When you want to fly high with the Philadelphia Eagles, you boot up and make your way right here – EaglesLocker.com. This is the only blog you'll need to follow the birds through the whole NFL schedule, with the latest news and player stats, fantasy rankings and commentary from experts who are evaluating things every step of the way. We also make sure you're on top of things when it comes to the best deals on Eagles merchandise and apparel, so you look good when you're going to the games – or not. Either way, you have to stick with us, whether you're betting on the Eagles, playing with your fantasy team, or are just an average Eagles fanatic! So spread your wings and come to see us every day – EaglesLocker.com.
The Eagles have re-signed 30-year old OG Evan Mathis to a 5-year, $25 million dollar deal. Mathis played in 15 games (all starts) for the Eagles last year (his first with the team). He has now played in 73 games (37 starts) in his first seven years in the NFL. The Eagles were smart to bring back Mathis as he appears to be a late bloomer.
The Eagles have signed 26-year old OG Mike Gibson to a 2-year deal. Gibson played in 3 games (0 starts) for the Seahawks last year. He has now played in 20 games (8 starts) so far in his NFL career. This was a good move as Gibson will bolster the Eagles’ depth on the interior of the O-Line.
The Eagles have dealt 27-year old OT Winston Justice to the Colts for a sixth round pick. Justice played in 6 games (1 start) for the Eagles last year. He played in 47 games (31 starts) in his six years with the Eagles. This was a good move for the Eagles as Justice has been a disappointment in recent years for them.
The Eagles have re-signed 25-year old DT Antonio Dixon to a 1-year deal. Dixon played in 4 games for the Eagles last year and he had 4 tackles. Dixon has now played in 35 games in his first three years with the Eagles and he has 49 tackles, 3 sacks, 5 tackles for a loss and 2 passes defensed. This was a good move for the Eagles as Dixon provides solid depth on the interior of the D-Line.
The Eagles have released 31-year old center Jamaal Jackson. Jackson played in 16 games (0 starts) for the Eagles last year. He played in 88 games (72 starts) in his 9 years with the Eagles. The Eagles didn’t really need Jackson around anymore due to the play of Jason Kelce, who pushed him out of a starting job. The Eagles won’t miss Jackson too much going forward, even though he had a good career with them.
The Eagles have re-signed 29-year old DE Trent Cole to a 4-year deal. Cole played in 14 games for the Eagles last year and he had 44 tackles, 11 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble and 2 passes defensed. Cole has now played in 108 games in his first 7 years with the Eagles and he has 421 tackles, 68 sacks, 42 tackles for a loss, 12 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, 15 passes defensed and 1 interception (he returned it for a TD). This was a good move for the Eagles to lock up Cole as he seems to be just getting better with age.
The Eagles have re-signed 29-year old OT Todd Herremans to a 3-year, $21 million bucks. He played in 16 games (all starts) for the Eagles last year. He has now played in 95 games (92 starts) in his first seven years with the Eagles. This was a really smart move for the Eagles as Herremans has been a rock solid right tackle for them over the years.
The Eagles have used the franchise tag on 25-year old WR Desean Jackson. Jackson played in 15 games for the Eagles last year and he caught 58 passes for 961 yards (16.6 avg) with 4 TD grabs. He also carried the ball 7 times for 41 yards (5.9 ypc) and he also returned 17 punts for 114 yards (6.7 avg) last year. Jackson has now played in 4 years for the Eagles appearing in 60 games in which he has caught 229 passes for 4,085 yards (17.8 avg) with 21 TD grabs and he also has carried the ball 51 times for 378 yards (7.4 ypc) with 3 TD runs. Jackson has also returned 116 punts for 1,226 yards (10.6 avg) with 4 TD returns for the Eagles. The Eagles were very disappointed in Jackson last year and I’m almost positive that they tagged him to buy more time to deal him.
UPDATE: (3/14/2012) – The Eagles have signed DeSean Jackson to a 5-year, $51 million dollar deal.
The Eagles have signed 28-year old QB Trent Edwards. Edwards didn’t get into any games last season with the Oakland Raiders. He last played in a regular season game back in 2010 with the Bills & Jaguars. Edwards has played in 37 games (33 starts) in his NFL career so far and he has completed 561 of 927 passes (60.5%) for 6,019 yards with 26 TD passes and 30 INTs (75.4 QB Rating). He has also carried the ball 78 times for 330 yards (4.2 ypc) with 2 TD runs. Edwards is 14-19 (42.4%) as a starting QB in the NFL. He projects as little more than a #3 QB for the Eagles in 2012 unless they find someone better for that role in free agency or the draft.
The Eagles had an outstanding draft last April. They got big time production out of six of their draft picks and more could develop for the Eagles down the road. Here is a look at what the rookies did in their debut seasons for the Eagles:
27-year old OG Dan Watkins was picked in the first round by the Eagles last April. He played in 12 games (all starts) for the Eagles last year. Watkins is a little on the old side for a rookie, but he played well for the Eagles and will be a starter when the 2012 season begins.
22-year old safety Jaiquawn Jarrett was a 2nd round pick for the Eagles. He played in 12 games for the Eagles last year and he had 17 tackles. He could develop into a starter down the road for the Eagles.
23-year old CB Curtis Marsh was picked in the 3rd round. Marsh played in 7 games for the Eagles last year and he had 2 tackles and 1 pass defensed. The Eagles hope that Marsh picks up the pace in 2012.
22-year old LB Casey Matthews was selected in the 4th round by the Eagles. He played in all 16 games for the Eagles last year and he had 37 tackles, 1 sack and 2 tackles for a loss. The Eagles hope that Matthews improves in 2012 and beyond.
24-year old kicker Alex Henery was also a 4th round pick of the Eagles. He played in all 16 games for the Eagles last year and he connected on 24 of 27 field goals (88.9%). He also made all 46 of his extra point attempts as he finished last year with an impressive 118 points.
21-year old RB Dion Lewis was picked in the fifth round of the NFL Draft in 2011. He played in 15 games for the Eagles last year and he carried the ball 21 times for 102 yards (4.4 ypc) with 1 TD run. He also caught 1 pass for -3 yards last year. Lewis helped the Eagles on special teams too as he returned 31 kickoffs for 669 yards (21.6 avg) last year.
24-year old guard Julian Vandervelde came to the Eagles in the 5th round. He only played in 1 game (0 starts) for the Eagles last year. He better improve soon or he’s going to have to get a real job.
24-year old center Jason Kelce was a sixth round pick for the Eagles last year. He played in 16 games (all starts) for the Eagles and he was incredible. The Eagles think he will get into multiple Pro Bowls if he can stay healthy.
23-year old LB Brian Rolle was also picked in the sixth round for the Eagles. He played in all 16 games for the Eagles last year and he had 54 tackles, 1 sack, 5 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and 4 passes defensed. Rolle was a steal this late in the draft.
22-year old LB Greg Lloyd came to the Eagles in the 7th round. He didn’t play in any games as a rookie.
24-year old RB Stanley Havili was also picked in the 7th round. He spent his rookie season on the practice squad.
GRADE FOR 2011: A
GRADE FOR THE FUTURE: A+