The Plot Thickens

By Steve Lienert
The Phanatic Magazine

As the time to place the franchise tag on a player draws nigh, the NFL’s free-agency crop becomes thinner and what the Eagles may do becomes clearer.

At 3 p.m. today, which is the deadline for tagging players, the Carolina Panthers will have a deal in place to retain tackle Jordan Gross , which means they’ll probably slap defensive end Julius Peppers with the franchise tag. There’s still a chance the Eagles could land Peppers: He has a list of four teams that he’d liked to be traded to, and the Eagles are one of those four teams.

But it’s more likely that Peppers will remain a Panther, albeit a disgruntled one.

While we’re at it, I’d cross Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth off the wish list. Someone’s going to throw a ridiculous amount of money at him and the Eagles aren’t going to be that team.


They seem pretty happy with Mike Patterson and Brodrick Bunkley. Haynesworth would make an already stout defense significantly better, but the Eagles have bigger holes to fill at other positions.

The Eagles’ first order of business should be to take care of business in house. Look for the team to sign Tra Thomas and Brian Dawkins, although it could come after free agency starts on February 27th.

Considering the players available and the amount of cap room the Eagles have, February 27th could be an interesting day. Need somebody to replace running back Correll Buckhalter (if he doesn’t sign a new deal here)? Colts’ running back Dominic Rhodes would look pretty good in midnight green. How about adding another weapon for Donovan McNabb? Why, isn’t that Bengals’ receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh staring through the gates to the NovaCare Complex?

As far as the other tackle position, I’d look for some reshuffling to occur along the offensive line. Barring injury or mental breakdown, Shawn Andrews will be, more likely than not, the starting right tackle on Opening Day. Todd Herremans should be the left guard, with Nick Cole continuing to grow into a solid right guard. Let’s face it: the guy played well in place of Max Jean-Gilles, who may need some extra time to come back from that horrible ankle injury.

I’d look for the tight end position to be upgraded via the draft. The Eagles will also look there to add depth at running back, safety and offensive tackle.

The Eagles could look to make some additions via trade, which virtually never happened three years ago. Cardinals’ receiver Anquan Boldin is seemingly destined to play somewhere in the NFC East and three of the four teams on Peppers’ approved trade list reside in the division.

It’s a pivotal offseason for the Eagles, who were a team that teetered on the edge of not making the playoffs to reaching the cusp of the Super Bowl. Which way the team falls depends highly on the decisions they make in the next eight weeks.

Steve Lienert can be reached at stevelienert@hotmail.com.