Eagles add a quarterback, signing Edwards

INDIANAPOLIS - The Eagles checked one box on their offseason shopping list even before the draft and free agency period, signing quarterback Trent Edwards on Thursday as a potential backup to Michael Vick.

Edwards signed a one-year deal on the day the NFL scouting combine opened. His addition is a sure sign that Vince Young's days as an Eagle are over, although it's not guaranteed that Edwards will be the No. 2 quarterback next season.

The former Buffalo Bills starter will have to compete with Mike Kafka and perhaps more additions later this offseason.

The Eagles' backup spot is crucial given Vick's injury history. He missed three games last season and failed to finish two others.

Edwards, 28, has 33 starts in four seasons, almost all with the Bills, though he spent part of 2010 with Jacksonville. Edwards didn't play in 2011 after being cut by Oakland, so he was available before the full opening of free agency on March 13. More options could become available then.

"He's a guy who's had success in the NFL and started in this league, had won, and has also had some adversity to overcome," Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said. "He knows nothing's promised in this game . . . it's a promise just to compete."

Earlier, Roseman talked up Kafka's potential and the value he may gain from having a full offseason to work with Eagles coaches. Kafka was drafted in 2010, then was limited by the 2011 lockout.

"He's a guy that we drafted in the fourth round not because we were looking for a quarterback but because he was a guy that we really liked through the [draft] process," Roseman said.

Edwards has thrown 26 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in his career. He started 14 games for Buffalo in 2008 but only three for the Bills and Jaguars in 2010, his last year in the league. No one picked him up after he was cut in September.

The Eagles could add another veteran or a rookie, though drafting a quarterback seems less likely.

Optimism on Jackson. As the Eagles contemplate whether to use the franchise tag on receiver DeSean Jackson, Roseman again indicated that the team wants to keep the two-time Pro Bowler.

"We think he's got a great future and we're excited about the possibilities for DeSean Jackson in Philadelphia," the general manager said, echoing recent comments but, perhaps significantly, adding the phrase "in Philadelphia."

Roseman said he wanted to speak directly to Jackson before announcing any moves, to make sure any message is delivered clearly and not through the media.

Waiting for Mathis, Landri. Guard Evan Mathis and defensive tackle Derek Landri were key players in 2011, and great values considering each was signed for the veteran minimum. Roseman hinted that he wants both back, but under the NFL's labor rules the team can't re-sign them until free agency begins because of their minimum contracts (unless they agree to again play for the minimum - which won't happen). Normally, teams can re-sign their own players before free agency opens.

"We're really happy with the contributions they made to the Philadelphia Eagles, and we'll just see what goes on here in the next few weeks," Roseman said.

High expectations. Recent high draft picks Brandon Graham, Nate Allen, and Jaiquawn Jarrett have something to prove in 2012, Roseman said.

"They know that they've got to step up their game and they're looking forward to it, but the work ethic is there," Roseman said, speaking about Graham and Allen, the team's first- and second-round picks in 2010. Each was slowed by injury last season.

Jarrett, a 2011 second-rounder, had a more difficult adjustment than expected, Roseman said.

"What we're really looking to see, and we've told him, is the nastiness, the stuff that we saw in college," he said. "I think that's a product of knowing what you're doing."