Almost Time To Plug Some Holes

The Eagles ended the 2009 season with a few obvious lineup holes.

The Eagles don't like to go into the draft needing to plug holes.

Therefore, starting Friday, we should expect some action to address those issues.

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I don't, it should be stated right up front, have any top secret intel to offer about Julius Peppers.  Your guess is as good as mine.  (Or in the case of a couple of you, your guess is most likely somewhat better.)

I can see the argument both ways.  On the one hand, I don't think there's another guy out there that you could realistically bring in who would have a bigger impact on this team.  With Cole and Peppers flanking the QB, you're talking about match-up nightmares for opposing teams.

Heck, Peppers is such an amazing athlete, he might even be able to solve that little "we'll just throw WR screens to Asante Samuel's side all day" issue we had last year by leaping to the sideline in a single bound.

On the other hand, he's 30 years old, is inconsistently motivated, and you're talking about buckets trucks Todd-Herremans'-pimped-out-vans full of cash to bring him in.  So we'll see.

There aren't all that many other big-name, unrestricted free agents out there.  And the ones who are exciting may not be that great a fit.  We probably don't need to spend another $10 million on a cornerback, for example.  So the action is with 1) the RFAs and 2) the UFAs who aren't quite as exciting.

Positions of interest:

Center -- Tough one.  Counting on Jamaal Jackson to offer any contribution next year seems overly optimistic, but JJ's only turning 30 in May and there's not an obvious stud on the market to replace him.  The Eagles have plenty of backup plans at this position, so you're really only bringing in a guy if you think he's a better starting option that Nick Cole.  Kevin Mawae seems like a stretch, even before you consider how much of his attention is going to be diverted in other directions this year.

Right Guard -- Logan Mankins is the interesting guy.  The Pats don't make many mistakes, so we're not stealing him away, but he's definitely intriguing.  Too bad about the CBA issues making him an RFA.  After Mankins, Rob Sims is a pretty similar story.  You just have to wonder what the Eagles' Big Book of NFL Players says about these guys. 

Running Back -- We covered this one earlier in the week.  The Eagles don't have to do anything at this position before the draft.  This seems like a wait and see position.  If they do move quickly, though, it will tell us everything we need to know about how they see Shady McCoy.

Defensive Tackle -- I heep hearing noise about this position, but I'm honestly not sure what people want them to do.  They've got two very solid guys in the middle right now, it's just that neither one can rush the passer.  You can bring in a designated pass rusher, but really, they've already got those guys in Howard and Abiamiri.  If you're going to do anything here, it's probably going to involve moving Bunkley, who has kind of a weird contract situation and seems like he would be a very intriguing NT in a 3-4 system.  That would certainly be a "spend big money to make big money" move, though.

Defensive End -- Peppers or bust.  I like Kampman, but it seems like he's a "wait and see how the market develops" type of guy right now.  I don't think anyone's expecting outright collusion, but as others have said, teams are going to be budget conscious and after the first few big names, there may not be much activity for the mid-tier guys.  Then it could be bargain-hunting time.

Linebacker (MLBs too) -- I can't see the Eagles throwing big money at a free agent linebacker.  That just doesn't seem to fit their way of operating.  What I can see, though, is a concerted effort to bring in a guy who can actually cover people in nickel situations.  I'm sure such a player exists.  I also sort of want the Eagles to sign Antonio Pierce, just to watch Gabe's head explode.

Safety -- It's not too hard to imagine the Eagles' brain trust doing their year-end evaluations, getting to the safety position, then having someone at the table say, "Well, that didn't work," while everyone else nods his head.  This position is a mess.  Mikell had an off year and isn't getting any younger.  Jones was a washout.  Demps is a mystery.  Macho could be the future, but it's going to take some work.  I just don't know who you bring in.  The irony bomb might level the NovaCare complex if they go after Darren Sharper.

Cornerback -- What the Eagles really need at this position is a rookie nickelback they can groom to take Sheldon's job in a couple years.  That's going to have to come from the draft.  I liked Ellis Hobbs as a kick returner, but he doesn't seem like he should be more than a dime back at his actual position. 

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Sure glad we got that all cleared up.  Things feel so much more definitive now, don't they?

Last note:  Hopefully someone in the organization remembers to file all the RFA tenders tomorrow.  Growing list of leaguewide actions here.