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Thu.., June 14
How much of an impact will WR James Thrash have? How effective will Duce Staley be? More than he probably should. Thrash is a very good thrid receiver, but now he's going to be asked to be a top guy in an offense that really needs him to excell. If Fred Mitchell and Tood Pinkston can blossom into starters, then Thrash becomes a great fit, because he can also give them some help on return teams.
As for Staley, he has to be effective. They don't have a lot of options if he isn't. McNabb really has to rely on him as a receiver out of the backfield, now that he's lost Charles Johnson.
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One of the biggest areas of need in Philadelphia was upgrading the receiving corps. Whether that was accomplished remains to be seen. The Eagles signed free agent James Thrash from the Redskins and drafted Freddie Mitchell (UCLA) in the first round. However, the Eagles also released Charles Johnson, who caught 56 passes for 642 yards and seven touchdowns last season, and Torrance Small. While Johnson wasn't a game-breaker, he was Donovan McNabb's offseason workout partner and one of his favorite targets.
On the defensive side of the ball the Eagles were relatively quiet. The most important move they made was re-signing linebacker Jeremiah Trotter to a one-year tender. Trotter was the leading tackler on the Eagles last season. Philadelphia also re-signed defensive end Brandon Whiting (3½ sacks) to a six-year deal.
Perhaps the biggest move this offseason was the decision by owner Jeffrey Lurie to release director of football operations Tom Modrak and pro personnel director Mike McCartney from the final two years of their contracts. Modrak is regarded as one of the better personnel men in the NFL and was given a lot of the credit for turning the Eagles into a winning team. Lurie was upset over rumors that Modrak might leave. The move gives more control over personnel decisions to head coach
Andy Reid.
Eagles' complete offseason moves
How they drafted
It was not a surprise when the Eagles took a wide receiver in the first round of the draft. As good as McNabb was last year, the Eagles had to provide him with more weapons. They hope they accomplished that by picking Mitchell, the confident speedster from UCLA. If Mitchell is half as good as he thinks he is, the Eagles will have successfully upgraded their receiving corps. Second-round draft pick Quenton Caver could challenge for a starting sport at weakside linebacker.
Unfinished business
The biggest question surrounding the Eagles is the health and durability of running back Duce Staley. After two straight 1,000-yard season, Staley played only five games last season before suffering a dislocation of the Lisfranc joint in his right foot. Staley not only boosts the running attack, he is an important part of Philadelphia's passing game. Another bit of unfinished business is reaching a long-term deal with Trotter. The All-Pro middle linebacker agreed to a one-year tender of $1.15 million and will be an unrestricted free agent after the season. Philadelphia has a decent amount of cap space, so look for them to try to get a deal done with Trotter.
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Dates to remember (times are local)
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Thursday, July 26
Rookies report to training camp (Lehigh, Bethlehem, Pa.)
Sunday, July 29
Veterans report to training camp
Monday, August 13
Preseason schedule begins
Baltimore at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, August 18
Philadelphia at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, August 23
Philadelphia at Tennessee, 7 p.m. (CBS)
Thursday, August 30
New York Jets at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, September 9
Regular season begins
Philadelphia at St. Louis, 4:15 p.m. ET
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