Saturday, March 12, 2016

Eagles Fill Some Pressing Needs Early in Free Agency

NFL free agency is just four days old and the Eagles have been one of the more active teams in the league when it has come to wheeling and dealing for some new player personnel. Philadelphia's general manager Howie Roseman has made it loud and clear that he is the new sheriff in town with Chip Kelly vanquished to the Left Coast while new head coach Doug Pederson made his presence known by raiding his former boss Andy Reid's roster in Kansas City to find a suitable backup to Sam Bradford at the quarterback position.

Looking at the sum total of the early moves the new regime in Philly have made, I would have to give them a grade of E for Effort. They were able to plug a huge hole in their offensive line with the addition of guard Brandon Brooks from Houston. They also added some depth to their defensive backfield by signing safety Rodney McLeod, who was previously with St. Louis and former Buffalo cornerback Ron Brooks.

The most interesting addition to the roster this week was quarterback Chase Daniel, who was Reid's backup to Alex Smith in Kansas City. This could be a really good fit given that Pederson is extremely familiar with Daniel's capabilities as a potential starter someday down the road. Roseman used a good chunk of team owner Jeffery Lurie's money to land the seven-year vet out of Missouri, but you have to pay a high price these days for quarterbacks given the lack of depth at that position.

Among the many departures from the nest this week that included former high-priced free agents DeMarco Murray and Byron Maxwell was quarterback Mark Sanchez. The Sanchise became expendable with the addition of Daniel so he was traded to Denver for a conditional draft pick in 2017.

All-in-all it was a pretty good week in Eagleland as the duo of Roseman and Pederson continue to reshape the team in their image as opposed to the Chip Kelly edition that was put in place this time last year. I especially like what Roseman has been able to do for the team's position in the upcoming draft. They have already moved up in the first round to the No. 8 spot through the trade with Miami for Maxwell and linebacker Kiko Alonzo. Trading an unhappy Murray to Tennessee added an undisclosed draft pick (most likely a fourth rounder), but more importantly it freed-up some cap space for future deals so stay tuned.

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