With Omar Gaither likely sidelined for a while by a foot injury, the Eagles completed a trade yesterday that brought them veteran linebacker Will Witherspoon from the St. Louis Rams. The deal, made just before the NFL's 4 p.m. deadline, sent rookie wide receiver Brandon Gibson and a 2010 fifth-round draft pick to St. Louis.

"I think [Gibson] is going to have a great career in the NFL," Eagles coach Andy Reid said during a conference call. "That doesn't make this an easy situation. We started off the season thinking we were in pretty good shape at [middle linebacker], and now we've been banged up a little here, so we needed to make this move to stay strong there. That's the only reason I would have done something like this."

Gaither's injury originally was described as a sprained foot, but Reid acknowledged yesterday that it could be something more severe. The fourth-year linebacker is scheduled to visit a foot specialist this week, the coach said.

Witherspoon, 29, will take over Gaither's role as the Eagles' primary middle linebacker.

"I'm bringing him in here as a [middle] linebacker to fill in what Omar did," Reid said. "I look at Will as a starter just like I did Omar."

Witherspoon was playing weakside linebacker in coach Steve Spagnuolo's defensive scheme with the Rams, but he spent his first three seasons in St. Louis as a middle linebacker. He also played both middle linebacker and weakside linebacker during his first four NFL seasons with Carolina.

"I'm definitely comfortable" playing middle linebacker," Witherspoon said. "It never bothered me one way or another. I'm a guy who wants to be on the field with an opportunity to make plays."

After replacing Joe Mays as the starter at middle linebacker near the end of the preseason, Gaither found himself sharing time with Jeremiah Trotter the last two weeks after the Eagles brought back the popular veteran during the bye week.

Trotter struggled in two crucial coverage situations during Sunday's upset loss to the Oakland Raiders, so it will be interesting to see how often he gets on the field against the Redskins.

Reid described Witherspoon as "a three-down linebacker" who is strong in the coverage game.

"I think it's one of my strong suits," Witherspoon said. "I've always taken great pride in being able to do it. I trust I can go out and cover anybody."

Witherspoon has also shown the ability to be an outside pass rusher. He had a career-high seven sacks two seasons ago but just one last year. He has not recorded a sack this season.

Reid said he thinks Witherspoon can move into a starting role right away because he became familiar with the Eagles' defense by playing for Spagnuolo, the Rams' rookie head coach who worked under the late Jim Johnson.

"I think it's fairly similar," Witherspoon said. "I think I was getting comfortable with it. I think I did a good job understanding what they had asked of me. Now I'm changing positions, so that's a little different."

Witherspoon clearly liked the idea of going from the winless Rams to the 3-2 Eagles.

"It means a lot to go to a team that has an opportunity to be a contender," said Witherspoon, who was part of the Carolina Super Bowl team that beat the Eagles in the 2004 NFC title game.

Given his age and contract situation, it's likely that Witherspoon will be here only for the rest of this season. The Eagles will pay him a little more than $1.6 million for the rest of the season, and he has two years left on the 2006 deal he signed with the Rams, with base salaries of $5 million each year.

Herremans' progress. Reid said he expected guard Todd Herremans to be able to fully participate in practice tomorrow when the team returns to the field. Herremans, who has been targeting a return against Washington, has been out all season with a stress fracture in his left foot.

Contact staff writer Bob Brookover at 215-854-2577 or bbrookover@phillynews.com.