Philadelphia Eagles: Plaxico Burress and Other Players on Philly's Wish List

After 132 days, the NFL and its players have finally reached an agreement to end the league's lockout. 

With draft pick signings and trade talks beginning Tuesday morning and free agency officially starting Friday at 6:00 p.m. EDT, the offseason will be condensed into a two-week period. Unsigned players with at least four years of experience will be free to sign with any team; there are 442 unrestricted free agents, a mammoth number. 

There are so many big-name players who are set to be free agents, including cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha, Antonio Cromartie, Ike Taylor and Jonathan Joseph; receivers Santonio Holmes, Sidney Rice and Braylon Edwards; running backs DeAngelo Williams and Ahmad Bradshaw; defensive ends Ray Edwards and Charles Johnson; and Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. The list of impact players goes on and on.

For months, people have speculated where some of these players may end up, and the fun begins in just three days.

Training camps open Wednesday, and the first week of preseason games is 15 days later.

The Philadelphia Eagles are coming off an entertaining season in which Michael Vick came out of nowhere to lead the team to 10 wins and a division title before falling in the first round of the playoffs. The Eagles are once again Super Bowl contenders and look to be aggressive as always. They will have money to spend and are a few defensive players away from being a formidable team. 

The offense is as explosive as any, while the defense has question marks at each layer. The top priorities are at left defensive end and right corner. 

With that in mind, let's take a look at some players the Eagles should target during the mad scramble of the days ahead.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB (25 Years Old)

The Eagles are going to trade Kevin Kolb, and most people believe it will be to Arizona. With a hole at right cornerback, it only makes sense for the Eagles to acquire Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a draft pick in exchange for their quarterback.

Rodgers-Cromartie has had an up-and-down career in three seasons in the desert. But one thing everyone can agree on is his immense physical talent.

Listed at 6'2" and 182 pounds, Rodgers-Cromartie is a tall corner who can run with any receiver. He isn't physical, so paring him with Asante Samuel—who has well-chronicled tackling issues—wouldn't create the most physical corner tandem (as one writer put it, Samuel views tackling the same way a Victoria's Secret model views changing the oil in her car). It would be quite a dangerous duo with the potential to be one of the top in the NFL. 

In 2009, his second year in the league, Rodgers-Cromartie had his best season, snatching six interceptions and forcing three fumbles on his way to earning a Pro Bowl nod.

However, he struggled mightily in 2010 on a bad Cardinals defense. He had three picks, returning two for touchdowns, but gave up 9.5 yards per play to his receiver, good for 78th among cornerbacks. Some speculated the young corner was dragged down by a poor supporting cast and expect him to bounce back in 2011.

Acquiring Rodgers-Cromartie instead of a free agent like Asomugha would save the Eagles a ton of money, which they could then use to improve other areas of the team. 

It looks like a win-win for both sides, with the Cardinals vaulting into contention in the weak NFC West, and sets the tone for the rest of the Eagles' plans in this abbreviated offseason.  

Ray Edwards, DE (26 Years Old)

The former Minnesota Viking has played opposite Jared Allen the last three seasons, compiling 29.5 sacks in five-year career. He is one of 13 players to have at least eight sacks the last two seasons (he recorded 8.5 in 2009 and eight in 2010). 

The 6'5", 268-pound Edwards has already been linked to the Eagles, and at 26, he is in the prime of his career. 

The Eagles have been searching for a stud to work at the left end spot and provide a consistent threat opposite the tireless Trent Cole. Cole has faced constant double-teams throughout his career, and while Juqua Parker has more sacks (30) than Edwards has since he entered the league in 2006, Parker's play has always tailed off in the second half of the season.

The team drafted Brandon Graham in the first round last year, and Graham showed some promise (three sacks in 13 games) before tearing his ACL and having microfracture knee surgery. He won't be ready until midseason, and the team has lost patience with veteran Victor Abiamiri.

Philadelphia has some unproven guys who will compete for a rotation spot, including Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, but they lack consistent play across from Cole. 

Andy Reid has always said he, "loves to throw fastballs" at the opposition, so look for him to go after Edwards when free agency begins and give new defensive line coach Jim Washburn a new toy to play with.

Stewart Bradley, LB (27 Years Old)

The next order of business would be to re-sign one of the key members of the defense.

Linebacker Stewart Bradley has been injury-prone the last two seasons, missing all of the 2009 season when he tore his ACL in camp and four games with an elbow injury last year.

But when healthy, Bradley was a difference-maker in 2008 for the late Jim Johnson. He was average in 12 games last year, but may be moved from the middle to the strong-side, where he played in college. With the emergence of rookie Jamar Chaney late in the season, Bradley will most likely move to the outside with Chaney taking over in the middle and second-year Keenan Clayton occupying the weak-side. 

If it all works out the Eagles should have a young and exciting linebacker corps for the first time in years.

But it all starts with the team signing Bradley, who has said he would like to return to Philadelphia and help bring the city a Super Bowl victory. After that, the rest of the linebackers will fall into place.

Darren Sproles, RB (28 Years Old)

The undersized Sproles would be a perfect addition for Andy Reid's already dangerous offense.

Sproles, listed at 5'6" and 190 pounds, has been the Chargers' change-of-pace back for five seasons. He played behind LaDainian Tomlinson for four of those seasons, but the Chargers drafted Ryan Mathews in the first round in 2010, making Sproles expendable. 

Sproles has been one of the top kick returners ever since he was drafted in the fourth round of the 2005 draft. He has four career return touchdowns, with his most memorable highlight coming in 2007 when he scored on both a kickoff and punt return against the Colts (the game is most remembered for the Chargers intercepting Peyton Manning six times). Sproles has a career kick return average of 25.1 and punt return average of 8.2. His presence would allow the electrifying DeSean Jackson to focus solely on catching passes.

But what makes him so attractive to the Eagles is his ability to catch passes out of the backfield. Sproles had 59 catches for a career-high 520 yards in 2010 and has 11 receiving touchdowns in his career. He is a mini-Brian Westbrook clone, and while he may not be the complete player Westbrook was, Sproles would only give Michael Vick another scary weapon. 

Sproles is durable, having missed just two games in five seasons, and would bring experience to one of the youngest teams in the league.

Imagine having to game-plan for the Eagles' speed on offense—Vick, McCoy, Sproles, Jackson and Maclin would sure give defenses migraines on Sunday's.

James Harrison, who played well in limited stretches as McCoy's backup, isn't a bad option, and if the Eagles can't bring in Sproles, Harrison is a nice fall-back option. 

Find a Veteran Backup Quarterback

When the Eagles trade Kevin Kolb, the team will be left with second-year quarterback Mike Kafka as their only option after Mike Vick. 

Knowing Andy Reid, he will immediately search for an experienced backup to replace Kolb. He will look for a guy who has won before, a guy he could trust for a few games if Vick gets injured. 

There are quite a few candidates who fit this description.

At the top of the list is 12-year veteran Matthew Hasselbeck. Hasselbeck is a proven winner, but he thinks he can still be a starter in this league—and he's probably right. He won't be coming to Philadelphia. 

The next tier of guys starts with Vince Young, who won't be back in Tennessee after five tumultuous seasons in the Volunteer State. He has maturity issues, but at 28, still has plenty to give in this league.

Young is 30-17 as a starter and was the 2006 Rookie of the Year. In 2009, he took over a 0-6 team and guided the Titans to eight wins down the stretch; quite a remarkable turnaround.

But Young's injury-prone and lost his starting job to Kerry Collins on multiple occasions. He could thrive under offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg and Reid, becoming yet another reclamation project. He's inconsistent but he's a winner.

Marc Bulger is a more traditional pocket passer who would fit the Eagles well, having played under Mike Martz in the West Coast offense for several seasons. Bulger is 34 and spent last season as Joe Flacco's backup in Baltimore; although he has expressed interest in returning to the Ravens, Bulger would be a nice fit in Philadelphia.

Other options include Bruce Gradkowski (28), Tavaris Jackson (28), Billy Volek (35) and wait for it—Brett Favre?!?!?!?! (Ageless.)

I would be surprised if the Eagles don't add one of these guys or trade for a veteran as insurance for Vick.

Plaxico Burress, WR (34 Years Old in August)

I have debated whether or not to include Burress in my wish list, but if the Eagles are going for it in 2011, I think signing Burress gives them that extra edge.

I don't want Riley Cooper to fall out of the Eagles' future plans because I think he has shown promise, but Burress brings something the Eagles haven't really had since Harold Carmichael roamed the Vet. 

At 6'5" and 232 pounds, Burress brings a rare combination of height and strength to the table, something the Eagles don't have. Although DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Jason Avant form the best receiving corps in the league, they lack the ability to go up in traffic and make a play on the ball. Burress is most dangerous in these types of situations, and would give Reid and Vick yet another weapon.

The Eagles' red zone struggles have been chronicled over the past few seasons, and many have clamored for a big receiver. Hank Baskett wasn't the answer, but Burress could certainly be that and more.

I know he's had legal troubles throughout his life, spent 20 months in prison, missed two seasons, may have lost a step, yada yada yada.

The point is he won a Super Bowl for the Giants when Eli Manning, as he had done countless times before, lobbed the ball into the corner of the end zone where Burress gracefully glided underneath it to make the winning catch and end the Patriots' perfect season.

How about the game in 2006 when the Giants rallied to force overtime at The Linc and won it when Manning chucked up a pass as if he were playing "500?" Burress out-jumped Sheldon Brown and walked into the end zone to complete the improbable comeback.

I understand that was five years ago, but I think he can help this team achieve its goal. 

I think Burress is motivated and inspired by what Vick was able to do, and I think he can contribute in a limited role.