backup.
The good news is this: within a week or so, we'll be able to stop speculating, and start writing about who the Eagles actually chase.
Ike Taylor is a less-effective version of Sheldon Brown. No thanks. Johnathon Joseph, however, is very underrated and would be a great addition.— CosmoK- many of our past free agent signings/late spring-summer trades have not worked out so well (especially along the defensive line). chris clemons, dan klecko, sean jones, ellis hobbs, jason babin, ernie sims, hank baskett, reggie wells, marlin jackson, etc... and what about that last free agent running back from new orleans we picked up? and guys we get rid of do better elsewhere like babin, clemons and danny amendola. what makes anyone think the birds will choose more intelligently this time?— bossmoss
- amendola? really? he's a starter on the Rams. The Rams. Get over him. Babin was a scrub up until last year. Sims, hobbs, and wells were cheap trades. Hank Baskett I think was a low round draft choice. The Danny Klecko experiment, ahh what a ride. Mike Bell was a cheapr FA that was shipped out for a diamond in the rough. Marlin Jackson, well, not really much to say about that. And that's the facts Jack! — beerflow
- Joseph and either Johnson or Edwards would provide instant upgrades. If Kolb can get a starting end or corner, then I would hope the birds look to upgrade the linebacker spot.— paulNC
- I'd much much rather have, say Jonathan Joseph + Ray Edwards or Charles Johnson than Asomugha and nobody else. Nnamdi is obviously very good, but he's also 30 years old and probably every team in the league is going to throw crazy money at him. There's just too many holes along the front-7 to commit all their spending money on one cornerback and think it will solve everything. Plus Vick and Desean will need new deals sooner than later.— stikolaboloni
- Someone mentioned Brian Westbrook as a backup. He's available, knows the offense and blocks very well. He was pretty productive for SF in a backup role and would be a good mentor to the rookie and probably still provide insight for McCoy. He appeared to stay healthy with his limited role in SF. Maybe he could spell Jackson on punt returns. I'd love to see him back with the Eagles if he has anything left in the tank.— borntosuffer
- Why would any fan care about the money being spent? If Asomugha is the best, get him. How about Haynesworth, Cofeld and Johnson and/or Edawrds ? With the exception of Trent Cole, is any member of the Eagles defensive line that good? If they want to win the Super Bowl, they should spend the money. Enough with guys who are almost as good as the top players in free agency. If they spend the money, there may actually be a February parade around here. Show everyone what an agressive off season really looks like.— syddan26
- I was waiting for a post like this. While we're at it let's get Peyton Manning and Andre Johnson and Patrick Willis. See there's a thing in the NFL called the salary cap which means you can't just spend top dollar for the best available guy at every position like the Yankees. According to just about every report on Nnamdi, he's going to net about $20 million a year from whatever team signs him. So in the Eagles case, who will have about $20 million to spend, that means they'd only be able to sign one guy and would still have gaping, ginormous holes everywhere else on D (and in 3 years you'll be ripping the front office for paying a 33-yr-old corner $20 mil). Guys like Joseph and Ray Edwards are younger, can actually play at a high level and would address multiple positions that need an upgrade badly. A fan should care about the money being spent because there's only so much of it to go around. I know a few Redskins fans who would be glad to share what they think of Dan Snyder butchering their caproom (and their chance to compete) with bad contracts on overpriced free agents every single year
- bad article and even worse comments— randy7676
- This same articles has been written 17 times already— kcoyle11
- Why not just continue to scour the CFL for more "hidden gems"....Nickels gets to save even more that way— CTigglesfan
- Cameron Wake was a "hidden gem" knucklehead. So why not sign a CFL star and see what he can do.
— phillychaos - Johnson over Edwards----Edwards benefitted frpm double-coverage on the opposite end on Jered Allen and added coverage for the Williams boys at DT. Johnson did it on his own for the most part.— Romus
- Bring back Reno Mahe. He still has some gas left in the tank.— dasher
