Eagles free agency buzz
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Eagles free agency buzz
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
With free agency set to start at 4 p.m. Tuesday, now seems like a good time to pick apart what's going on around the league and offer some thoughts on the Eagles' potential plans.
Let's start with the Birds' biggest offseason priority: Linebacker.
Two of the most talked-about inside linebackers expected to hit the market are Atlanta's Curtis Lofton and Detroit's Stephen Tulloch. The Falcons made a move over the weekend, signing veteran linebacker Lofa Tatupu. The buzz in Atlanta is that he'll compete for the starting job with second-year player Akeem Dent, and the Falcons will let Lofton walk.
Lofton is 25, finished fifth in the league with 147 tackles last season and was a team captain. So why would the Falcons let him go? According to Len Pasquarelli of CBSSports.com, some within the organization believe he's "deficient" in coverage. I still need to take a look at some of Lofton's games from last year, but if the Eagles aren't 100 percent sold on him being a three-down player, I can't see them going after Lofton.
As for Tulloch, he remains un-signed, but the Lions recently restructured several contracts (Ndamukong Suh, Matthew Stafford and Nate Burleson) to open up some cap space, according to Fox Sports Detroit. My question, as it relates to the Eagles, is this: If they view Tulloch as a valuable player, why didn't they sign him last offseason when he inked a one-year, $3.25M deal with Detroit?
Surely, the Eagles could have afforded to bring him in for a season. Did they really think Casey Matthews would be a better option? And if they didn't have a high opinion of Tulloch before 2011, have their views really changed that much after his performance in one season with the Lions? Maybe they have. But Tulloch is only 27. He clearly agreed to a one-year deal last offseason with the idea of cashing in this time around. We'll see if that happens with the Eagles.
Other linebackers who have been mentioned are Carolina's Dan Connor and Seattle's David Hawthorne. Connor has never been a three-down player and served a situational role for the Panthers last year. According to Pro Football Focus, he played only about 49 percent of Carolina's snaps. The majority of Connor's playing time (68 percent) came against the run. If the Eagles were to bring him aboard, it would likely be in a situational role.
Ideally, the Eagles would add a three-down linebacker. But based on the end of last season, they believe Matthews (and perhaps Keenan Clayton as well) can be effective players in coverage. It seems possible that they could settle on a linebacker who is good against the run and once again go with a linebacker-by-committee approach.
Hawthorne, meanwhile, was a three-down player with the Seahawks, having played 94.4 percent of the team's defensive snaps last season, per PFF. According to Michael C. Wright of ESPN Chicago, the Bears have interest in Hawthorne, who turns 27 in May.
As for the Eagles' own free agents, it'll be interesting to see what the interest is for Evan Mathis if he reaches the open market. Remember, Mathis started just 22 games in six NFL seasons before joining the Eagles in 2011. He's talked about being frustrated with a lack of playing time in previous stops and excelled here under Howard Mudd. I'm sure Mathis wants to get paid, but he'll turn 31 in November, and staying with the Eagles means a guaranteed starting spot in a system he's comfortable in. For those reasons, I'd be somewhat surprised if he's not back in 2012, although we'll have to see how the market plays out.
The beat writers have indicated that the Eagles are unlikely to make a big splash in free agency. But if they do make a significant move other than linebacker, my guess is it'll be along the defensive line. As we've discussed in the past, Jim Washburn uses eight defensive linemen in his rotation. The Eagles look like they have four defensive ends in place with Jason Babin, Trent Cole, Darryl Tapp and Brandon Graham. But if they think they can upgrade from Tapp, would they consider it? Or maybe they move Graham inside?
At defensive tackle, Mike Patterson and Cullen Jenkins will be back as the starters. And the Eagles have to make decisions on Antonio Dixon (restricted), Derek Landri (unrestricted) and Trevor Laws (unrestricted). It's conceivable that they choose against re-signing their own guys here and add a player to rotate in with Patterson and Jenkins.
I wouldn't expect the Eagles to add a starting-caliber safety. Maybe the final four games were fool's gold, but Nate Allen's performance might be the most encouraging thing to take from the end of last season. Signing a safety would indicate major questions about last year's second-round pick, Jaiquawn Jarrett. More likely, I'd expect the team to sell the notion that Jarrett just needs a full offseason and emphasize that they still envision him being a contributor going forward.
Having said that, Jason Cole of Yahoo Sports reports that the Eagles "appear interested" in LaRon Landry. Landry has missed 15 games over the past two seasons and suffered an Achilles' injury in 2011. I'm not sure it makes sense to take a risk on the hard-hitting safety at this point.
As for DeSean Jackson, it's going to be very interesting to see how the wide receiver market plays out. I wrote a piece for SI.com about some of the top names expected to be available. Reports have linked the Bears, Bucs and Redskins to Vincent Jackson. He is the only true No. 1 wide receiver on the market, and I'd expect him to get a monster deal. The rest of the receivers have questions, but if teams spend big on unproven commodities like Pierre Garcon and Robert Meachem, DeSean's camp will be less likely to bring its asking price down.
And finally, this note from SI.com's Peter King caught my eye, in regards to Robert Griffin III:
Washington was joined in the pursuit for the pick by Cleveland (who owns the fourth overall pick in the draft) and Miami (picking eighth overall) -- and two teams beyond the 10th overall pick. Those two teams couldn't be identified late Friday night, but with the fervent interest Philadelphia showed in both Andrew Luck and Griffin, the two top quarterbacks in this draft, it wouldn't be surprising if Philadelphia wanted to move up to take either a quarterback or another top prospect.
That would have made this past weekend pretty interesting, huh?
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Matthews, is a special teams player TOPS!!! they have to get a free agent MLB.— Lb 54 wide 9- The only thing Fabio could cover is a fur coat.— Astro Jones
- Does not matter what they do. They still have Reid as head coach which means no super bowl again.— eaglesman1
- Based on LaRon's injury history, I think it a done deal for the Eagles. They'll give him a 3 yr contract with a 5 yr option if he tears his ACL.— FROM THE BEACH
- Sign Carl Nicks.— dta
- Move Graham Cracker inside???? HE is too small to play end so we will move him to tackle???...hahahahahahaha, oh I forgot "great motor".....cut the scrub and save the money...— SkipinWV
- SK....no Phil Hunt on the d-line?— Romus
- When the cards cut Kolb, he will resign with the eagles and then we can trade him again for another second rounder.....the Cards won't pay Kolb the 8 million he is due at the end of this week. Plus Manning won't go there cause the O-line are turnstill operators. That is why Koncussion Kolb got hurt last year....— SkipinWV
- Its all over the radio that their signing Dan Connor.— watsonmr
- sheil on your SI piece you can do better. it shouldnt read like your blog post. it would have popped more with your take on the best fit for each guy and maybe even a quote from nfl sources or something.
your stats are great, but adjust your format depending on your platform. just my two cents man. with the amount of effort you put into your stuff, you are going places.
you are philly.com at this pt. they need more guys (or ladies) like you and less gonzo types.— djack10 - billro how much did they spend last year ? what kind of players did they get a lg dt cb qb wr. steve smith is the only one last year that fits that label and he wasnt cheap cuz he made more than Jackson. gotta manage the cap philly will be bargain shopping this year— positive eagle
- Dexter, the Eagles front office love fans like you, are you kidding me with that?
- I see 8-8 again and obvious needs not addressed again and Andy Reid brought back AGAIN! This is the hardest organization to root for
- If they don't sign/draft a good linebacker I'm going to punch myself in the face— sore richard
- I agree that Mr. Kapadia is an excellent reporter.
But I don't share the fear that he might jump to Sports Illustrated. I hope he does. A good reporter should have solid resources behind him. Philly News is a sinking ship. I'm looking forward to reading Sheil's reports at Si.com. If he goes, good luck to him, he deserves it.— yahzooman - I'm almost sure Mike Patterson won't be back as a starter. The Eagles are looking for more pass rush and Patterson is the weak link of the D-line in that regard. Expect Devon Still or Fletcher Cox beside Jenkins on week one.
At this point, I'll take Hawthorne or Lofton at MLB if the Eagles can't sign Tullock. I don't care if they can't cover. The NFL is a substitute league. Pull them on passing downs and sub in Rolle and Clayton. Easy fix. We need a beast that can stop the run.
— MrMiles1 - Can we just draft Kuechly and not bring in guys that other teams have already given up on?????????????— BuddyBall92
- The Linebackers will be ok to win in Philly. There needs are on the defensive line at Tackle. If we can stiffen up the center of the Defensive Line during the rotation we will be ok with one more year's experience at line backer.
I would not choose at pick 15 or pick 20 one of the available linebackers in the draft. The Eagles can get a serviceable linebacker before pick 100 and the Eagles have 5 of the first 100 picks.
Use pick 15 for a difference making play maker be it Defense or Offense, the absolute best skill position player available. I just don't see that being a Linebacker.
— Dexter 
Comment removed.- Since Howie the "Make Believe" GM is 2 for 25 in two previous drafts, they better sign some Free Agents this year. They still need a Safety and at least 2 Linebackers or 8 and 8 will look like a great season by comparison!— younged
- I thought they were set a LB after their signing of Simmons last week? lol— FetchDixon
- The way this team thinks they can throw just any schmoe in at LB and be successful is just maddening. Looking forward to another 8-8 year with Howie drafting the smallest DL he can find in the 1st round.
Oh, LOL at moving Graham inside. Lay off the crack pipe, bro.— Only in Philly... - Is Betty White available?— Mabus
- I believe the Eagles see Chaney and Rolle as good linebackers. They'd probably welcome someone who is better than Jordan or Clayton or Fokou, but that doesn't mean they'll spend big. Everyone else may be dissatisfied with the linebackers, but it's not clear the coaching staff is.— armchairGM
- Connor and Landry are perfect for what the Eagles look for, players who are coming off of injuries and won't break the bank because of it. The only problem is that these kind of players never make it to the final roster.— billro33
- Dan Connor can play, and you will see that come summer time. — bearsfriend
- Allen and Jarrett are busts but since they are Howie's guys we will get to watch another season of them doing something besides their life's work while the Accountants explain that they "just need a full off-season of work" and "knee injuries take time to heal."
The linebackers should all be waived and replaced, too, but they won't for the reason already mentioned. None of these guys could play dead in a western.— coloradoeagle - Matthews is not effective as a coverage LB and if the Eagles insist that he is, Lurie will be right back at the end of next season talking about his utter disappointment and how hard it is to let Reid go.— psubrian
- Actually, both he and clayton were good in coverage over the last 3-4 weeks of the seasoon...if that means anything. — bearsfriend
- Move Graham inside? Hahahahaha!— Jerome99RIP
- exactly. I almost sprayed coffee all over my pc. Just what we need - a 250lb defensive tackle. Graham can't play DE so they have to do something with him. Another Howie guy they can't admit is a bust. — coloradoeagle
- You know, I look at these names, I mull over the kinds of players the Eagles draft and sign as FAs and why, and I think about the chasm that exists between them and the truly elite teams, and I have to conclude that we're looking at yet another 7-9 or 8-8 team. (Don't want to be negative or cynical, just realistic.)— Paul G
- Landry? A steroid freak who is completely done and could never cover in the first place.— banned
- No steroids..pure athlete...Barring injuries, he's an absolute upgrade at safety over what the Eagles have. — bearsfriend
- It's funny how our best writers all go to ESPN or SI, I'm more concerned about loosing Sheil than any of our f/a's......— bbohannon
- It's only a matter of time until Sheil leaves for greener pastures. He is by far the best Eagles beat writer.. Then we'll be stuck with the Bowen/McClane no talent/insight beat.— SilliBilli
- Sheil, come on. The Eagles did try to sign Tulloch last off season. It was widely reported. Obviously he preferred to sign with the Lions because his former D-coordinator was the head coach.— soulman386
- Comment removed.
- If the Bears are interested in David Hawthorne, that must mean he's a good player. The Bears, unlike a certain Philadelphia NFL team that shall remain nameless, care about LBs and know now to evaluate them.— Dave Clemens
- Skins paid A LOT for RGIII. They better hope he's the real deal. That's a lot to give up for a guy who never played a snap in the NFL.— BleedPhilly
- Wouldn't surprise me if Rolle, Chaney/Matthews, and Clayton are the starters week 1. Load standard— Onlineps2beast
- Like Kate Fagan before him (who went to ESPN), let's hope Sheil doesn't make the jump to SI for good.— Leegles
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