Eagles free agency primer

By John McMullen

The NFL's free agency period opens on Friday and figures to be rather uneventful for a Philadelphia Eagles team still caught up in protecting Donovan McNabb on one front and Andy Reid's family travails on another.

With a less than stellar class on the market and a lack of salary-cap room -- nearly two-thirds of the other NFL teams have more cap room than the Birds -- expecting a big splash is unrealistic.

Here's The Phanatic's position-by-position analysis of the Eagles entering the free agency period:

Quarterback: The decision here has already been made. The Eagles extended A.J. Feeley and, in doing so, waived goodbye to one of the league's best backups in Jeff Garcia. None of this will matter if McNabb can recover from his ACL injury and play the entire season. But, if the Eagles are forced to play Feeley, this move will be put under the microscope and rightfully so. You can't put much stock in Garcia's recent 'money is not an issue' comments but if the Birds could have gotten a hometown discount, they should have explored every avenue. Feeley already flamed out in Miami and San Diego and is nowhere near the player Garcia is. Look for the Eagles to add a third QB on the second day of the draft.

Running back: Despite persistent questions regarding durability, Brian Westbrook finally proved he could carry the load and be the focal point of the Eagles offense. While clueless observers asked McNabb or Garcia? -- astute fans knew the real question should have been McNabb or Westbrook? Even with the success of similar sized backs like Tiki Barber and Warrick Dunn, the Eagles never gave Westbrook a chance to be the focal point thanks to Reid's obsession with the pass. But, without McNabb, Reid had to temper his game plans and put the focus on Westbrook and things worked beautifully. Hopefully, Big Red recognized that and will keep some balance in the offense with DMac back in the huddle. Correll Buckhalter actually stayed healthy and did a solid job as the No. 2 back but he is a free agent and has a history of severe knee problems. The Eagles will likely let Buckhalter walk and look to replace him with a more reliable option. Fans might salivate at “big backs” like T.J. Duckett and Ron Dayne but those players are way too one-dimensional for an Andy Reid offense. Miami's Sammy Morris has shown flashes and may be on the radar.

Wide receiver: Fans and media alike developed quite the man crush on Donte Stallworth last season but you can't question the Eagles' reluctance to get in a bidding war for a guy who was nicknamed "Street Clothes" by the New Orleans media. Stallworth did little to change his reputation in Philly last season. No one questions his ability but you can't pay a guy like a No. 1 receiver if he is going to miss games on a consistent basis.Philadelphia would love to have Stallworth back at a fair price but when the top guys on the market are guys like Drew Bennett and Kevin Curtis, you can bet a desperate team will overpay to get its hands on Stallworth. The Eagles have gone out of their way to talk up Hank Baskett and Jason Avant opposite Reggie Brown but they are not the answers. A second-tier signing with some upside, say Cincinnati’s Kelley Washington, may be the way to go.

Tight end: It's time to admit L.J. Smith is what he is. An average blocker who is a solid receiving threat that will always drop a few more than you would like. Since Smith is a free agent after next season, some have speculated the Eagles may be looking for a replacement. New England’s Daniel Graham is the class of free agency and is an excellent all-around tight end but will be too pricy. Jerramy Stevens of the Seattle Seahawks is too similar to Smith.

Offensive line. The offensive line played great for the Eagles down the stretch but is a little overrated in this town. Jon Runyan and William Thomas are both aging on the outside and Jamaal Jackson and Todd Herremans are a tad overvalued in the interior. While, the Eagles have reinforcements on hand with nice pedigrees in second-year players Winston Justice and Max Jean-Gilles, they didn’t get on the field last season and there is no guarantee they will be able to step in if needed. A veteran swingman with the ability to play multiple positions would be a nice fit here.

Defensive line. The Eagles have too much invested in defensive tackles Mike Patterson and Brodrick Bunkley to look for an answer outside the organization. Darwin Walker, Sam Rayburn and LaJuan Ramsey are also scheduled to return so the team has enough bodies in the middle. What they are missing is a big run-stuffing tackle in the mold of a Pat Williams but those don’t exactly grow on trees. It also appears that the Eagles are happy with their defensive end rotation. They will re-sign Juqua Thomas to be a member of a four-man rotation that will include Trent Cole, Darren Howard and a returning Jevon Kearse. The key here is the health of Kearse and Howard. Cole is an excellent situational player but gets exposed with too many snaps and Thomas looks like he is cut from the same cloth.

Linebacker. This is the Eagles biggest weakness and needs to be addressed. There has been some talk of Jeremiah Trotter and his balky knees calling it a career but with little available on the free agency front, I’m betting the Eagles do everything possible to get him back for another season. As for the outside, understand this defense is not designed for the will or sam linebackers to be “playmakers” so you can forget the dreams of an Adalius Thomas coming in and getting double-digit sacks. The Birds need well-rounded linebackers that can do all three things (stuff the run, cover and blitz). They think they found one in Omar Gaither but the jury is still out there. The other side is a mess and needs to be addressed but pickings are slim in free agency. Cato June of the Indianapolis Colts is the type of player the Eagles might covet but the price tag is often too high on players coming off a Super Bowl win. Thomas is just not a good fit and nothing else worth mentioning is on the market yet.

Secondary. The Eagles need to alleviate some serious depth problems since they are expecting to lose safety Michael Lewis and cornerback Rod Hood. They did ink special teams standout Quintin Mikell to a four-year deal earlier this week and will try and bring back Will James as the nickel corner. Ken Hamlin is the top safety on the market and would be a big upgrade over Sean Considine but the Eagles will likely look to the draft to find reinforcements.

Special Teams: David Akers is as good as it gets but the Birds can't keep bringing Koy Detmer back to make him feel good. Dirk Johnson never regained his past form after a sports hernia problem and had a so-so year at punter so the Eagles brought in Australian Rules football player Saverio Rocca as competition.

-You can reach John McMullen at jmcmullen@phanaticmag.com