Philadelphia Eagles Tender Two More Restricted Free Agents

The Philadelphia Eagles announced Thursday afternoon that they have tendered two more restricted free agents. 

Backup running back Jerome Harrison received a second-round tender, and punter Sav Rocca was tendered with the right of first refusal, meaning the Eagles will only have an opportunity to match any offer he receives.

If another team signs Harrison, however, the Eagles would receive their second-round pick.

The deadline has now passed, so linebackers Ernie Sims, Akeem Jordan, Omar Gaither, guards Nick Cole, Reggie Wells, cornerback Ellis Hobbs, and safety Antoine Harris will all be allowed to hit the free-agent market.

I wrote when the Eagles tendered linebacker Stewart Bradley (a guy who could still wind up leaving Philadelphia), as well as Max Jean-Gilles, Dimitri Patterson, and Eldra Buckley, that I fully expected Rocca to get tendered.

Rocca could have easily wound up in the Pro Bowl last season and was at least worth what they gave him.

It's somewhat surprising, however, that they would give Harrison such a high tender. Like Bradley, it could just be a way to hold on to a guy who could prove valuable in a trade. 

Harrison wanted out of Cleveland last year, because he felt he wasn't playing enough but he didn't see a whole lot more time behind LeSean McCoy. When he had the chance to carry the ball he showed that he would be a perfect backup to McCoy, but his talents are wasted in Philly since Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg refuse to run the ball.

A team in need of running back help would be wise to consider swinging a trade for Harrison, and that's likely why the Eagles decided to keep him around for the time being.

Another guy I expected to get tendered was linebacker Akeem Jordan, but apparently the team doesn't think as highly of him as I do. At the very worst, he's a great special teams player and provides solid depth—at best he's a suitable starter.

Letting him walk could prove costly if they suffer some injuries in their linebacking corps next season, and I believe one of the other 31 teams will snatch him up and give him a shot at winning a starting spot.

Usually, we would have free agency to look forward to starting at 12:01AM on March 4th, but it's looking like that's not going to happen. The NFL appears headed for a lockout—and a long one at that.