Eagles' trades make them younger

The Eagles' off-season turned more curious when Sheldon Brown became the latest casualty in the team's "Benjamin Button" transformation.

The veteran cornerback was dealt to the Cleveland Browns on Friday, along with linebacker Chris Gocong, in exchange for two draft picks and 24-year-old linebacker Alex Hall.

Moise Fokou supplanted Gocong in the lineup late last season, but Hall is expected to compete for the strongside linebacker job.

But Hall, 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, played sparingly in Cleveland and isn't seen as an upgrade or a solution to the Eagles' woes in covering tight ends.

Since the last week of February, the Eagles have shed 11 players and added six. If you count unrestricted free agent Jeremiah Trotter among the 11 - coach Andy Reid said last week that the linebacker would not return - the average age of the departed is 29.5. The six new players, on the other hand, average out to an age of 25.3.

And, of course, the Eagles are also "entertaining" offers for 33-year-old quarterback Donovan McNabb, with 25-year-old Kevin Kolb waiting in the wings.

The Eagles say they aren't rebuilding, however.

"The word 'rebuilding' will never enter our vocabulary," Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said on the team's Web site. "We're trying to win. We're trying to win right now."

The Eagles netted fourth- and fifth-round picks (104th and 137th overall) in the April 22-24 draft, and have ten selections overall. Reid likes the flexibility extra picks give him on draft day, and this year's class is considered especially deep.

Roseman said the Eagles could use the draft to find a cornerback to replace the 31-year-old Brown, but for now Ellis Hobbs has been penciled in at right cornerback opposite Pro Bowler Asante Samuel. The team expects the 26-year-old Hobbs to make a full recovery from the neck injury that ended his season last November.

The durable Brown, the last remaining defensive starter from the 2004 team that reached the Super Bowl, could be difficult to replace. He never missed a game in eight seasons, was the most sure-handed tackler among the Eagles' cornerbacks and had one of his better seasons last year despite several nagging injuries.

He was part of pass defense that allowed 27 touchdowns through the air last season, however, and a spat with the Eagles front office over his contract made his departure predictable.

Brown, who did not respond to requests for comment, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that a deal was in the works for weeks. The Browns agreed to restructure his contract, packaging some of the money up front in a roster bonus, but it's still for three years.

"It's always good to be able to have a fresh start," Brown told the Plain Dealer.

There will be some familiar faces in Cleveland. Former Eagles GM Tom Heckert helped engineer the deal. And Gocong, of course, will play alongside Brown. He played strongside linebacker for the Eagles but should benefit from playing inside in the Browns' 3-4 scheme.

Messages left with Gocong and his agent were not returned Friday.

Hall does make the Eagles younger, as have the team's five other off-season additions: wide receiver Hank Baskett (27), running back Mike Bell (26), defensive back Marlin Jackson (26), defensive end Darryl Tapp (25) and wide receiver Chad Hall (23).

The Eagles have only four players 30 years or older on their roster – punter Sav Rocca (36), kicker David Akers (33), defensive end Juqua Parker (31) and McNabb. Five of the 12 veterans that have left - whether by trade, free agency or release - are 30 years or older: Defensive end Darren Howard (33), wide receiver Kevin Curtis (31), running back Brian Westbrook (30), Trotter (33) and Brown.

The other seven are on the back-end of 20: linebacker Will Witherspoon (29), wide receiver Reggie Brown (29), defensive end Jason Babin (29), defensive end Chris Clemons (28), safety Sean Jones (28), guard Shawn Andrews (27) and Gocong.

Most of them carried significant salaries. The Eagles have spent some of that money locking up younger players such as fullback Leonard Weaver and wide receiver Jason Avant. They typically subtract aging players for younger ones, but this off-season has been more drastic. The Eagles won't say it publicly, but they viewed each older player as declining.

Of course, there's something to be said for experience and having leaders on the roster. Sheldon Brown, for example, was a lead-by-example vet and a fan-favorite.

"We understand," Roseman said on a conference call. "Sheldon is one of my favorite players. When I spoke to him today, I told him, I thanked him for all of his contributions. I understand those feelings. I just say, 'Hang with us and see the players we bring in here.' "