Options for Eagles at Defensive End

During the stretch run of the 2009 season, the Eagles defense failed to get a consistent pass rush whether or not they decided to send the blitz. In the last two heartbreaking losses to the Cowboys, Tony Romo had plenty of time to find an open receiver. Many people around Philadelphia expect the Birds to add another pass rushing force (or two) this offseason.

The Eagles finished the season with six defensive ends on the active roster, five of which are signed through at least 2010. Only one, Jason Babin, is set to become a free agent.

Victor Abiamiri- signed through 2010; cap value of $1.3 million; long injury list clouds future beyond next season

Trent Cole- signed through 2013; only guy with a 100% chance to return

Darren Howard- signed through 2011; cap values of $5.2 mil in 2010, $8 mil in 2011; solid contributor could be released or traded due to high cap number

Chris Clemons- signed through 2012; cap values of $2.1 mil in 2010, $3.89 mil in 2011, $4.2 mil in 2012; part-time guy is also a candidate to be traded or released

Juqua Parker- signed through 2011; cap values of $3.1 mil in 2010, $4.3 mil in 2011; productive season with eight sacks but is getting no younger (32 in May)

Of those five, I expect just three will make the opening 53-man roster next season. Cole and Abiamiri are the safest bets, with Parker being a guy who stands out against the rest. Howard could beat him with his ability to play all along the defensive line as well as serving as backup long snapper.

This would leave 2-3 open spots in the DE rotation for the 2010 season, how do the Eagles address the situation?

….More after the jump

Free Agency

Here are the most notable DE’s to hit free agency next month. Some players will be restricted free agents if a new CBA isn’t put in place, and will be noted here as “RFA”.

Julius Peppers, Panthers, (30)

Aaron Kampman, Green Bay Packers (30)

Leonard Little, St. Louis Rams (35)

Adewale Ogunleye, Chicago Bears (33)

Elvis Dumervil, Broncos (26) – RFA

Ray Edwards, Minnesota Vikings (25) – RFA

Johnny Jolly, Green Bay Packers (27) – RFA

Marcus Spears, Cowboys (27) – RFA

Mark Anderson, Bears (27) – RFA

Derrick Burgess,  Patriots (32)

Darryl Tapp, Seahawks (25) – RFA

Kyle Vanden Bosch, Titans (31)

The guy who jumps off the screen is Peppers, but the one-dimensional end is no longer regarded as “the guy”. Combine that with a high price tag and his preference to play in a 3-4 and there is little reason to expect Reid to aggressively pursue the UNC product. Many of the other guys are either aging fast (Little, Ogunleye, Vanden Bosch) or suited only for the 3-4  scheme (Kampman, Spears).

If I had to pick which guys I would be willing to shell out some dough to obtain, my top picks would be Edwards and Dumervil. Both are young guys coming off breakout years, but their current teams are likely to retain their services. If you watched the Vikings down the stretch, you saw a beast in the making with Edwards. Just 25, there is a bright future for the former 2nd round pick out of Purdue.

Lower cost options in Johnny Jolly and Derrick Burgess could be wise moves for the Eagles. Jolly had a quietly strong season with the Packers, very stiff against the run but not a top tier pass rusher. There were rumors the Eagles were trying to bring back Burgess prior to last season before the Patriots scooped him up. He could be a relatively cheap guy to add to the rotation.

The Draft

When I took a look around the mock draft universe two weeks ago, there were many so-called experts who were predicting the Eagles to select a defensive end with their first round pick, No. 24 overall. ESPN’s Todd McShay wrote that four DE’s could be first-round selections come April, while Mel Kiper has five of them going in the first round of his latest mock draft.

Two of those five (Georgia Tech’s Derrick Morgan and South Florida’s Jason Pierre-Paul) are sure to be gone by the time the Eagles are on the clock. The other three (USC’s Everson Griffen, Florida’s Carlos Dunlap, and Michigan’s Brandon Graham) could potentially fall to the Eagles. Griffen and Dunlap are athletic beasts who have unlimited potential. Teams are usually willing to reach a bit on those type of game-changing pass rushers, which could mean the Eagles would have to trade up two grab one. The other guy with a first round grade, Graham, “was a one man show for the Wolverines“, and could be had at #24.

After those top five, there are three more who could be guys gone by Round 2 (Ole Miss’s Greg Hardy, Clemson’s Ricky Sapp, and Northwestern’s Corey Wootton).  All told there are about eight guys who have a first or second-round grade and with it a high chance to be immediate contributors for a defense. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Eagles new personnel department is currently (like, this second) reviewing tape of all these guys.

There is a bit of depth as you get into the third and fourth rounds, but the Eagles aren’t going to count on a rookie third-round pick to fix the ailing pass rush. If they really like one the aforementioned eight players, there could be some wheeling and dealing come draft day to move up, down, and around the draft to grab the guy they like.

Analysis

A third avenue that the Eagles could take to obtain help at DE is via trade, but there aren’t many rumblings involving the top ends under contract around the league. The most likely option is that Reid and co. will address the position via free agency and/or the draft. Before we talked that the Eagles will probably have 2 or 3 spots open for new additions. That means 3-5 players will be brought in to camp. With nine picks coming up in April, there is little doubt that new GM Howie Roseman will agree with Reid to bring in at least one rookie defensive end. When that player is selected is TBD.

Much of the Eagles draft strategy will be determined by what holes they are able to fill during free agency. As always, the Eagles will kick the tires on every player who piques their interest, including some of the soon-to-be-available pass rushers previously mentioned. There could be some serious turnover at the position if the Eagles find a couple guys they like in FA. What does the future hold for the aging Parker and Howard? Is the experiment over with Victor Abiamiri and Chris Clemons? These questions and more will start to be answered when the free agency period starts on March 5th.

Tags: 2010 NFL Draft, Aaron Kampman, Brandon Graham, Carlos Dunlap, Chris Clemons, Darren Howard, Defensive End, Derrick Burgess, Derrick Morgan, Elvis Dumervil, Everson Griffen, Greg Hardy, Jason Babin, Jason Pierre-Paul, Johnny Jolly, Juqua Parker, Leonard Little, Mel Kiper, Mock Draft, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Ray Edwards, Trent Cole, Victor Abiamiri