“Will the Eagles make a splash in free agency?” I asked on Thursday. Well, “no” was my answer, and if you haven’t yet heard, I was mistaken. The Birds inked former Pats CB Asante Samuel to a 6-year, $57 million deal on the first day of free agency, and for an encore, snagged pass rushing specialist DE Chris Clemons with a 5-year, $18.5 million deal on Saturday.
Let’s give the Eagles credit where credit is due: they got Samuel in and got a deal done promptly, netting themselves the best defensive impact player on offer in free agency. But you’ll have to forgive me if I wait to pass judgment until I see how everything shakes out.
The obvious fallout centers around current Eagles CB Lito Sheppard, who was the subject of trade rumors a few weeks ago — and now is again. Tommy Lawlor, in his blog on the Eagles website (registration required), doesn’t think it’s a foregone conclusion that Sheppard will be moved. If he sticks around, the Eagles can either move Sheldon Brown to safety or, in the alternative, just be ridiculously deep at corner. But more often than not, where there’s smoke there’s fire; I have a hard time believing that Lito will be an Eagle come training camp, though I have been wrong before (ummm for instance, when Samuel signed the other day).
Clemons, by the way, seems like a solid signing. He can play 25 snaps a game as an edge rusher; given his size (6′3″, 240 lbs.), he certainly isn’t capable of being an every down player, nor would the Eagles expect him to be. Given the silly money being thrown around — read: Justin Smith inking a $45 million deal with the Niners — Clemons seems like a sensible gamble. It gives the Birds a nice mix in their DE rotation: Trent Cole is a Pro Bowl caliber pass rusher, Juqua Thomas and Clemons provide speed off the edge, Victor Abiamiri should be a solid two-way end, and Darren Howard might even stick around for next year! With no premier pass rusher available in either free agency or the trade market, the Eagles will hold off until the draft to further address the position.
This much is clear: the Eagles were aggressive in adding playmakers to their defense. Samuel is a ballhawk, and Clemons notched 8 last year sacks in limited snaps. It just remains to be seen how all the pieces fit together. Moving on…
So what’s the Eagles’ next move?
The supposed interest in Gibril Wilson never materialized, and the market is now devoid of any real playmaking safeties, so we can probably rule that position out. A return specialist is still a position of priority, as is defensive tackle, where the Eagles lack depth behind starters Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson.
Of course, we couldn’t mention the word “playmakers” without talking about the wide receiver position. While I don’t buy the supposed interest in Randy Moss, it certainly wouldn’t shock me to see the Eagles make a move for a wide receiver (although reports are that neither Larry Fitzgerald or Roy Williams is available). The Eagles apparently have no interest in the recently released Javon Walker, and former Eagle Donté Stallworth is now a wealthy resident of Cleveland. If there’s going to be a deal that comes out of the blue, expect it to be at this position — much like the deal for Stallworth a year and a half ago.
Just keep in mind: while the biggest deals get done early in free agency, plenty of high quality players move later in the signing period. Just last year, Kevin Curtis signed with the Eagles two weeks into free agency. So while the biggest splash has already been made, there’s no reason to believe the Birds are done yet.
If the Eagles make any more moves, check back here for analysis — you know, so I can tell you again how wrong I was.
