2012 NFL Free Agents: Philadelphia Eagles Must Be Players, Not Spectators

We’re just three hours into free agency, but that’s more than enough for the NFL teams to start making their moves. The Chicago Bears traded two third-round picks to Miami for Brandon Marshall, the Washington Redskins agreed to terms with wide receivers Pierre Garcon, Josh Morgan and Eddie Royal and Mario Williams is in Buffalo, with the Bills willing to make him the highest-paid defensive player of the NFL.

The Philadelphia Eagles opted to go another way on the free-agency starting day. They did not sign any free agent. Instead, they gave a contract extension to Todd Herremans (the team’s starting right tackle) and they are about to do the same with Trent Cole.

Obviously, the Eagles are not going to rock the football world with big-time signings, like they did last year, when they signed Nnamdi Asomugha, Cullen Jenkins and Ronnie Brown. They want to take care of their inner issues, before spending millions of dollars in free agency.

The Eagles, however, must be active, pursue the right players and complete their roster puzzle. After an 8-8 season and much criticism of Andy Reid coming from the fans, Philadelphia can’t go another year without playoffs, even that might not be enough. Reid has to prove that the NFL didn’t pass him by and restore the Eagles as one of the league’s best teams.

You can’t have such expectations without upgrading your squad and you can’t get much help from rookies. The NFL draft may offer you a handful of promising players, but you rarely get more than two or three immediate starters.

The Eagles have noticeable weak points in their defense. They need at least one experienced linebacker that can command the space behind the defensive tackles and be the quarterback of the defense. Furthermore, Philly needs a proven veteran at safety, who can be a force on the field and can provide help to Nate Allen and Jaiquawn Jarrett.

These “loose ends” must be settled through free agency. There are plenty of players that can take the aforementioned roles: Stephen Tulloch, Curtis Lofton, London Fletcher, Reggie Nelson, LaRon Landry.

The NFL draft should be used to acquire some talented future prospects and hopefully, one or two players that can instantly help the team.