While teams may be eyeing the Eagles' receiver situation, Philadelphia is reportedly keeping a close watch on New England's tight end group.
The Patriots are four-deep at the position, with Chris Baker, David Thomas, Benjamin Watson and Alex Smith.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Pats would "definitely" be willing to deal Smith, a 2005 third-round pick by Tampa Bay who was traded to the Patriots for a fifth-round pick in the off-season.
A pass-catching tight end, Smith has 11 touchdowns among his 129 career receptions. He has played in 58 games (43 starts) over his career and is averaging 9.7 yards per catch. Smith hauled in a career-high 41 passes in his rookie year and posted a career-best 385 receiving yards two seasons ago.
Watson, meanwhile, is another pass-catching threat who has spent five seasons in New England. Watson has 15 catches on his resume and boasts a 12.3-yard career average. Watson caught 49 passes for 643 yards and three touchdowns in 2006 and followed that up with 36 receptions for 389 yards and six touchdowns during New England's perfect regular season in 2007.
Heading into training camp, the Eagles had high hopes for rookie Cornelius Ingram, but the fifth-round pick tore his ACL in camp. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound Ingram was expected to add some punch to the team's red-zone offense which struggled mightily in 2008. Of course, Ingram had season-ending surgery last month and was placed on the Injured Reserve list on Tuesday.
At this point, Brent Celek enters the season as the starter. Behind him are veteran Matt Schobel, former Dallas and Kansas City product Tony Curtis, who was signed last week and is expected to play in Thursday's preseason finale, as well as young, inexperienced players Rob Myers and Eugene Bright.
The asking price for one of the Pats tight ends could be backup quarterback A.J. Feeley. The Eagles may not feel comfortable trading Feeley until Michael Vick is reinstated by the league.
-- Posted by Bob Kent, 4:24 p.m., Sept. 2
