Free agency is not the elixir, as history proves time and again. The Eagles signed a truckload of free agents prior to 2011 and were fortunate that many worked out, and that some -- Jason Babin, Cullen Jenkins, Nnamdi Asomugha, Evan Mathis -- played outstanding football.
Is it reasonable to expect another free-agency grab in 2012? I don't know the answer to that question, but it certainly would be highly unusual. The NFL has a hard salary cap and while the Eagles can likely maneuver and create some space, they probably won't have the kind of flexibility they had a year ago.
Still, free agency offers a chance to get one or two impact players. Eagles fans, though, are concentrated on completely changing the look of the team's linebackers, and in theory that is a worthy goal. The Eagles played with a lot of young players at linebacker last season, players who were mid- to late-round draft picks for the most part. It would benefit the defense greatly to have improvement at all three spots, whether that comes from within or whether that comes from adding talent in free agency or the draft.
Have you looked at the various lists of potential unrestricted free agents at the linebacker positions? There are some solid players, certainly, and there is one, Washington's London Fletcher, who may some day be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Are any of them the kind of players who change the personality of the defense completely? Is it money well spent addressing a "need" position if the players added really aren't going to be instant-impact players, as history has shown free agents rarely are?
What about the draft? The ideal way to go is to draft well, groom the players and keep them for two and three contracts. And Andy Reid's first-round draft success is pretty good, all things considered, with "hits" on first-round picks like Donovan McNabb (1999, Pro Bowl), Corey Simon (2000, Pro Bowl), Lito Sheppard (2002, Pro Bowl), Shawn Andrews (2004, questionable given his implosion, but a two-time Pro Bowl player prior), Mike Patterson (2005, as solid and durable as they come at defensive tackle), Jeremy Maclin (2009, a talented productive player who has the ability to catch 90 passes with 14 touchdowns in a season) and, hopefully, Danny Watkins (2011, a first-year starter who was a Pro Football Weekly all-rookie pick).
There is some room for debate there, and there is also hope that a player like Brandon Graham (2010) will overcome his injury from two seasons ago and become the player the Eagles think he can be. All in all, speaking relatively, Reid's first-round draft record is strong.
Lately, though, the Eagles haven't drafted a Pro Bowl defensive player. Trading away the first-round picks in 2007 and 2008, in retrospect, didn't yield what the Eagles desired, although Kevin Kolb continues to pay back (the Eagles traded him last year for cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a second-round draft pick this April) so it's only fair to continue to evaluate what those draft-day deals meant.
Regardless, the draft is risky business, too. Is there is a sure thing at linebacker in the draft? Of course not. There is no such thing as a sure thing in this business.
And so as Andy Reid and Howie Roseman strategize for the roster improvements ahead and as the fans get their wish lists ready, a word of caution: It's not going to be as easy as simply "wanting" impact. The Eagles can't reach for needs. They are in the business of adding good players, no matter the position.
Look, I have my own wish list. I want more and more and more good players. I recognize that the defense probably needs more than the offense at this point. I see that the Eagles need to make more plays at the linebacker positions and deep in the secondary, too. They need to challenge from start to finish, as they did in the final four games of the 2011 campaign.
The offense moved the ball fine last season, but there were too many turnovers and stalled drives inside the 20-yard line. How can the Eagles add players to make a difference there?
For me, the Eagles must add one or two impact players in free agency, if enough players get to market, and then find a handful of players who can help as rookies from the draft. They can also make things a lot better by having some of the younger players on this team -- Graham, Phillip Hunt, Antonio Dixon, Casey Matthews, Brian Rolle, Nate Allen, Curtis Marsh, Jaiquawn Jarrett -- make those big leaps forward in the offseason ahead.
Things never work out exactly as a team plans. A draft pick you loved suddenly falls out of favor because he doesn't learn quickly enough. A rookie free agent comes from nowhere because he is healthy and a great fit for a system. That's the way it works.
As I've said all along since the 2011 season ended, I don't think the Eagles are that far away. That isn't to say the team can snap its fingers and win the Super Bowl in 2012. There is a lot of work to be done. The Eagles have to find some difference makers for this roster, a couple here and there, and then they can line up and love what they have.
Where to find that talent, though? That's the toughest question to answer as the 2012 season planner comes into focus with the decision makers on this team.
