Aside from landing Stacy Andrews, an A+ move so long as the right tackle is healthy, the Eagles have been very quiet in the marketplace. Naturally, lot of people not happy, all this talk about the team being "$48 million" under the cap.
The thing about free agency in the NFL is that it's not what it once was. Teams are better at managing the cap than they were a decade ago, and that means when they have a truly great player, more often than not they find ways to keep them. What's left are a bunch of aging veterans and players who excelled in a particular system and aren't necessarily as good as they appear. The Eagles have holes, but how many guys out there were actually going to fix them?
There were some players we liked or thought the Eagles might be targeting, but did this free agent class have answers? In retrospect, what was all the fuss about? Just an aging possession receiver, some center we had never heard of, and an older running back who's spent his entire career as a backup. That's not to say none of these players couldn't have helped, only questioning that any one of them were really significantly better than what they already have or what they can add in the draft.
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Of course, they haven't even been signing their own players. Considine went to Jacksonville, still hoping to become more than a special teamer. Buckhalter off to Denver where he might actually see more than five snaps per game. Even Tra, who it seemed the Eagles desperately needed, is telling reporters the team has no interest whatsoever (though it appears no team is interested at all).
So what's the plan? Honestly, I don't know, but don't really blame them for penny pinching because I'm not seeing anything out there that is a definitive upgrade. It's just not there. My only guess is maybe they can use the money to extend some of their young players, guys like Stewart Bradley and Brodrick Bunkley. Banner likes to frontload new deals with bonus money, so if they take this route they won't be nearly as far under the cap, especially if something gets done for McNabb as well.
We'll see. It's a mystery, but then again, really it isn't at all.
- There was finally some noise last night from the front office when it was announced CB Shawn Springs would visit the club. Though he's been one of the better corners in the NFL when healthy, it's precisely that which makes him a gamble. Plus, he's 34-years-old. It's strange to see the club banish all of their older players, then show legitimate interest in Springs.
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There may be more to this story than meets the eye. It's being rumored Sheldon Brown is no longer happy with his contract, and his name has come up in some wildly unlikely and unsubstantiated rumors of late (Lito Sheldon and a second for Boldin!), so perhaps Springs is more of a contingency plan in case this story turns Lito on them.
The other theory, which I cannot take credit for, is the possibility that Sheldon Brown could take over at free safety, thereby creating a void at cornerback. I'll take it one step further and suggest it may even be Springs they are looking to move into that position, though that is pure speculation. Whatever the case, that is the only player the Eagles are officially courting at the moment.