Ifeanyi Momah brings size to Philly.

The Eagles have signed 6’7″ 239lb former Boston College standout WR Ifeanya Momah.  There was a time when I would hear about the Eagles acquiring a tall wr prospect and I would immediately think our redzone problems were fixed, but that is never the case. I think what will be telling going forward is how differently receivers will be used in this new offense, especially tall receivers. Andy Reid was out to play small ball. It’s no wonder his teams kept coming up small in big situations. Chip Kelly values size anywhere he can get it. Who would have thought that bigger men can beat up smaller men?

Unlike many other Eagles receivers, Ifeanya Momah knows how to use his height to his advantage, jumping high over defenders with ease. Though he has more than size, he reportedly ran a 4.5 second 40 yard dash at the BC Pro Day. The Eagles have gone after tall receivers before, but 6′-2″ or 6′-3″ is nothing compared to the massive 6′-7″ frame of our latest signing. Even Randy Moss is only 6′-4″. Calvin Johnson is only 6′-5″.

I’m not saying this makes Momah in any way better than Megatron, but it does help put things in perspective. He’s two inches closer to any high pass than the best receiver in the game and the way I see it that means the ball can be thrown higher and further away from defenders, in this game of inches that could mean more catches, more first downs, more touchdowns, and more wins. If Chip Kelly analyzes everything it’s likely this is his exact rationale. Does it really matter if you have a 6′-3″ corner if he is facing a 6′-7″ monster receiver?

We haven’t even talked about Momah’s weight yet, he is 239lbs. Calvin Johnson weights 236lbs. They are at least comparable. Hard to imagine a guy with that much height, weight, and speed not being a force with the ball in the air.

Now as far as vertical jump is concerned, Calvin Johnson has a vertical leap of 43 inches and for the life of me I can’t find what Momah’s vertical leap was measured at, but seeing how similar his frame is to Megatron’s it’s likely his vertical leap is similar or just under Megatron’s. Who knows, perhaps the Eagles just signed Optimus Prime? Time will tell how Momah develops, but he has all the measurables to be as good as or even possibly better than Megatron if all the stars align.

With all that being said, let’s see if he can make the team before we crown him king of the jump ball.

The news isn’t all good however, the only reason Momah was available to sign immediately is because he isn’t technically a rookie. He was a senior in 2011 and tore his acl in the home opener that season and missed the entire 2012 season rehabbing his knee. So he worked out for some scouts at the BC Pro Day and wowed everyone. He hasn’t played in two years and has never played a snap in any kind of NFL action. So he is essentially a rookie.

It’s hard to imagine him making this team outright, but if he can pick up the offense and be even slightly capable at wide receiver he would be a huge upgrade over Riley Cooper, and I dare you to argue with that.

Howie Roseman was “intrigued” by Momah and said that signing him essentially gives the Eagles an extra draft pick. The Eagles will be able to put Momah in the offseason training program and I believe will get to see him in a voluntary OTA before the draft, so they should have a good idea going into the draft if they need to look at other receivers.

Chip Kelly loves athletic freaks and if he continues to stock pile players with great size and speed this team could be very formidable indeed.

What do you think of this latest Eagles signing? Would you prefer to keep Momah over Cooper? Of course you would.

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Arrelious Benn now on Eagles

The Eagles have acquired wide receiver Arrelious Benn and a seventh-round pick from the Bucs in exchange for the Eagles sixth-round pick and a conditional pick in 2014.

Benn (6-2, 220) was originally a second-round pick out of Illinois in 2010. In three NFL seasons he has 59 catches for 862 yards and five touchdowns. Benn also got a 15 carries for 44 yards. Chip Kelly likes versatility so it’s no wonder why the Eagles traded for Benn. Arrelious brings the Eagles a big body receiver they needed in the worst way. He is only 6-2 so don’t expect him to play like he’s 6-5, but every little bit helps.

Benn does have a pretty big injury history, torn ACL in 2011, sprained MCL in 2012. These aren’t the kind of injury issues you want recurring in a skill position player or any player for that matter.

Benn only played eight games last year before getting put on injured reserve, but Benn’s most productive season was 2011 when he caught 30 passes for 441 yards and three touchdowns.

Benn does have an issue with drops, which will have to get ironed out if the Eagles ever hope to depend on him. Benn dropped eight of 38 catchable balls in 2011, which was the second-worst drop rate in the NFL.

Benn is only 24 and has a previous history of success. He was a 5-star recruit coming out of high school, which lead to a very successful career at Illinois. As a sophomore, he caught 67 balls for 1,055 yards and three touchdowns; as well as 101 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

What makes Benn really intriguing is his red-zone ability. Benn has nine catches for 66 yards and three touchdowns inside the opponents’ 20; which is more promising than anything Riley Cooper could hope for.

But if there was one element of Benn’s game that really got Chip Kelly’s attention it was Benn’s blocking ability. Chip Kelly wants receivers who are willing to finish blocks because that really contributes to the outside running game.

There is no telling yet how the acquisition of Arrelious Benn will affect other Eagle receivers. Most people seem to think it spells the end for Jason Avant who may not be a perfect fit for the prototypical Chip Kelly receiver. Benn does have experience playing in the slot WR position, which is probably enough reason to send Avant packing.

Benn also has significant special-teams ability. He is a capable tackler in open space and also returned kicks last year. This jack of all trades fits like a glove on Chip Kelly’s team. Hopefully Benn can return to form after becoming an afterthought in the Bucs offense with the emergence of Mike Williams and the signing of Vincent Jackson. The Eagles need better play from their receivers especially in the redzone. Arrelious Benn may be a step in that direction. Hopefully there are more big body receivers to come.

What do you think of the Eagles trade for Arrelious Benn? Does this mean Avant won’t be an Eagle for much longer?

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I can’t say I love the idea of the Eagles taking Geno Smith #4 overall, but we really need to prepare for the reality that Chip Kelly might just draft him there. Geno may be the definition of a boom or bust prospect. He has a lot of upside, but what makes Geno really intriguing is his intangibles. He is very skilled at operating an up tempo offense and reading defenses pre-snap to determine the correct play.

Forget what you think Chip Kelly’s NFL offense will look like, we know nothing more than Chip will run an efficient, versatile, run-oriented, up tempo offense that could thrive with a QB who could read defenses well. Kelly will most likely implement zone read looks into his offense, but will have to be a tad more conservative in the NFL. Geno Smith is capable of running the zone read in a limited capacity, well enough for a half dozen plays a game any way.

Geno is more athletic than people give him credit for. He actually has above average accuracy and at times can put the ball exactly where it needs to be. He can easily throw an accurate deep ball, but his pocket presence is what makes him a very promising young QB. He can feel pressure all around the pocket and adjust accordingly. Time and time again Geno will step up in the pocket to avoid pressure.

This is the case for Geno Smith in Philadelphia. I’m obviously looking at this as a glass half full situation. Best case scenario Geno’s chance of success in the NFL is still 50-50 and when you get right down to it that’s not much better than many draft prospects’ chances. This is only a problem because players picked in the top five are pretty often sure things.

I’d like to believe that a QB who has enough intangibles drafted into a decent situation with a decent surrounding cast will flourish most of the time. If Chip Kelly really believes that Geno is the perfect fit for his system and they could grow together as coach and quarterback, this could really be a match for the ages. If Chip Kelly believes Geno is his guy I can’t disagree with him.

I would actually be grateful to potentially have the QB problem solved so early in this Chip Kelly experiment. In a perfect world Chip would spend his first season grooming his franchise quarterback. Isn’t it counter-productive to install a system in year one, draft the quarterback in year two then spend all of year two breaking in the new QB, so by the time the crucial year three roles around maybe the new QB will feel comfortable and hopefully won’t have a sophomore slump? Now if that new QB is Johnny Manziel it might be worth dealing with, but you’re not guaranteed to get him.

I’m still inclined to believe that Chip Kelly has unexpected success in year one thanks to the lack of relevant game film on what he will do. So he couldn’t easily draft Manziel who likely goes in the top three picks of 2014. By the time year three comes, Chip Kelly’s Eagles need to be knocking on the playoff door with ease, and that means he really needs his future QB right now.

The point is that the argument for waiting until next year to draft a QB is in many ways valid, but it could seriously slow down the progress of Chip Kelly in the NFL. Of course if Geno turns into a bust it could ultimately halt Kelly’s progress in the NFL altogether. In the end, it all comes down to a 50-50 choice. Who is to say what the right thing to do is. The more I think about it, the more I want to put my faith in Kelly. I want him to draft Geno Smith so I can see what Kelly can do with him. Chip Kelly is a very good coach, just imagine the football knowledge he could pump into this kid’s already well rounded intellectual head. It could be a perfect marriage.

Of course if Kelly is so gifted he could do that with any QB, even EJ Manuel (who I still think goes in the top 20 picks). Maybe Arizona QB Matt Scott drafted in the 2^nd or 3^rd round is good enough to take the torch, but I’m inclined to think it’s this mentality of putting all your chips on 2^nd tier QBs that ultimately makes teams fail. If Chip Kelly could put his knowledge into a QB that is physically gifted enough, there is much less chance of failure.

How often do you get a top 5 pick? How often will you have a chance to easily draft a potential franchise quarterback? Geno Smith is clearly not the best player available at #4 overall, but he just may be the best available quarterback and even if you don’t like the price do you really want to put all your chips on a QB picked in the 3^rd round?

As positive as I would love to be about the potential drafting of Geno Smith, no piece of evidence is more damning for the potential success of Geno Smith than Andy Reid going out of his way to avoid drafting him by trading for Alex Smith in Kansas City. Say what you want about Andy Reid he knows a good quarterback when he sees one. As far as I’m concerned that’s all he was ever qualified to judge anyway. Reid may just feel pressure to win now, so he can’t put the time in to develop a young QB.

I have to believe anyone who chooses Alex Smith over a young talented QB does so begrudgingly; because the idea that a 29 year old game manager with no deep ball is a safer bet than a young talented QB with many intangibles just doesn’t make sense. That choice seems so cosmically ominous I almost hate to draft Geno now. Of course if there is any coach’s opinion that really matters here it isn’t Andy Reid’s opinion it’s Chip Kelly’s opinion and if Kelly believes Geno is the guy we have to take him.

Do you think Geno Smith can succeed in the NFL with Chip Kelly backing him? Do you think they could be a match for the ages? Is it really worth waiting a whole year to potentially get a better quarterback and delay the potential success even longer?

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Connor Barwin, Kenny Phillips, and Cary Williams are now Eagles

After a full day of no activity the Eagles shocked everyone by actually signing some more players. I can’t say this group of players wet my appetite much more than the first group did, but this is a step in the right direction I guess. I will discuss these three signings in order of my excitement about each of them.

Connor Barwin – 6′-4″, 268 — (Age 26) Formerly on Texans.

Connor Barwin was the last signing of the day and possibly the only reason I’m not a ranting lunatic at this moment. Barwin will have an immediate impact on the Linebacking core particularly on the outside, most likely SAM, although there is a chance he could play in the predator role. I was initially stoked about this signing until I realized that it was very damning for the chances that Dion Jordan would be selected by the Eagles. It’s still possible because you can never have enough good players; however, there are still bigger team needs such as OT, CB, and QB.

The Eagles currently have a surplus of abandoned 4-3 DEs who are desperately hoping to find roles on a defense that has no place for them, so Dion Jordan could be considered excessive after all these DEs are politely stuck into 3-4 OLB roles. Connor was signed to a 6 year deal worth $36 million with only $8 million guaranteed. Connor is only 26 years old and is a very promising signing, possibly the most impactful signing made in free agency so far.

Cary Williams – 6′-1″, 190 — (Age 28) Formerly on Ravens.

The Eagles signing of Cary Williams feels like a conciliation prize. It’s as if Howie Roseman is saying, well I could have gotten someone better, but I didn’t, so here you go. Cary is a very physical corner, sometimes too physical. He is something of a hot head and prone to start fights, even with referees. I’m all for toughness as long as you can back it up, but I can’t imagine how Chip Kelly feels this guy somehow fits into the high character culture he wants to develop. Don’t get me wrong, I think this team has over valued character the last few years and missed out on some very talented players that went on to be ill-tempered law abiding citizens. So it’s good to see them set that aside to get a player they apparently think very highly of, it just seems odd given what Chip Kelly just said about character being most important.

It is still very likely that the Eagles acquire another capable cornerback, but I’m inclined to believe they think Fletcher is going to be their other starting CB. So we now have two cornerbacks with a lot of upside and… nothing else. I do find the signing mildly intriguing. The idea that the secondary will be tougher overall and better than the hot garbage they had starting last year is a very pleasing notion, but I’ll believe it when I see it. I have been sold defensive BS every season for at least the last three years. I have heard countless times about how good the players they had would be and I have yet to see consistent quality play from almost any position on defense for years now. They can go on and on about how good they feel about their signings, but I won’t believe it until they do it on Sunday.

Cary was signed to a 3 year deal, $17 million with $10.5 guaranteed. Williams was a 7th round pick in 2008, but really only started playing much in 2011. He didn’t miss a game in the last two seasons so injuries shouldn’t be a big concern.

Kenny Phillips – 6′-2″, 217 — (Age 26) Formerly on Giants.

Kenny Phillips is the gem of day three. This is Howie’s solution for the safety position. An injury plagued safety that may have degenerative knee problems. There is a lot of talk that Phillips is on the verge of early injury-related retirement. Just the guy we need back there. Why not just bring back Marlin Jackson while we’re at it?

This year’s draft is supposedly loaded with talented safeties so even if Phillips did get hurt it may not be all that significant for a rebuilding team with young talent. There is a decent chance that Phillips won’t even make the final 53 man roster. The Eagles only gave him a 1 year deal; you get the impression that was the best thing he could get.

When healthy Phillips is a very promising young player, but it’s getting him to stay healthy that is nearly impossible. It’s a low risk/high reward kind of signing, but knowing the Eagles luck with this kind of thing, it’s not going to work out. What? He’s struggled to contribute consistently for years, but now that he has a green jersey he’s suddenly going to be solid? There were better safeties out there to sign, but Howie wanted to go into the draft with as many holes as possible to fill.

Conclusion

Connor was a very good signing, not so sure about the other two. I’m willing to let them prove it on the field, but as I look right now I’m not that impressed with what the Eagles have done in free agency. It could work out very well or it could be only a little better than it was last year and right now it feels like it’s only going to be a little better. We’ll see what comes from the rest of free agency, but at this point they’re going to have to land some kick ass players in the draft. That’s Howie’s new favorite place to collect talent, let’s see if he can put his money where his mouth is.

What do you think of the latest Eagles Signings? Will there be anymore or is this it until the draft?

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Bradley Fletcher and Patrick Chung headline newest Eagle Defenders

Well the first day of Offseason Christmas came and went. Though many teams got a lot of great gifts I can’t help feeling like Santa skipped Philadelphia entirely. This is what we all should have expected. The Eagles are going to do things the right way. There is no attainable Super Bowl run in the near future, so there is no reason to collect too many high priced players that satisfy immediate needs.

I can really understand the direction Howie Roseman is trying to go, but I can’t say that it is a terribly exciting direction. The Eagles spent the entire first day of free agency doing absolutely nothing. Maybe it just feels like that because I had to wait until 4pm only to wait a few more hours, only to be rewarded with a few adequate signings that have a chance to be solid role players. No big names, no real excitement, just ho hum collecting of okay players with some upside.

I’m sure I will grow to like these players in time, but to me, this slow approach from Howie Roseman speaks less about doing things the right way and more about being afraid to do them the wrong way, again. 

I know only one day has passed and Roseman may just be letting the market settle before going after a couple key role players who may now know what their actual market value is. I really hope that is the case, because Howie Roseman has never struck me as anything less than aggressive. There are still good players out there and the Eagles can’t just avoid signing them because they want to build through the draft. If the Eagles just sit on their hands and let all the good players go elsewhere because they are afraid of accidentally creating another “Dream Team” persona they are hurting their team.

Who is to say that any player you draft won’t be a bust? At least through free agency you have a very good idea the kind of player you’re getting, because you’ve seen them against NFL level competition. Did the Nnamdi-experiment scare everyone away from signing meaningful players?

Everyone has this perception that the teams that win Super Bowls aren’t the teams that go heavy into free agency, which is true, but when you get right down to it, talent is talent. The Eagles have very little talent, especially on defense. Now that the entire team is starting over with a new coach and new culture, it means that this experience will be new for everyone on the team. So how much does it really matter that you’ve collected these players through the draft or through free agency? Don’t get me wrong, in a few years you would prefer to rely more on the draft, but at this point it makes no difference. Why not build a kick ass foundation of players now, instill your culture into them and the new rookies and win some games while you’re at it? If there was ever a time to make your mark in free agency it is right now. Lay a solid foundation of proven veterans to mentor the future superstars of your franchise.

I’m not saying that the Eagles need to sign five pro-bowl players, but two or three wouldn’t be that bad, hell I’d even settle for one very good starter. I’m not saying it has to break the bank either, because the Eagles do have quite a few needs. If Howie Roseman can’t get me one new player to be legitimately excited about I’m afraid my brain will eat itself long before the NFL Draft can get here. At this point I really hope it’s someone like Laron Landry, any kind of more significant upgrade in the secondary would be great.

Here is a list of today’s free agent signings:

CB Bradley Fletcher – 6′-0″, 200 — (Age 26) Formerly on Rams. He apparently has the best pure coverage skills of any corner available in free agency.  He will most likely be one of the starting CBs, even though he was the 3^rd CB on the Rams last year. If Chip and Howie think he’s good enough, it may very well be a step in the right, more humble, direction.

TE/HB James Casey – 6′-3″, 240 — (Age 28) Formerly on Texans. He’s a very versatile player that enables Chip Kelly to do more from different offensive looks. This is in many ways the most interesting signing so far, probably because it’s the only offensive signing and that is where Chip Kelly makes his fame. The first new player Kelly plugs into his offense is one he can use in many different ways, to me that spells a long marriage between Kelly and Casey.

S Patrick Chung – 5′-11″, 210 — (Age 26) Formerly on Patriots. Chung played for Chip Kelly a couple years ago at Oregon and is obviously a player Kelly felt comfortable with. Chung could be either FS or SS for Eagles, I have a feeling he’ll end up being FS, especially if Eagles end up getting someone like Laron Landry to play alongside him. Nothing is certain yet. Chung is a quality player with a lot of upside, but it’s not quite enough to get me all that excited, at least not yet.

NT Isaac Sopoaga – 6′-2″, 330 — (Age 31) Formerly on 49ers. Sopoaga is the veteran NT the Eagles needed and will play a great role in stopping the run and eating up blocks, which will also make the linebackers more effective in space.

LB Jason Phillips – 6′-1″, 249 — (Age 27) Formerly on Panthers. Phillips is a good Special Teams player and backup ILB.  Nothing more, nothing less.

As disappointing as this day was for many Eagles fans, including myself, we really need to realize just how many available free agents are still out there, especially in the secondary. Take a look for yourself:

http://espn.go.com/nfl/freeagency/?year=2013&position=35

But I doubt most of these guys stay available through the weekend, let alone through tomorrow. Better get off your ass Howie. Talent is talent and we have none. Get it going.

What do you think of the Eagles signings from the first day of free agency? Who do you want next?

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NFL Free Agency Kicks Off Today at 4PM ET.

The long awaited day is finally here. Offseason Christmas is upon us. After a very long month of waiting, we are going to be rewarded with some kind of Eagles-Related news. The Eagles will have no more reason to play coy anymore, if there are players out there that they want, they are gonna have to pounce on them. This is what makes the start of free agency so exciting.

Word came out on the eve of free agency that the Eagles had interest in both SS Laron Landry and FS Dashon Goldson, which is great news for Eagles fans because it shows the Eagles are aware that they need help at both safety spots. As much as I would love the Eagles to sign both of these guys wield an extremely vicious safety core it just won’t happen. The will most likely only sign one and it is likely to be the SS Laron Landry. The Eagles need to be sure that they don’t go overboard this time around.

The Dream Team spending spree of a few years back has left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth toward free agency. To an extent that distaste also struck the Eagles last year, who I believe did very little in free agency other than trade for Demeco Ryans. This offseason is very different, because the Eagles are starting over, they have to so many holes to fill they can’t possibly hope to fill them all through the draft, so they will need to sign at least 3-4 new starters via free agency.

The last thing I want is the Eagles to go overboard and sign a ton of free agents that they really don’t need. In 2011, after landing Nnamdi, Jenkins, and Evan Mathis in free agency, I felt the Eagles had made some significant upgrades that would help the team, but the problem is that Howie couldn’t stop there. Vince Young, Steve Smith, and Ronnie Brown were soon brought in and did all they could to destroy what continuity the offense previously had.

That situation was a disaster because they were trying to fit a ton of new guys into an existing scheme and culture during a shortened offseason. They were never going to jell that way and they never did. However this situation is different, because the team is starting over, what difference does it make if you bring in a small bunch of new guys and plug them into a system that is still being developed? They’ll be in the same boat as all the current Eagle players, and they will grow and jell together as they go along.

If there was an offseason where you really wanted to make a splash and lay a foundation for the team you hope to build, it is this year. The Eagles will make some key moves, most likely just two very good starters and two underrated signings and that is good enough for me after starving in this offseason dessert for so long.

Don’t expect them to do too much through free agency, they won’t sign 10 starting caliber players today, if they manage to land a quality safety like Laron Landry, I’ll be pretty happy with the direction this team is going.

Who do you want the Eagles to sign? How sick would it be if they could sign both Landry and Goldson?

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The Eagles conducted a private workout with West Virginia QB Geno Smith on the eve of NFL free agency. The Eagles currently hold the #4 overall pick and may just be doing their due diligence by getting a closer look at Geno. Chip Kelly and Howie Roseman obviously wanted to confirm what they saw or didn’t see while watching Geno’s film.

Ordinarily, I would say that you shouldn’t read too much into this workout, however, this workout was also attended by team owner Jeffrey Lurie. This is where the situation gets very interesting. Why in the hell would Lurie go along? Maybe he just wants to be more involved in the draft process this time around. If word comes out that Lurie goes to see every last big-time prospect in person from now on, then there is nothing special about his presence at Geno’s workout, but if he doesn’t attend other workouts, this event could be significant. Lurie could want a closer look at his potential franchise quarterback.

You have to ask why everyone had previously written off Geno Smith to the Eagles at #4. He does have some accuracy concerns, which can be cleaned up, but consistent accuracy should be a given for a quarterback picked in the top five. Geno Smith isn’t a dumb person; he can read defenses well, has a big arm, and is a very capable athlete, although he is no RG3. Most people use this comparison with RG3 as a reason that Geno Smith could never run the read-option offense. But after Geno Smith’s surprising 4.59 second 40 yard dash at the NFL Combine, people are beginning to rethink Geno’s athleticism.

I would agree that Geno Smith’s overall athleticism doesn’t seem to have enough upside to justify drafting him into a read-option offense, especially at the 4th overall pick. This is assuming that Kelly will use elements of his old offense in the NFL. I still think it’s likely that Kelly and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur create an offense the NFL hasn’t seen before, at least certain elements of the offense. If Chip Kelly just needs a smart QB who can read defenses in a way similar to Peyton Manning, then use that reading ability to deploy a deadly up-tempo offense, then Geno Smith might not be such a bad fit.

We really know nothing about what kind of offense Chip Kelly wants to run, everyone has just decided that it will be the read-option because Kelly is stockpiling mobile quarterbacks. If the offense will be run focused, but not necessarily QB run focused, Geno Smith could have a decent amount of success and stay healthy along the way.

If Geno Smith is the pick, we really have to justify why Michael Vick was kept around. Perhaps Kelly just needs a tackling dummy (sorry Vick) to work out the kinks in his offense before putting his future QB in harm’s way. After Vick gets hurt between week 8-12, Geno Smith could get stuck in after having half a season to get his feet wet. I have to admit the idea is intriguing, but I would still rather draft Dion Jordan at #4, throw Vick and Dixon into the fire for one year and draft the real QB successor in next year’s better QB Draft. If we’re all going to admit that Chip Kelly’s first year is a write-off anyway, why not wait on the QB and focus on other more promising positions in the draft.

There really isn’t much reason to keep Vick around if you are gonna take a QB that high in the draft, because in today’s NFL your QB doesn’t get much better holding a clipboard, he needs to be under fire, adjusting to the speed of the game. Kevin Kolb held a clipboard for years and it didn’t help one bit. By the time Kolb got the job he still looked like a rookie.

If the Eagles draft Geno, I’ll probably be excited, but I just don’t think he has enough upside to justify such a high pick. Although with Chip Kelly at the helm, he could probably turn any capable quarterback into a gunslinger. Here’s hoping.

What do you think about the Eagles interested in Geno Smith? Could Chip Kelly’s new offense thrive with Geno under center? Why bring back Michael Vick, if Geno was going to be the drafted?

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Brent Grimes, Laron Landry, Sean Smith, Ed Reed

Free Agent Veteran DBs are plentiful this year.

Here is my quick list of potential Eagles targets via Free Agency.

Many of these available free agents have either injury, off-the-field, or on-the-field concerns. They wouldn’t be free agents if they were flawless. If these players could return to form in a season or two they would be well worth the investment. You never know if you don’t try, a one year deal may be just what the doctor ordered.

If the Eagles are looking to rebuild their entire secondary, they could easily find four starters via free agency that are better than the crap they put on the field last season. I would be okay with acquiring two starters via free agency and two from the draft, but whoever the Eagles want to put on the field better be starting caliber or knocking on the door of that caliber. There is no reason the Eagles can’t find at least decent talent in the secondary before next season.

Cornerback

When healthy Brent Grimes is a very good cornerback, unfortunately he is coming of an ACL injury. With the Falcons also losing Dunta Robinson, Brent Grimes would likely be in high demand in Atlanta. If he can sneak out of Atlanta he is well worth a look in Philadelphia.

Chris Gamble is also coming off an ACL injury. It is just really unfortunate because no player is more in need of a strong ACL than an NFL cornerback, constantly changing directions. If the Eagles feel the injury won’t hinder him going forward Gamble also deserves a look.

Aqib Talib is a very capable corner, but his off the field concerns are a concern. The Eagles tend to avoid players like that, but the coming of Chip Kelly may change that. Kelly craves talent, and great talent is always in short supply.

Sean Smith is the only corner that has been directly linked to the Eagles through multiple reports. He is very tall and athletic cornerback, but he has become known as a liability in coverage. Kelly treasures height in his players. You can’t train a player to be tall, if Kelly feels he can get anything out of him, he is worth it at the right price.

Safety

Dashon Goldson is everybody’s favorite available safety and will most likely go to a bad team for too much money and will fall into obscurity for a decent paycheck he really doesn’t need to earn. Assuming Howie Roseman could swoop in and convince him otherwise, he would be a very solid signing for the Eagles.

Glover Quin is only 27 years old and is a very capable up and coming safety who is right in the prime of his career. Quin is the most realistic safety option for the Eagles.

Laron Landry is now considered a safe signing after formally being considered injury-prone, Landry completed a 16 game season and wasn’t completely terrible during those 16 games either. I would be very happy if the Eagles signed Landry, who brings a very physical presence to any defensive backfield. He can be considered a liability in coverage because he is more of an in the box safety most helpful in run support. Well, if we’re going to have a player on the defense with the Kurt Coleman mindset it wouldn’t be the worst thing if he was better than Kurt Coleman.

Kenny Phillips is very injury prone, not sure I like the idea of signing him, but when healthy he is an okay option at safety.

I also like the idea of signing someone like Ed Reed for one to two year deal to bring new leadership to the defense, if for no other reason than to show young guys how to play and bring a little play making ability with him.

There has been talk that the Eagles may pursue a trade with the Jets for all star, pro-bowl, just injured, heavy priced, apparently underpaid cornerback Darrelle Revis.

In a perfect world I would jump at the chance to land Darrelle Revis, especially after Nnamdi Asomugha turned out to be possibly worse than Dimitri Patterson, the worthless cornerback he was replacing, but this isn’t a perfect world and even if Revis was perfectly healed from his ACL injury, he would still be a financial headache. Even if his ACL is passable, odds are his hamstring will hurt every other game and he’ll still demand a pay raise every offseason. This is a headache that the Eagles should avoid. If Howie Roseman learned anything from his Dream Team shopping spree it is that you shouldn’t overspend for big names.

The Eagles should sign reasonable, possibly underrated, free agent cornerbacks or just draft capable rookies and build from within, but bringing in too many big names may not build long term success.

This isn’t to say that Darrelle Revis wouldn’t be a significant upgrade over the Eagles current secondary and may even aid the signing of worthy free agents such as Laron Landry who just spent a season with Revis in New York. But this can not become “Dream Team #2″ It won’t end well. The Eagles have more than enough cap space to afford Revis though, especially if Nnamdi gets cut.

If Revis is going to come here, the Eagles better not give up to much to acquire him. No more than a 2nd or 3rd round pick and toss in Nick Foles to sweeten the deal. How odd would it be if the Eagles kept Nnamdi and had apparently the two best corners in the league as voted two years ago? That idea is intriguing, but only as long as you don’t think about it. The secondary would be overpriced, uncapable, and injury-plagued and that isn’t even counting whatever they do at safety.

The Eagles like making a splash, I just hope they don’t dive too deep and drown everyone involved, you know… again.

Howie and Dave sat down to talk about their excitement for the Chip Kelly hire, but all they could do was bounce enthusiastically.

This is one of Howie’s power moves.

Here is Dave giving an in depth opinion.

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