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Buckhalter agrees to 2-year contract

AS GREAT as it was to be back on the field last season, Correll Buckhalter would have liked a little more work.

Correll Buckhalter will again back up Brian Westbrook.
Correll Buckhalter will again back up Brian Westbrook.Read more

AS GREAT as it was to be back on the field last season, Correll Buckhalter would have liked a little more work.

So Buckhalter, an Eagle since being drafted in the fourth round from Nebraska in 2001, went into free agency not really expecting to return to his role of complementing featured running back Brian Westbrook. Buckhalter had some other ideas, and so did the Eagles, who have kicked the tires of several backs this month.

Two things happened, though. Those other opportunities Buckhalter was looking for never materialized, as teams remained leery of a player who returned to the field in 2006 after missing three of the previous four seasons with knee problems. And at least some of the backs the Eagles would have considered upgrades on Buckhalter were not interested in such a limited role.

So yesterday, Buckhalter returned to the Eagles, agreeing to a 2-year contract. Terms were not disclosed, but they are believed to be modest. Agent Fletcher Smith said earlier in the week he and Buckhalter weren't "blown away" by the Eagles offer they'd received. Attempts to contact Smith yesterday were unsuccessful.

It would seem that the Birds' pursuit of Berlin, N.J., native Ron Dayne was calculated to get Buckhalter to sign. The Eagles now seem unlikely to add another back in free agency, though they could do so in the draft.

"The process was kind of different, with my knee history of injuries and everything," Buckhalter told reporters on a conference call. "That had an effect, I guess, a little bit, for me. Being with the Eagles for the last 6 years, they know my history and they know what I'm capable of doing. It was probably a more comfortable situation for me to come back there, at least for a few more years."

Buckhalter, 28, said "three or four" teams called, though he took no visits. A piece of wire installed during a surgical procedure holds together Buckhalter's right kneecap.

"A lot of teams were questioning my knee . . . even though I had a successful season, and it didn't bother me at all," he said.

Buckhalter gained 345 yards on 83 carries last season, 4.2 yards per carry, and caught a career-high 24 passes for 256 yards. Asked whether he felt disappointed at not getting a bigger role somewhere, Buckhalter said: "I leave it all in God's hands . . . whatever it was meant for me to have in free agency, it'll come back to me again. I'm not really worried about it. I'm just looking forward to getting back together with my guys and trying to bring a Super Bowl to the city."

Buckhalter surprised the Eagles and maybe even himself, working from training camp longshot to solid contributor in the second half of the season. Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg lamented not using Buckhalter more down the stretch, when he clearly had regained his confidence, balance and vision.

"I think the Eagles kind of did the right thing with me, the way that they worked me in," Buckhalter said. "I think as the season went along, I just got stronger and stronger."

Buckhalter said the further he gets from injury, the stronger he feels.

"I finally got a chance to see the muscle definition in my quad now," he said. "It took a while for it to get there, but it's finally there, and it'll only get stronger as I continue to work it going into training camp."

"Buck worked extremely hard to get back on the field in 2006 and did a solid job for us," Eagles general manager Tom Heckert said in a statement released by the team. "He's a tough kid, both mentally and physically, and is a proven performer at running back when he's been healthy. He's a real good complement to Brian Westbrook in our offensive scheme." *