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Eagles set to sign Pro Bowl center
By Bob Brookover - INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
The Eagles will have to wait a few more days, but it appears as if their first big free-agent signing of the off-season is going to be LeCharles Bentley, the Pro Bowl center from the New Orleans Saints.
According to a source close to the center, Bentley's interest in joining the Eagles is so strong that only the delay in the free-agency period prevented the move from happening today.
Free-agent signings were supposed to start today, but the NFL moved the date back to Monday in the slim hope that it can still negotiate an extension of the collective bargaining agreement with the players' union.
It has been no secret that the Eagles' primary goal this off-season is to improve on both the offensive and defensive lines. There had been speculation recently that they might try to sign New York Jets center Kevin Mawae if he was released as part of a salary-cap purge.
Mawae, a 12-year veteran, actually was released yesterday, but it makes far more sense for the Eagles to sign Bentley, who is only 26 years old and presumably just moving into the prime of his career.
The Eagles certainly have the salary-cap room needed to make Bentley the kind of offer that would lure him to Philadelphia.
Bentley was a second-round pick by the Saints in 2002. After playing center at Ohio State, he excelled at guard during his first two seasons with the Saints. He was Sports Illustrated's offensive rookie of the year in 2002 and earned a spot on the NFC Pro Bowl roster in his second season. Bentley moved back to center in 2004 and made the Pro Bowl at that position this season.
His impending arrival is likely to be bad news for Hank Fraley, who had been the Eagles' starting center since the 2001 season, when he took over for an injured Bubba Miller. Fraley started all but one game from 2001 through the midway point of last season when he suffered a torn rotator cuff in a loss at Washington.
Fraley, 28, was scheduled to make $650,000 in 2006, which is the final year of his contract.
Jamaal Jackson took over as the starter from Fraley, and he will likely remain with the team in a backup role at center and possibly even as a candidate to compete for a starting job at guard.
It is still not clear what the remainder of the Eagles' offensive line will look like in 2006. Left tackle Tra Thomas, coming off back surgery, will have to prove he is healthy, and last year's starting left guard, Artis Hicks, is not a lock to retain that job.
There are still rumblings that the Eagles will make a run at Seattle's Steve Hutchinson, who is considered by many to be the top guard in the league. The Seahawks placed the transition tag on Hutchinson last week, which means they can match any offer from another team.
On the right side of the offensive line, it seems more than likely that the Eagles will need a replacement for unrestricted free agent Jon Runyan at tackle, with potential candidates being right guard Shawn Andrews or Todd Herremans, who filled in for Thomas at left tackle last season. There has been talk within the organization of moving Herremans to the guard position.
Another name that continues to surface as a potential free-agent addition for the Eagles is quarterback Jeff Garcia, the former Terrell Owens teammate who played in six games for the Detroit Lions last season.
Speaking of Owens, the delayed start to the league's fiscal year has affected him as well. The Eagles now have until March 11 to either trade or release the wide receiver before they will owe him a $5 million roster bonus. The deadline had been Wednesday. The wide receiver, who may be meeting with the Miami Dolphins today, has about as much chance of getting that signing bonus from the Eagles as he does of eating Christmas dinner with Donovan McNabb's family.
Although teams were able to rescind all roster moves they made yesterday because of the decision to delay the start of the free-agency period, several interesting names in addition to Mawae surfaced on the waiver wire before that news.
Among the players cut by teams to create salary-cap space were Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Shawn Barber and Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle La'Roi Glover.
Barber, of course, performed extremely well for the Eagles as their starting weakside linebacker in 2002 before signing a seven-year deal with the Chiefs in 2003.
Injuries have limited Barber to just 11 games in the last two seasons.
Glover, 31, was going into the final year of a deal that would have paid him $6 million this season, including a $1.5 million roster bonus. The move saved the Cowboys $6 million and put them in a position to make some moves of their own in free agency.
When the Eagles talked about failed contract negotiations with former defensive tackle Corey Simon in recent years, Glover's name often arose as a player they considered among the elite defensive tackles. Rocky Bernard, an unrestricted free agent from the Seattle Seahawks, is also a potential target for the Eagles.
Extra points. It appears as if veteran defensive tackle Hollis Thomas may not be back for an 11th season with the Eagles. A team source confirmed a report on profootballtalk.com that the Eagles are trying to trade Thomas, who has not been happy with his contract in the last two seasons... . As expected, the Eagles tendered one-year contracts to their four restricted free agents yesterday. Also as expected, cornerback Rod Hood received the highest-level tender, which means the Eagles would get a first-round draft pick if they decided not to match an offer from another team. Running back Reno Mahe, punter Dirk Johnson and safety Quintin Mikell all received the lowest tender figures, the Eagles said.
Eagles set to sign Pro Bowl center
By Bob Brookover - INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
The Eagles will have to wait a few more days, but it appears as if their first big free-agent signing of the off-season is going to be LeCharles Bentley, the Pro Bowl center from the New Orleans Saints.
According to a source close to the center, Bentley's interest in joining the Eagles is so strong that only the delay in the free-agency period prevented the move from happening today.
Free-agent signings were supposed to start today, but the NFL moved the date back to Monday in the slim hope that it can still negotiate an extension of the collective bargaining agreement with the players' union.
It has been no secret that the Eagles' primary goal this off-season is to improve on both the offensive and defensive lines. There had been speculation recently that they might try to sign New York Jets center Kevin Mawae if he was released as part of a salary-cap purge.
Mawae, a 12-year veteran, actually was released yesterday, but it makes far more sense for the Eagles to sign Bentley, who is only 26 years old and presumably just moving into the prime of his career.
The Eagles certainly have the salary-cap room needed to make Bentley the kind of offer that would lure him to Philadelphia.
Bentley was a second-round pick by the Saints in 2002. After playing center at Ohio State, he excelled at guard during his first two seasons with the Saints. He was Sports Illustrated's offensive rookie of the year in 2002 and earned a spot on the NFC Pro Bowl roster in his second season. Bentley moved back to center in 2004 and made the Pro Bowl at that position this season.
His impending arrival is likely to be bad news for Hank Fraley, who had been the Eagles' starting center since the 2001 season, when he took over for an injured Bubba Miller. Fraley started all but one game from 2001 through the midway point of last season when he suffered a torn rotator cuff in a loss at Washington.
Fraley, 28, was scheduled to make $650,000 in 2006, which is the final year of his contract.
Jamaal Jackson took over as the starter from Fraley, and he will likely remain with the team in a backup role at center and possibly even as a candidate to compete for a starting job at guard.
It is still not clear what the remainder of the Eagles' offensive line will look like in 2006. Left tackle Tra Thomas, coming off back surgery, will have to prove he is healthy, and last year's starting left guard, Artis Hicks, is not a lock to retain that job.
There are still rumblings that the Eagles will make a run at Seattle's Steve Hutchinson, who is considered by many to be the top guard in the league. The Seahawks placed the transition tag on Hutchinson last week, which means they can match any offer from another team.
On the right side of the offensive line, it seems more than likely that the Eagles will need a replacement for unrestricted free agent Jon Runyan at tackle, with potential candidates being right guard Shawn Andrews or Todd Herremans, who filled in for Thomas at left tackle last season. There has been talk within the organization of moving Herremans to the guard position.
Another name that continues to surface as a potential free-agent addition for the Eagles is quarterback Jeff Garcia, the former Terrell Owens teammate who played in six games for the Detroit Lions last season.
Speaking of Owens, the delayed start to the league's fiscal year has affected him as well. The Eagles now have until March 11 to either trade or release the wide receiver before they will owe him a $5 million roster bonus. The deadline had been Wednesday. The wide receiver, who may be meeting with the Miami Dolphins today, has about as much chance of getting that signing bonus from the Eagles as he does of eating Christmas dinner with Donovan McNabb's family.
Although teams were able to rescind all roster moves they made yesterday because of the decision to delay the start of the free-agency period, several interesting names in addition to Mawae surfaced on the waiver wire before that news.
Among the players cut by teams to create salary-cap space were Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Shawn Barber and Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle La'Roi Glover.
Barber, of course, performed extremely well for the Eagles as their starting weakside linebacker in 2002 before signing a seven-year deal with the Chiefs in 2003.
Injuries have limited Barber to just 11 games in the last two seasons.
Glover, 31, was going into the final year of a deal that would have paid him $6 million this season, including a $1.5 million roster bonus. The move saved the Cowboys $6 million and put them in a position to make some moves of their own in free agency.
When the Eagles talked about failed contract negotiations with former defensive tackle Corey Simon in recent years, Glover's name often arose as a player they considered among the elite defensive tackles. Rocky Bernard, an unrestricted free agent from the Seattle Seahawks, is also a potential target for the Eagles.
Extra points. It appears as if veteran defensive tackle Hollis Thomas may not be back for an 11th season with the Eagles. A team source confirmed a report on profootballtalk.com that the Eagles are trying to trade Thomas, who has not been happy with his contract in the last two seasons... . As expected, the Eagles tendered one-year contracts to their four restricted free agents yesterday. Also as expected, cornerback Rod Hood received the highest-level tender, which means the Eagles would get a first-round draft pick if they decided not to match an offer from another team. Running back Reno Mahe, punter Dirk Johnson and safety Quintin Mikell all received the lowest tender figures, the Eagles said.
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