Eagles Take A Pass For Now

When the 2010 free agent signing period began many Eagles fans like myself believed that the Eagles would strike early and sign Julius Peppers. This hope of course was not without basis. The Eagles struck early and hard with free agents like Kearse and Samuel in recent offseasons, and even tried to do the same unsuccessfully with LeCharles Bentley (thank God this didnt' work out). By all accounts the Eagles did make an early and substantial offer to Peppers. But the Bears apparently made a much better one.

All of this of course has drawn the wrath of fans who for years have accused Banner and the front office of pinching pennies when it comes to signing players. While I won't disagree that Banner and company have left too much cap space unused, the reality is that outside of Peppers, few options would have given the Eagles a substantial and cost effective improvement over what they already have.

Going into this offseason the Eagles found themselves in a rare position. Unlike previous offseasons the Eagles were loaded at most of the offensive skilled position, but generally weak along the offensive line and defense as a whole. As a general rule of thumb you use the draft at positions where pure physical talent trumps skill and intelligence. As nice as Peppers would have been to have, the Eagles might end up getting a better and cheaper player via the draft. The same can be said for just about any position along the offensive line or defense (except for maybe the middle linebacker and safety position).

The Eagles will get plenty of chances to address their needs in the 2010 NFL draft. Recent drafts have produced as many as 5 quality players in a single draft. While not as flashy as signing known stars on the open market, drafting has proven to be the preferred method of choice for the NFL's most successful franchises. Teams like the Steelers, Patriots and Colts have depended almost entirely on the draft to fill their roster.

Even if you dont' think highly of the Eagles and their way of doing things, you should at least respect the above mentioned teams. I'd much rather emulate them than emulate offseason newsmakers like the Washington Redskins or Oakland Raiders. So to all my fellow Eagle fans I say let's wait until after the draft before deeming this offseason a failure.