The pre-draft trades continue in lieu of a barren free agent market. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Eagles traded for former ninth overall selection Ernie Sims, sending their fifth round pick (#137 overall) to the Denver Broncos, who sent TE Tony Scheffler to the Detroit Lions. Sims is expected to compete with Akeem Jordan for the starting weakside linebacker job.
The former Florida State Seminole hasn't exactly lived up to his billing as the top linebacker selected in the 2006 draft, though he hasn't exactly been a bust either. Sims started 16 games his first three seasons in Detroit, racking up 100 tackles each year. However, as far as becoming the difference maker teams expect from a player taken that high, Sims has yet to make that jump.
For a fifth round pick, he's probably a steal. We can all agree the Eagles aren't exactly set at their outside linebacker spots, and if nothing else Sims is another body to throw in the mix. And really, who knows. It's a tricky position where sometimes a player simply doesn't quite mesh with the defensive scheme. Things might start clicking in a new system with new surroundings.
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Then again, it doesn't instill a great deal of confidence if the Lions didn't even want him anymore. Sims obviously has run his course after four seasons in Detroit. Pro Football Focus is calling him a perennial underachiever. While this move could work out great for the Birds in the long run, at this point he may not even be a lock to beat out Jordan to start at weakside.
Either way, it's not a bad move. They still have plenty of picks, and at 25-years-old, Sims has the combination of youth and NFL experience on his side, as opposed to drafting another kid who's wet behind the ears. Even if he's only steady, that would still be an improvement over the cycle of players they had last season. Until we get to see him on a week-to-week basis with our own eyes though, we should probably judge this move with tempered enthusiasm.