After a whirlwind opening of the league season across the NFL, it's time to take a deep breath and take a look at what went down. Several free agents made big splashes, including defensive end Julius Peppers in Chicago, linebacker Karlos Dansby in Miami, safety Antrel Rolle in New York and defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch in Detroit. There was a big trade with wide receiver Anquan Boldin getting shipped from Arizona to Baltimore.
The Eagles signed fullback Leonard Weaver to a three-year contract that reportedly makes him the highest paid fullback in league history, and they also released linebacker Will Witherspoon, though Andy Reid didn't rule out a return from the linebacker who was acquired at the 2009 trade deadline.
Of course, the Eagles weren't the only team to cut a player yesterday. The depth of the free agency class was bolstered across the league with teams releasing veteran players onto the open market. Here's a list of every player that was released over the last two days, according to NFL.com.
New York Jets- CB Lito Sheppard, RB Thomas Jones, DB Donald Strickland
New England Patriots- TE Chris Baker
Cincinnati Bengals - WR Lavernaues Coles
Carolina Panthers- DT Damione Lewis, QB Jake Delhomme, DT Maake Kemoeatu, LB Na'il Diggs, LB Landon Johnson
Philadelphia Eagles- LB Will Witherspoon, RB Brian Westbrook
Green Bay Packers- DE Michael Montgomery, S Matt Giordano
Indianapolis Colts- DE Raheem Brock, QB Jim Sorgi
New Orleans Saints- G Jamar Nesbit, LB Mark Simoneau, DE Charles Grant
Washington Redskins- QB Todd Collins, RB Ladell Betts, TE Eddie Williams, RB Marcus Mason, DE J.D. Skolnitsky, G Randy Thomas, DT Cornelius Griffin, CB Fred Smoot, WR Antwaan Randle El, RB Rock Cartwright
Miami Dolphins - LB Joey Porter, LB Akin Ayodele, S Gibril Wilson
Detroit Lions- DT Grady Jackson, CB Phillip Buchanon
St. Louis Rams - TE Derek Fine
San Diego Chargers- DT Jamal Williams, RB Michael Bennett
Tampa Bay Buccaneers- P Josh Bidwell, P Dirk Johnson, CB Torrie Cox
So do any of these players present possible fits for the Eagles? It's widely considered that the Eagles are looking for help in the secondary and along the defensive line, and a few of these released players could provide depth but there are no surefire starters.
In the secondary, Gibril Wilson has been tied to the Eagles in the past and Donald Strickland is a versatile player who is experienced as a backup. Defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu is a very good run-stuffing defensive tackle when healthy, but he is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon suffered last summer. His agent says that he'll be ready for training camp.
After the release of Brian Westbrook, the Eagles could also use some depth at running back behind LeSean McCoy and Weaver. Ladell Betts and Rock Cartwright are well-known to the Eagles after their years with the division rival Redskins, and they each present an affordable option for veteran insurance. Finally, former Saints guard Jamar Nesbit has starting experience but was overtaken by Pro Bowler Carl Nicks this season.
All told, there were a number of players added to the free agent pool that could bolster the back end of an NFL roster but the Eagles, or any other team in the league, will have to look elsewhere if a true impact player is to be found.
-- Posted by Bo Wulf, 11:47 p.m., March 6
