Top 10 Moves the Eagles Didn’t Make This Offseason
Heading into the offseason there was plenty of speculation as to what the Eagles‘ brain trust would do to improve the roster. Now that the smoke has cleared, it’s safe to say that adding Jason Peters, Jeremy Maclin and even Leonard Weaver would be classified as surprises.
We know what they did do, but what about what they didn’t do? Here is my list of the Top 10 moves not made by the Front Office:
10) Not re-signing Tra Thomas – I thought Tra had one serviceable season left, but Reid and Co. didn’t see it that way. They waved goodbye to Tra and expressed the utmost confidence in replacing him. I still wonder how all this would have played out if they weren’t able to acquire Peters. Trade up in the first round? Roll with either Todd or Shawn? Since they went after Peters hard, it appears they weren’t thrilled with the idea of using a player already on the roster to fill the void at left tackle.
9) Not pursuing Julius Peppers – Since Peppers still hasn’t signed his tender sheet (I think), this is a moot point. However, I wonder if the Birds would have tried to swing a trade if he was under contract? Probably not, but it would have been interesting to see.
8: Not adding another linebacker – My biggest concern about the 2009 team is the play of the linebackers. Stew is great, but the trio of Jordan, Gocong and Gaither scares me a little. Maybe it will all finally click for Gocong in his third year at SAM. I would have liked some competition added to the mix. The free agent market was thin at LB, but a high draft pick could have been an option. Obviously, the coaching staff is confident in what they have. I hope they are right.
7) Not signing TJ Houshmandzadeh – I am still a Housh fan, but the more I thought about what he would bring to the table as an Eagle, the more I realized signing him would have been a mistake. He’s an excellent inside possession receiver, but the combo of Avant, Celek and Ingram should be plenty between the hashes.
6) Not signing a veteran running back – I have zero problem with Shady as B-West’s backup, but who is the third runner? Booker? Eckel? Mendenhall? Someone else? I still wouldn’t be surprised if another player was brought aboard before the start of training camp.
5) Not drafting a pure safety – “Macho” Harris might become a safety, if he makes the team. However, inking Sean Jones and Rashad Baker to one-year deals means there will still be a depth issue in 2010. Maybe Reshard Langford is the answer, or maybe Jones gets a long-term deal. But if Demps and Mikell are the starters, it seems unlikely Jones would stick around to be a second-stringer.
4) Not re-working McNabb’s contract – This could still happen at some point or not at all. Is McNabb the future beyond 2010? This is a mystery yet to be solved. A tough decision awaits Banner and Reid.
3) Not drafting Donald Brown or Chris Wells – Instead of climbing up two spots to add JMac, they could have gone running back at 21. Both Brown and Wells were available. Wells was never coming to Philly, but Brown seemed like a good fit for the West Coast scheme. Again, I like Shady a lot, but if Brown ends up having a better start to his career than McCoy, the second-guessers will start chirping.
2) Not trading for Anquan Boldin – Apparently, they made an attempt. I still don’t believe the Cardinals had or have any intention of dealing their perturbed playmaker. Boldin has out-priced himself. It seems even Drew Rosenhaus feels that way.
2a) Not trading for Tony Gonzalez – (An addendum to the list, thanks to bje79 on Twitter.) How the hell could I forget about Gonzo? I’m still scratching my head about not giving up a 2010 second-round pick to acquire his services. Celek, Gonzo and Ingram would have made for the deadliest trio of tight ends in the NFL.
1) Not re-signing Brian Dawkins – What else would be number one? Dawkins was a spirited leader who will be missed. It was his decision to leave for Denver. With the money they offered, I don’t blame him one bit. Lest we forget though, the Eagles did try to keep him. He wanted more, so he took the cash and bolted. For the long term, the front office made the absolute right call. As far as the 2009 season is concerned, this move will be heavily scrutinized once the games are played.
Did I miss any? If so, let me know.