There are a number of high profile NFL players who will become unrestricted free agents on March 13 if they do not sign a new contract with their current team by that date. When it comes to the Eagles, the biggest name on that list would be wide receiver DeSean Jackson.
It remains to be seen if Andy Reid values his play on the field more than his off-field antics and decides to bring him back for next season, but there are quite a few other names on that list that will need to be dealt with as well. Below is the current list of Eagle players who will become free agents if they do not sign a new deal in the next 30 days or so.
DE Victor Abiamiri
RB Ronnie Brown
DT Antonio Dixon
OT King Dunlap
WR DeSean Jackson
DT Derek Landri
DE Trevor Laws
OG Evan Mathis
DE Juqua Parker
FB Owen Schmitt
WR Steve Smith
QB Vince Young
I would have to imagine that the Birds are willing to part ways with Ronnie Brown and Vince Young, as neither player came anywhere close to living up to their expectations when they first joined the team. Brown ran the ball 42 times for 136 yards and had as many fumbles as touchdowns; one. Young filled-in for an injured Michael Vick and made three starts. His main claim to fame was helping to engineer a 17-10 win over the Giants, but his overall numbers were less than impressive to say the least. He completed just 57.9 percent of his throws for 866 yards and four touchdowns, while chucking nine interceptions along the way. His tenure with the Eagles will probably be remembered most for tagging the Birds with the 'dream team' moniker that dogged them the entire season.
Another high-profile player they could probably do without is Steve Smith, but that might depend on what happens with Jackson. The much-hyped wide receiver who the Eagles 'stole' from New York caught a total of 11 balls for 124 yards and one touchdown. In Smith's defense he was still recovering from an injury at the beginning of the season and could come back strong with another full offseason of rehab.
The one player on this list that will hopefully be back is fullback Owen Schmitt. His rushing stats are basically non-existent with four carries for six yards, but he was instrumental in helping LeSean McCoy rush for a very impressive 1309 yards and NFL-high 17 touchdowns.
The rest of the names on the list all made some valuable contributions over the course of the season, but none are a player that the Eagles could not live without.
The big question come March 13 is which players does Andy Reid go after (if any at all) to fill in the current gaps on this team. Last year's experiment of loading up the payroll with a number of expensive free agents did not work out so well, but I will reserve judgment until after next season to determine whether or not it was a colossal failure or an ingenius move that finally brings a Super Bowl title to the City of Philadelphia.
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