Sorta Big News
Posted: July 26th, 2011 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 53 Comments »Jonathan Tamari just posted a report that the Eagles will let all of their FAs walk. He’s talking about Stewart Bradley, Quintin Mikell (no surprise), Sav Rocca, Jerome Harrison, Max Jean-Gilles, etc. Not shocking, but interesting that all these guys are headed elsewhere.
Doesn’t the fact they let guys like Bradley and Jordan (also Gaither and Sims, but..) go indicate they have their eye on at least one vet LB? I realize they brought in a bunch of young guys, but that seems a bit risky for a new defensive coordinator.
Could a Kolb trade involve a LB instead of a CB like everyone expected?
Bradley is the only one I feel real ambivalent about. I think he still could end up being a real good, maybe even pro bowl caliber guy once he’s all the way back. I kinda wonder about Sav Rocca too. I know he’s not a pro bowl guy but after his shaky start he’s been pretty good. Maybe it was the cold weather issues that are the problem? Can’t have a guy who can’t punt outdoors in january when you play in the northeast I suppose.
No idea about Sav. He doesn’t do well in the cold, but he was serviceable.
@ theguyotc…
Don’t count on a LB. I’ve written for a while that I think Castillo really likes Casey Matthews.
I’m still in favor of getting Poz for MLB, but think that’s more of a hope than likely move.
I’m fine with Chaney and Fokou outside.
Interesting indeed, The Eagles said they have an aggressive plan and this kind of confirms it. They are going for new blood. Don’t know what to expect, but I’d have to think LB is now a target in free agency.
Paul Posluszny to replace Stewart Bradley
Adam Podlesh to replace Sav Rocca
Brodney Pool as an insurance policy if Jarrett struggles or there is an injury.
@Mac
This is only an aggressive plan if they replace Bradley with some talent. I have to say, I’m not a fan at all of letting go of Bradley. Chaney is still developing and we don’t know for sure what we will get out of him, and Casey Matthews is a complete unknown at the NFL level, especially with the lack of OTAs this offseason. A lineup of Fokou, Matthews, and Chaney just doesn’t impress me all that much.
Harrison: They may have several FA targets, and they want one of their RBs to do something on STs, possibly return kicks. They obviously like the rookies Lewis and Cooper, and Cooper can return kicks (Lewis hasn’t).
Rocca: Chas Henry’s very good. I assume April has gone over this thoroughly. The fact that they didn’t draft Henry indicates it was a recent decision, tho maybe they didn’t want to draft two kickers. They may have told Henry that Rocca wasn’t coming back, since he was the prize UDFA punter.
MJG was serviceable last year but w/ the new guys the Eagles weren’t going to give him what he wanted.. he will play somewhere.
Bradley’s also a questionable use of cap room.
I thought they should at least make an offer to QMik.
In general, you don’t draft all those guys because you want to keep veteran backups around on their second contracts.
Paul Posluszny to replace Stewart Bradley
Adam Podlesh to replace Sav Rocca
Brodney Pool as an insurance policy if Jarrett struggles or there is an injury.
Tommy,
What do you make of Spud’s tweet that Marlin Jackson “expects to be a factor” at Safety? I was hoping they’d flat out release him rather than risk paying him for another season on IR.
Tommy, any word on the reported 90-man roster sizes? I’ve yet to see any in depth commentary on the particulars / implications of this little wrinkle in the new agreement. Is it an offseason-only number, or will it remain in place throughout the entire season?
If it is, in fact, a season long number, this would obviously pretty drastically change some bottom of the roster / practice squad dynamics. Where ordinarily the last few spots on the roster might be reserved for valuable special teamers and capable veteran backups, it would seem to me that having so much space at the bottom would allow you to develop a few more project-types, with an eye toward the future.
Presuming we sign a veteran QB to backup Vick, someone like Jerrod Johnson could then be groomed to step in as the #3 next year. On a similar note, I wonder whether there might be any leeway for teams to hire any extra staff, specifically geared toward coaching up these players (what basically amounts to a greatly enlarged practice squad).
only things that worries me is losing sav and akers. i hope these two rookies play well
tommy
how long can the skins hang on to Big Al b4 they have to pay him?
I am all for Paul Poz!
From the looks of things, I like Graig Cooper. Still wouldn’t mind a Vet RB(still on the Portis wagon) if cost permits.
RE: Big Al
Skins can hold him right up to Labor Day and the final cutdown. We can’t plan on Big Al. Have to hope.
RE: RB
We’ll add a veteran. Can’t see us having Buckley, Lewis, and Cooper as backups.
RE: 90 man roster
This is just an expansion of the 80 man roster. I assume cut down dates are the same as in other years. Get down to 75 in late August. Then drop to 53 after final PS game.
RE: Marlin Jackson
Spuds has been saying all offseason that Marlin is a guy to watch. This could be a sales job by Spuds, but I’m not sure who he’d be duping.
More than likely he’s genuinely optimistic about MJ. Marlin is supposed to be a real good guy. Maybe Dave just likes him and that’s causing him to wish for the best.
Jackson doesn’t lack ability. He just needs to stay healthy.
Tommy, can you confirm that we’ve signed this Derrell Johnson-Koulianos guy? I keep seeing stuff that we picked up, but PE.com doesn’t have his bio (or anything about him) at all. Judging by what you wrote earlier, that might not be a bad thing. Just wondering what the facts is
We can’t possibly go into this season without a veteran LB or S? Can we?
Charles Johnson re-signs for 6/72 million, with 30 million signing bonus. Big, big time money.
Not only does that set the market for Ray Edwards (though Johnson is a year younger, and had a better 2010), but Trent Cole just got a lot more pissed off…
I can’t get upset over not resigning Stewart Bradley. It is not clear that he can still play and the only deal that made sense was a one year deal to see what he was capable of. Bradley seemed to want a longer term deal anyway.
Whats happening with Kolb. Did we really overplay our hand?
The Eagles might have an aggressive plan, but so far I see nothing happening but the potential free agents going off the board, perhaps the Kolb deal as well.
Maybe I’m reading too much into this but is it possible this could be the Eagles gearing up to sign Aso, you save some cap room with these moves. Couple that with Aso saying he would take less to play for a contender. Then you trade Kolb for picks( more cap space, even though Kolb isn’t probably due that much). So I may be off base here but one can hope right 🙂
Mikell just signed with St. Louis. 4 years.
i hope Q gets paid. he deserves it
yanda resigned with the ravens
mcnabb to minnesota if he agrees to resturcture, i would think he would jump right on that
Les Bowen Tweet:
“For what it’s worth, Stew Bradley’s agent, Eric Metz, says the #Eagles would like to bring Stew back. “
I know it’s early, but I don’t get a good feeling from the start of things. I’m worried the Eagles overplayed their hand with Kolb and the Cardinals, and while they are holding out for the extra pick to go with DRC, all of the other key free agents are going to get signed. If the Cardinals end up trading with Denver for Orton, we’re screwed.
Report says we just got RB Noel Devine. One of the top UDFAs. Need confirmation.
@Midnight Greenville
If the Cardinals trade for Orton, they are screwed, not us. We can always keep Kolb as a backup, meaning we don’t have to look for another QB. Also, from the looks of things, there is hope for getting NA or JJ or any other CB. Situation may not be ideal, but it ain’t a back breaker.
This shouldn’t be shocking news to anyone. None of these Eagles free agents were likely to be re-signed. Stew Bradley was the most likely and we all sort of figured he’d either walk for a longer deal elsewhere if he wasn’t willing to sign a short deal in Philly.
We knew Akers was gone. We drafted our starting RG and 3 safeties over the last 2 years to replace Mikell.
Funny line about Q’s contract from Greg Rosenthal over at Pro Football Talk:
“Mikell gets $28 million over four years. We have to think that deal was Kardashianed. (Heavier on the back end.)”
@ Midnight Greenville
I don’t think we “overplayed our hand.” We have no idea what Arizona is really offering. The Cardinals are negotiating at a disadvantage because there are no long-term solutions out there at QB. Kyle Orton is getting an unusually excessive amount of media hype. Do you think Larry Fitzgerald is out there wishing the Cards sign Orton? Hell no!
There is some remote possibility that we are talking to NA and the potential for a Kolb for DRC is still there. So our hopes for a good corner may still be realized.
However, it appears that in the areas of DE and LB the Eagles are working their value plays. That is they let the top guys sign and then they try to find some value in the second and third tiers. We may even be trying to work a deal with Stew per his agent.
@Arby
Kardashianed. lol. Best line of the day. +1
Reuben Frank posted yesterday that he thought the Birds should go after Tamba Hali, but I haven’t seen anywhere that he is available. I think he would be a great addition. Looks like the DE options are already drying up with Charles Johnson signing and other reports that the Eagles definitely are not interested in Ray Edwards (for whatever that’s worth). Babin would be o.k. with me as long as they don’t overpay for him and can still do some other things.
Quintin Mikell, Profootballfocus.com’s #1 rated safety last year, has been signed by the Rams and the Eagles obviously made little to no effort to retain him, despite issues in their secondary that will be magnified if Mikell leaves.
Charles Johnson is off the market and the Eagles appear to have failed to capitalize on the demand for Kevin Kolb and are pricing themselves out of a good deal.
If I don’t see a blockbuster Kevin Kolb trade and/or a blockbuster free agency signing (Nhamdi Asomugha, Ray Edwards, Jonathan Joseph), I am going to have to say that the Eagles have failed at the offseason this year.
Seriously – if you’re not going to resign your own stud players (Mikell, Bradley), you had damn well better go out and get some new ones.
youtube highlights for Noel Devine:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkMK7KrMrbg
a couple of times his moves just make the defender fall over! and at 5’7″, he’s our latest smurf!
@Morton
Obviously, the Eagles were not as happy with Mikell’s play as PFF was.
@ Morton
When did Bradley become a “stud” player? I think we were all enamored with his size and personality, but he never lived up to the hype. He was AWFUL in coverage BEFORE his injury. He always seemed to hesitate in pursuit. I can’t tell you how many times I would get frustrated with Bradley because it seemed like he was late on a play or ran himself right out of the action.
Bradley was good as gone. We knew that months ago.
As for Mikell, if we didn’t re-sign Dawk, what makes fans think we were going to give Q a long-term deal?
The absolute most often thing would be if Noel Devine was a mini version of Jahvid Best!
@morton.
Q and Stew “studs”? Maybe in the CFL. Being a veteran doesn’t automatically qualify you as a a”stud”.
I am ok with hanging onto Kolb if the compensation is not there. However, if we go into the season with the company line being “we really feel good about starting Lindley at RCB”, I will be frustrated. I have faith in Roseman/Reid, but as they said, there are 31 other teams with their own plans that might trash ours. Go get NA and then hang onto Kolb for a better offer if you are not getting offered a 1st rounder+. He is THE best backup for Vick available and price could go back up if someone goes down in training camp.
morton, u have been listening to philly talk radio too much
we are 10 hours in and some fans are panicking. dude take a xani
@Netherman
I’ve said it before, and it bears repeating…Roseman has not done a great job thus far in his tenure. In fact, I’d say he’s done a poor one.
Go back to January 2010, and look at our roster decisions since then. There’s more bad than good there.
I think he’s in over his head.
@ mcud Can you elaborate on your Roseman evaluation? I’m not saying you’re wrong. I am just saying I disagree with you (and I’m always right)
The guy walked into the 2 toughest offseason environments the league has ever seen. Last year there were not many options in FA. He got beat out on Peppers, but I’m not sure there was much he could do about it. Sims and Tapp were low risk chances. Only time will tell on his drafts, but they seem to be solids drafts to this point. He got good value for McNabb last year as well. Roseman has yet to add a big-time impact player, but he seems to have improved the overall talent level of this team, especially the bottom half of the roster.
devine looks very small even against college competition, he is gonna look really small in the nfl. i like the pick up though.
howie hasnt really had much of a chance yet. last year was a wierd year. we will c what he does this year. i think he will do ok. he did make some nice pick ups during the season, thats tough to do
Anyone who thinks Roseman’s making the roster decisions is really not paying attention.
Tommy – reports say we just Noel Devine? Thought?
pretty sure everyone knows reid has a huge say in all personel. so u think roseman has no say and doesnt really do anything?
i have no problem with the rosters we have been putting together over the years. obviously mistakes have been made just like every other team. but for the most part we have done pretty well. we had a franchise qb and franchise rb, got rid of them and the very next year got a franchise qb and franchise rb
@Ken
Its really hard for me to find a move of Howie’s that I love. However, according to Since 1961, I’m not paying close enough attention. All I know is that Roseman was groomed (he’s a Banner favorite) for the job, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have LESS power than Heckert did.
Maybe Andy is calling all the shots. All I can say is that I used to be quite pleased with the Eagles and their roster building style. Not anymore, and the slide coincided with Howie’s promotion, to a large degree.
As to the points you mentioned:
a. Doesn’t matter how “close” he got to getting Peppers. We didn’t get him. If only wishing made it so.
b. The “Shark In the Water” was a flop. And we all know Howie loved him.
c. Tapp didn’t set the world on fire by any means, while the guy we traded for him outperformed him. Plus, it also cost us a 4th rounder.
d. The McNabb trade is a rant all by itself, but as I understand it, Andy made the call there.
I may be totally wrong. I don’t claim to know how or who makes the decisions behind closed doors. Still, a GM has to have some responsibility, right? Tommy and I had a long discussion about Howie earlier in the year, and we decided to put it on hold until the offseason was completed. I guess we’ll see how this all works out.
All I’m suggesting is that people take a long look at our roster decisions under Howie, and ask themselves if they’re satisfied. I’m not.
Howie is absolutely the key decision maker in personnel matters. Reid still is the top opinion in major moves, but Howie has great sway in those as well. Howie shapes most of the roster, but does so with input from Reid, the assistants, and Louis Riddick.
I love all the people on this board saying “we have known for weeks” that Stewart Bradley was not going to be hear. Really? Not based on the majority of the discussions on this board. Most of the conversations were assuming Bradley will most likely get resigned and we will either play him at MIKE or SAM. Don’t go revisionist just because plans have changed.
I’m not saying Bradley is a stud LB either. But, he was part of most of our thinking throughout the “offseason”. If he in fact doesn’t return, a lot of the conversations we have had on this board will need to be had again, especially if we don’t sign someone else and go with Casey Matthews. The conversation we had on him was that he was a prospect that Castillo seems to love, but still a 4th round prospect that like any rookie will have growing pains, not to mention all of Matthews weaknesses that were talked about when he was drafted.
It is still REAAAAALLY early, and most of the bigger names we have talked about have not agreed to terms with any team yet, but I can’t blame people for getting nervous on the lack of a Kolb trade and also the loss of two starters on our defense (regardless of whether we assumed they would be gone or not).
I understand it’s very early in the process, but with a compressed free agency period and trading period, it is surprising that there isn’t activity so far. I think it’s very hard to evaluate Howie’s job after 1 year and the little bit from this year. But, the bottom line is we were arguably the 2nd best team in the conference by the end of the year despite some obvious deficiencies. Howie and the entire front office have had an entire offseason to plan for this time, and have somewhat uncharacteristically been chirping about how prepared they are to make big moves when the lockout is lifted. If they allow other teams like the Falcons, Saints, Bucs, Giants, Bears, and Cowboys to improve significantly while we make only marginal acquisitions, then there really is no excuse and I’ll have to seriously question whether they have the right leadership in place.