Do Eagles need to add a RB?
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Do Eagles need to add a RB?
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Even before tonight's news broke that Brian Westbrook will have ankle surgery, some of you felt like the Eagles needed to add a veteran running back to the mix.
Now I'm assuming that cry will grow a little bit louder.
For those of you just getting caught up, reports have surfaced from CSN and ESPN that Westbrook will be undergoing a clean-up procedure on his ankle.
How much time will he miss? That's not immediately clear. CSN's report said he should be ready for the start of the season. Westbrook's agent Todd France would not provide a timetable, but a source told ESPN the surgery would sideline him well into training camp.
Whatever the case, the Eagles have encountered a bump in the road. Other than the Sheldon Brown situation, things had been going just a little too smoothly.
In Brown's case, the Birds acted swiftly once the cornerback sounded off, acquiring Ellis Hobbs on draft weekend.
So the obvious question here is: Will the Eagles make a roster move at running back?
Let's take a look at the guys they currently have.
If you're a fan of MTC, you know I have big expectations for LeSean McCoy. I said after the draft that the success of the '09 class would fall on his shoulders. Now he'll be counted on even more quickly.
There's Lorenzo Booker, but anything he gives the Birds would be a surprise at this point. The coaches obviously didn't feel like he could contribute last season.
If the Eagles feel like they need to add another back, what are their options?
The name that seems to be tossed around most often in the comments section and on sports-talk radio is Edgerrin James.
The 30 year old is a free agent. He suffered through the least productive season of his career in 2008, averaging 3.9 yards per carry and totaling 514 yards on the ground.
But James thinks he's still got a lot left.
"Of course I've still got it," he told The Sporting News recently. "I was in a bad situation. Just look at my track record. I averaged 4.5 yards a game the last five, six games. Trust me, there's nothing wrong with me. It was a passing team. You're not gonna find a top two or three passing team with a top running game. Choose one or the other. Show me a team that's No. 1 passing and No. 1 running. You ain't got enough time."
Obiously the Eagles are a passing team also. There's hope that given the offseason roster moves, the running game has a chance to be much-improved, but let's not get carried away.
The addition of James wouldn't do much for me. He's not a difference-maker at this point in his career, and I'm not sure the upgrade in experience would be worth it. He was a headache last season when he received the fewest touches of his career. Doesn't exactly fit the profile of the guys the Birds usually go after.
And other than James, there's not much out there.
So what do you think? Given today's news, do the Eagles need to make a roster move? Are there names I'm forgetting?
Or do you sit tight and hope that McCoy picks up the offense, and Westbrook is fine once the real games begin?
Give Booker the shot. He's the man in space...nobody faster...seen him in action. Unreal.!— Bob Frapples- Doesn't Booker look great running around without pads, phewww, Iggles must think there is "something" there (don't know what, nobody else can see it) or he wouldn't still be here, yes, you have to have bodies in training camp but c'mon, tell us what u see in the man, pleaseeeeeeee! I think they'll wait until close to training camp to bring someone in unless a great deal pops out of the wookwork they just can't refuse. Westy will be back and playing much better than last season (hey, shoot me, I'm a fan) thus the point will be moot! Westy is rather amazing, the man doesn't need a lot of practice, as long as he can keep in physical shape I have no worries there. As for James, can't see him fitting in at all, he needs a lot of touches to be productive, don't see him getting them here unless McCoy is a pure bust! Nah, no way, he'll produce!!!— FireChief
GT, Edge and Deuce were the 2 I immediately thought of as insurance but assumed Edge would fit in more with ARs offense. You think Deuce?— tpizza- Hello Oakland what will it take to get the other Bush?— Wheelermustgo
- I like the idea of adding McAllister, talk about a change of pace, can you imagine defenses having to deal with a fresh McAllister late in the game? And, yes, allrightknight, he is still available.
- i felt we needed a another veteran RB even b4 bwest had to have surgery...mccoy is talented but he is a rookie..teams go thru 2/3 RB's b/c of injury most of the time during a season...look at dallas,pittsburgh and denver just to name a few teams who lost multiple rb's— the tru 1
- they need to add a running back but not edge i'm a big fan of the U i used to watch him all the time but the one thing about him is he wants the ball & he aint gonna get it here , my ? is this suppose they do sign him (which they wont) & then westbrook comes back then edge doesnt get the touches anymore. then he will sulk like he did last year . at this point trainng camp hasnt started so they just need to add a role player then they still can delvelop mccoy fill westbrook spot & when he comes back hopefully it will be smooth sailing .— scrap32
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- OK 5isaQueen, give it a rest on Westbrook. Didn't you have your pabulum this AM? I think you must have been neglected as a child which is why you need so much attention on these blogs. W/O Westbrook, the Eagles are stale unless McCoy jumps out of the box as a star like D-Jax.
- All I gotta say is M-ROB...Michael Robinson from San Fran. Go get M-ROB and all is good in Philly. He was the "do everything" QB from Penn State. He's still young and is stuck behind Gore. He's the man.— dsh129
- All I gotta say is M-ROB...Michael Robinson from San Fran. Go get M-ROB and all is good in Philly. He was the "do everything" QB from Penn State. He's still young and is stuck behind Gore. He's the man.— dsh129
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- AllDawk - the Booker / Hunt thing may be because of cap ramifications.— Warhound
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- Where's Dorsey Levens when you need him?— cypher
- The key to the running game is the line, not Westbrook. If the line plays great, a combination of McCoy, Eckel, Weaver, and Mendenhall will get 4.5 a carry, and they'll get running first downs when needed. Westbrook helps the passing game, because he can pass protect, take a screen the distance, and split out, and the defense can't predict what play will be called when he's lined up behind McNabb. This was the wrong year to not sign Buckhalter. If the Eagles thought he had limited upside, they still should have kept Westbrook, Buckhalter, and McCoy for 2009, and then traded Buckhalter in 2010. Without Buckhalter, Edge or another veteran should be considered.— tacklinjoe
- I wonder if Weaver will get more touches. He's billed as a fullback who can run.— FKD215
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- Give Edge a chance. At this rate what worse could he do? We already have seen the worse and its name is Lorenzo Booker.
- I said right after the draft they needed depth at RB because BWest can get nicked up easily. I wanted to see a Duece McCalister kind of running back in the fold like 6'2 250. Hey is Duece McCalister still out there?!— allrightknight
- With the amount of cap space the Eagles have, they really should add a veteran back as insurance.— JimG
- Sorry Sheil,but you are wrong about Edgerrin James. An MVP and SB winner on a team that was more pass than run. Fresh legs in AZ helped them make their run bigtime. He should be good to go for the first part of the season at least. McCoy as a #3 RB, along with a few special packages for him, would serve as good insurance for Westy or Edge, and Booker would be gone.— Flackattack
- Plenty of talent on this team. Younger and more versatile then anyone that we could bring in. Leave it alone. Someone will manup and then when Brian comes back, we'll have an experienced duo...competition just jumpedd several notches...gonna be fun to see who the "man" is.— merlinknghts
- michael bush— Girth Brooks
- Im not saying that a 6th to 7th round gives an advantage over a "veteran RB" but you can have options in the backfield. Look what happened to the Cryboys this season when Barber was out and F. Jones was out for the season that rookie RB played good. I know what you are going to say and moan, but if a kid can play he is going to show it no matter what. I was so impressed with Tashard Choice that he could carry the load when Barber was down. Like I said Is just my point of view.— tonygreeneagle5
- Medenhall the black sheep— MidGreen
- StopThePanic, I assume that anything is better than the "2nd String Back (Lo-Bo)" and R. Jennings is a better fit than him, and I hope Im wrong that we never regret no taking R.J. in the future, and prove us that he was a good RB. I really think that he was under appreciated and slip on to the 7th, oh and by the way Tom Brady was taken in the late rounds too. Anything is better than Lo-Bo. But is only my opinion thats why im going for Engineering instead of a Draft Guru...:)— tonygreeneagle5
- i'd give edge a shot too. he is a versatile back, knows how to pick up the blitz and is still effective with 10-15 touches a game. westy has had TWO surgeries this offseason, is always dinged up and is on the backside of his career. mccoy is a rookie and we have no idea when he will gain the coaches' confidence in picking up this difficult offense and the blitz. booker blows. we need an insurance policy. edge is it.
- I might give Edge a shot. We are in a really great spot this year and as much potential as McCoy has I'd feel a lot more comfortable with Edge back there is Westy is going to miss a lot of time.— beeron
- I'm still wondering why we kept Booker instead of Hunt...— AllDawk_AllTheTime
- Def need to get another RB but I don't know who. Booker is so bad and I totally agree with you that James would not be a good fit— Lemur
- Your assuming Rashad Jennings can actually play. Don't you think there is a reason why he dropped into the 7th round? You make it sound like he'e the next Jerome Bettis. I'll take a proven back over some guy who may or may not cut if in the NFL.— StopThePanic
- B-West will be ready for the season but he is clearly on the downslide between his age and injuries. This will give McCoy reps he would not ordinarily get and speed his development. He should be ready to step in after the next Westy injury. I loved Brian but his days in the NFL are numbered. Booker will be out of the league by next year.— steelydad
- I think they let arrington go because he has some health issues also. And how does a 6th or 7th round pick classify as a 'veteran' running back?— vinni
- What about Deuce McAllister? I know his knees are bad, but he's a bull. As long as he doesn't have to be the horse, I think he might do well.— FMWarner
- What about Arrington that the Broncos just let go?— scars73
- Dudes....relax....we have Walter Mendenhall and his sweet number 49 on the roster. I mean, if there ever were a stud runningback in the NFL, he wore #49. Klecko!— Nico Lange
- Fresh legs are always welcome. Im not giving up on B-West, but having another (other than Lo-Bo) RB in training camp doesn't hurt. B-West should be fine by the beginning of the regular season.— tonygreeneagle5
- Hmmm.... Thank you for all your apologies, I know I was right when I said that It wouldn't had cost anything to draft Rasahd Jennings in the 6th or 7th round, but I guess It was just ME!!!— tonygreeneagle5
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