NFL Draft
The Eagles make moves, but not big ones
DAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer
Receiver Hank Baskett re-signed with the Eagles.
The Eagles made a couple of transactions yesterday, one with a big wide receiver and another with a tight end, but they weren't the grandiose sort of moves that have been rumored in cyberspace and on television in recent days.
The Kansas City Chiefs traded tight end Tony Gonzalez yesterday, but it was to the Atlanta Falcons for a second-round pick in 2010.
The Eagles made an effort to acquire Gonzalez before the trade deadline last season, but a team source said Wednesday they were no longer interested in the 33-year-old tight end.
The Eagles are likely to pick a tight end in this weekend's draft, and it's possible they could use their first-round pick on Brandon Pettigrew from Oklahoma State. Pettigrew is considered the premier tight end in the draft.
The team source said nothing had changed on the trade front with the Eagles, reiterating that if the team makes a deal this weekend it's most likely going to be an exchange of draft picks rather than the acquisition of a veteran player.
As for the rumor mill, one report yesterday had the Eagles acquiring Cleveland wide receiver Braylon Edwards in a deal that would send disgruntled cornerback Sheldon Brown to the Browns. An ESPN.com report said the Browns' attempt to make a deal with the New York Giants for Edwards had reached an impasse. Of course, these things can change with one phone call.
As for real transactions, Hank Baskett, the Eagles' own 6-foot-4, 220-pound wide receiver, signed the one-year deal he was offered as a restricted free agent in February. Baskett, who has 71 catches for 1,046 yards and six touchdowns in his three seasons with the Eagles, will make $1.545 million in 2009 and will be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
The team also signed tight end Eugene Bright, a former defensive end at Purdue University. Bright, 24, played high school football at Harriton in Rosemont, which is the same school that Eagles coach Andy Reid's two eldest sons, Garrett and Britt, attended. Bright also played basketball and track at Harriton.
Contact staff writer Bob Brookover at 215-854-2577 or bbrookover@phillynews.com.
