The Philadelphia Eagles have added a couple of new QBs to the depth chart and that has some questioning how Donovan McNabb’s rehab is going.  The Eagles need McNabb healthy because even though the Eagles are deep at QB, none of them is near as good a QB as McNabb is.  McNabb has a good arm and he’s a good enough athlete to take of running when protection breaks down or he slides the pocket and buys time before he throws the football.  McNabb was outstanding last season before he was injured.  He played in 10 games (all starts) and he completed 180 of 316 (57%) of his passes for 2,647 yards with 18 TD passes and 6 interceptions (95.5 QB Rating).  He also carried the football 32 times for 212 yards (6.6 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  His 32nd carry last season was the one that he blew his knee out on.  I’m sure the Eagles are going to try to get McNabb to run the ball less because they are a better team with him on the field.  He has played in 104 games (98 starts) in his career with the Eagles and he’s completed 1,898 of 3,259 passes (58.2%) for 22,080 yards with 152 TD passes and 72 interceptions (85.2 QB Rating).  He also has carried the football 447 times for 2,726 yards (6.1 ypc) with 24 TD runs.

A.J. Feeley will likely be the #2 QB this season for the Eagles.  He always has played better in Philly than anywhere else he’s played as he’s a nice fit in their offensive system.  Feeley played in 2 games (0 starts) for the Eagles last season and he completed 26 for 38 passes (68.4%) for 342 yards with 3 TDs and 0 INTs (122.9 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 1 time for 3 yards.  Feeley always has seemed to be a better backup than a starter so the Eagles need McNabb to stay healthy.  Feeley has played in 20 games (13 starts) in his NFL career, and he’s completed 313 of 562 passes (55.7%) for 3,389 yards with 22 TDs and 21 INTs (71.1 QB Rating).  He also has carried the football 27 times for 22 yards (0.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.

The Eagles acquired veteran backup Kelly Holcomb from the Buffalo Bills in the off season and he will battle rookie 2nd round pick Kevin Kolb for the #3 job on the Eagles.  Holcomb is efficient in the short passing game but he doesn’t have enough arm strength to make the deep throws.  Holcomb didn’t play a down last season for the Bills.  Holcomb has played in 34 games (21 starts) and he’s completed 523 of 810 passes (64.6%) for 5,401 yards with 37 TD passes and 37 interceptions (79.9 QB Rating).  He also has carried the football 43 times for 30 yards (0.7 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Kevin Kolb might take some time to adjust to the Eagles offense as he played at a Run N Shoot type offense in Houston.  He definately has the skills to succeed but it will likely be a while before he’s ready to play in a real game for the Eagles.

 

Nate Ilaoa is the kind of back that Andy Reid likes.  He is a big guy that is a powerful runner and he’s an excellent receiver out of the backfield.  Ilaoa is 5’8″, 248 pounds and he runs a 4.65 40.  He won’t run by anyone for long TDs but he’s a solid all around back.  In 37 games (27 starts) at Hawaii, Ilaoa carried the football 222 times for 1,689 yards (7.6 ypc) with 20 TD runs.  He also caught 151 passes for 1,694 yards (11.2 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  Ilaoa could wind up making the Eagles as a short yardage back and a special teams player as a rookie.

Rashad Barksdale concentrated on baseball in his first three years in college as he always wanted to be a major league baseball player.  But he decided to give football a try at Albany as a senior and he had an impressive season.  Barksdale is 6’0″, 208 pounds and he runs a 4.46 40 so the Eagles’ coaches will have a lot to work with.  Barksdale is a beast defending the run as he often drives right through the running back.  But that was at Albany and the NFL might be another story.  As a senior at Albany, Barksdale made 37 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, broke up 3 passes and had 3 interceptions.  He also returned 26 punts for 221 yards (8.5 avg).  Look for the Eagles to use Barksdale on special teams as a rookie.  He will likely need a season of coaching before he’s ready to play NFL defense but he could be worth the wait.

Brent Celek is the kind of tough guy that Philly will love.  He plays until the whistle and loves to block downfield in the running game.  He also is a good receiver as he has soft hands and a big body to throw around.  He is 6’4″, 261 pounds and he runs a 4.75 40.  Celek isn’t going to run away from defenders after he catches the ball, but he will catch any pass that hits his hands.  In 48 games (38 starts) at Cincinnati, Celek caught 91 passes for 1,135 yards (12.5 avg) with 14 TD grabs.  Celek will back up L.J. Smith and play on a lot of the Eagles’ special teams as a rookie.

C.J. Gaddis probably could have used another year in college to develop but no one can deny his physical ability.  Gaddis is 6’0″, 205 pounds and he runs a 4.45 40.  He’s a workout warrior and it shows on the field as he tackles through ball carriers.  He will need a little work on pass defense fundamentals as he can get tricked into a mistake by a savvy WR.  At Clemson, Gaddis played in 35 games (16 starts) and he made 113 tackles, broke up 7 passes, had 5 interceptions (63 return yards) and he forced 2 fumbles.  Look for Gaddis to work in nickel and dime sets as a rookie and for him to be a special teams assassin.  He could develop into a future starter if he can improve against the pass.

The Philadelphia Eagles have not had a power running back in a long, long time that is automatic in short yardage situations.  That is about to chance now that they drafted Tony Hunt out of Penn State in the 3rd round.  Hunt is a big guy at 6’1″, 239 pounds and he runs a 4.6 40 which is pretty good for a running back his size.  Hunt always pushes the pile forward and he’s a great runner between the tackles.  In 46 games (35 starts) at Penn State, Hunt carried the football 654 times for 3,320 yards (5.1 ypc) with 25 TD runs.  He also caught 88 passes for 799 yards (8.1 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Look for Hunt to push Correll Buckhalter for carries this season.

The Eagles have released WR/KR Bethel Johnson.  Johnson played in 11 games (2 starts) for the Eagles last season and he caught 9 passes for 156 yards (17.3 avg) and he carried the ball 4 times for 8 yards (2.0 ypc).  The hardest thing to replace about Johnson will be as a kickoff returner.  He returned 45 kickoffs for 1,054 yards (23.4 avg) last season for the Eagles.

Starting Eagles TE L.J. Smith had surgery to repair a sports hernia on Wednesday.  He might not be ready for Training Camp which could get a lot of reps for rookie 5th round pick Brent Celek.  The Eagles are lucky they drafted a tight end to back up Smith.