The first blips on the free-agent radar screen have appeared:

The Eagles tendered their nine restricted free agents, though several reports indicate that one of them, Pro Bowl fullback Leonard Weaver, will be signed to a long-term contract – probably the biggest no-brainer of the Birds’ offseason.

Julius Peppers, the former Carolina defensive end and the plum of this free agent class, was poised to visit Chicago Friday, with the expectation that he would sign with the Bears. If for some reason he does not, the Eagles are next on Peppers’ list, his agent told the Gaston (N.C.) Gazette. That is known in Philadelphia as scant consolation.

Jason Babin, who had some good moments as a backup defensive end for the Birds in 2009, has attracted the interest of the Redskins, according to a Tweet by the Washington Post's Rick Maese. And here we thought there was a chance Babin might stay in the NFL.

The Daily News’ Les Bowen believes that the Eagles might hold their fire in free agency and wait until the draft to address their most pressing needs – which while not the sexiest approach might be the most prudent.

More to follow, no doubt.
 

With free agency looming, Sports Illustrated’s Don Banks offered his best guesses as to where the top free agents might (and should) land.

He believes running back Darren Sproles, late of San Diego, will wind up in Washington, playing for the man lucky enough to coach under Dan Snyder this season, Mike Shanahan.

But Banks sees the Eagles as a better fit, noting that the diminutive Sproles would be a nice third-down changeup behind LeSean McCoy.

Banks also sees Julius Peppers, darling of the Philadelphia talk-radio set, landing with the Redskins, and Aaron Kampman going to a team that plays the 4-3 defense. You might recall that the Packers tried to make him into an outside linebacker in their new 3-4 look last year, which proved to be a difficult transition for a guy who had made his mark with his hand on the ground.

So maybe, Banks surmised, Chicago, Tennessee, Seattle or Detroit will make a run at Kampman.

The Birds should think about it, too, if they don’t win the Peppers Sweepstakes.

The caveat, of course, is this: Kampman is coming off knee surgery. And we all know how well things went with Stacy Andrews last year.

And would it be outlandish for the Birds to bring in center Kevin Mawae? Granted, he’s 39. But he made another Pro Bowl last year with the Titans, and who knows how well Jamaal Jackson will bounce back from his own knee surgery?

Finally: Is it possible for a player to, well, tamper with himself? Michael Vick went on an Atlanta radio station Tuesday and said he wouldn’t mind playing for Carolina – in part because he likes the Panthers’ uniforms.

Pretty compelling logic there.

And just wondering here, but isn’t Michael still under contract with the Eagles?

As reported by the Wilmington News-Journal’s Geoff Mosher recently, the Birds intend to keep Vick, at least for now; there had been speculation that he would be cut before Friday, so the team wouldn’t have to pay him a $1.5 million roster bonus.

As Mosher also noted recently that the Eagles will receive a third-round draft pick if Vick plays out his contract in Philadelphia and signs elsewhere. Suffice it to say they will be looking for something more than that in any deal that is proposed now.


 

Say this for Brian Westbrook, now that his tenure with the Eagles is almost at an end: He knew how to play the game – on the field, obviously, but just as obviously off it.

He knew how to play his hand when it came to getting more cash, more carries. And he knew how to play the media, something few Philadelphia athletes ever do.

He played this off-field game, knowing full well that someday he would get played, as was the case Tuesday.

The Eagles announced they would sever ties with the eight-year veteran and two-time Pro Bowl running back, come March 5. In the process, they will rid themselves of the $7.25 million contract obligation they would have had to Westbrook.

But really, it seems to be more of a football decision than a money decision. Unless a new collective bargaining agreement is reached (highly unlikely), this will be an uncapped year. And Andy Reid would not tell reporters whether or not the team had asked Westbrook to restructure his contract.

If you want to read between those lines, it seems safe to assume that they thought Westbrook was a shot fighter – and not without reason, considering his two concussions this past season and his lingering knee and ankle woes.

It seems likely that he will surface with another team as a third-down back, but his days as a feature performer are over. In fact, they were over before this season even began, which explains why the Eagles snapped up LeSean McCoy in the draft last April.

Westbrook, no dummy he, long ago knew that he wouldn’t have much of a shelf life. That few players do. Which is why he tried so hard to make the most of his days in the spotlight. And he was perfectly willing to use whatever leverage he had, to get more touches or a new contract. (And if that involved using reporters to his best advantage, so be it.)

Westbrook did the latter most notably in September 2005. That was the year after the Eagles reached the Super Bowl, remember, and the year everything went so terribly wrong with Terrell Owens. Westbrook, unhappy with his contract, staged a holdout in training camp, and when he finally showed up refused all interview requests.

Even for him that was extreme. Usually he was approachable enough. Not extremely friendly or chatty (except when he was discussing how much more he wanted the ball), but approachable.

Camp broke. The team returned to its practice facility in South Philadelphia. And then shortly before the season opener he finally decided he wanted to hold a news conference in the auditorium of the place, where all such affairs are staged. And while he didn’t exactly blast the team – his tone was even, rational – he did make his feelings quite clear.

“It's a business situation, but in reality, for me, it's personal,” Westbrook said. “Every time I step on the field I'm productive. And every time that I go to the bank and look at the bank, I want to see the result of that.”

Later that year he was given a five-year, $25 million extension. The Eagles made him earn that; in fact, they pretty much used him up in 2006 and ’07 – especially the latter, when he had 368 touches and led the NFL with 2,104 yards from scrimmage.

But he knew the deal. He knew that that’s just how the NFL works – that players (especially running backs) get run into the ground, then discarded. (See: Tomlinson, LaDainian.)

So bully for Westbrook, for making the best of things while he still had the chance.

Also ...

A Howard Stern disciple fooled the folks at SportsCenter into thinking that he was Westbrook, as noted by Deadspin.com.

Joe Fortenbaugh of the National Football Post believes that the Eagles would be wise to make a run at Thomas Jones, should the Jets let him go.

Jason La Canfora of NFL.com doesn’t believe the Birds will part company with Michael Vick until August.

 

The Sporting News ranked its top draft-eligible defensive players in this week’s print edition, and had USC’s Taylor Mays listed as the No. 1 safety, followed by South Florida’s Nate Allen, Virginia Tech’s Kam Chancellor, Massachusett’s Jeromy Miles and Kansas’ Darrell Stuckey.

Tennessee’s Eric Berry, who many analysts believe will be the top safety chosen in April’s draft, was inexplicably listed among the cornerbacks. And Texas’ Earl Thomas, whom Mike Mayock of the NFL Network likes, wasn’t listed at all – proving, once again, that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

TSN did offer an analysis of former Florida State safety Myron Rolle, who played in the Senior Bowl last month after spending last year away from the game, while studying as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford (and earning a masters in medical anthropology). And the consensus seems to be that Rolle is as good as ever – and as a result might be a guy the Eagles would want to consider.

“It was hard to tell he had been away,” an NFC assistant coach told the publication. “He was in great shape and moved around beautifully.”

“For a guy who hasn't played in a while he's done everything you'd want,'' a scout told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “He's making people notice him. No one really came here thinking about him and he's jumped out a little.”

There are some red flags. The first is that Rolle is best-suited for strong safety, not free safety – and the Eagles’ need is for the latter, not the former. The second is that he does not possess blazing speed; his best 40 time, according to this Web site, is 4.48, and he more commonly checks in at around 4.6. Finally, there is the question as to how long he might want to play pro football. While he was born in Houston and raised in New Jersey, Rolle is of Bahamian descent and has said he would like to open a free clinic in the Bahamas.

But certainly character would not appear to be an issue. And you wouldn’t think there would be much of a learning curve; he graduated from Florida State in 2.5 years, with a 3.75 GPA.

It is believed that Rolle will go no later than the fourth round. And the Eagles have certainly done well in that part of the draft under the Andy Reid Administration. Trent Cole and Brent Celek were both fifth-round picks – in 2005 and ‘07, respectively. Brian Westbrook was a third-round choice in ‘02.

And way back in 1996 the Eagles used the last pick of the second round on a safety.

Guy by the name of Brian Dawkins.

Whatever happened to him, anyway?



 

The Sporting News ranked its top draft-eligible defensive players in this week’s print edition, and had USC’s Taylor Mays listed as the No. 1 safety, followed by South Florida’s Nate Allen, Virginia Tech’s Kam Chancellor, Massachusett’s Jeromy Miles and Kansas’ Darrell Stuckey.

Tennessee’s Eric Berry, who many analysts believe will be the top safety chosen in April’s draft, was inexplicably listed among the cornerbacks. And Texas’ Earl Thomas, whom Mike Mayock of the NFL Network likes, wasn’t listed at all – proving, once again, that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

TSN did offer an analysis of former Florida State safety Myron Rolle, who played in the Senior Bowl last month after spending last year away from the game, while studying as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford (and earning a masters in medical anthropology). And the consensus seems to be that Rolle is as good as ever – and as a result might be a guy the Eagles would want to consider.

“It was hard to tell he had been away,” an NFC assistant coach told the publication. “He was in great shape and moved around beautifully.”

“For a guy who hasn't played in a while he's done everything you'd want,'' a scout told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “He's making people notice him. No one really came here thinking about him and he's jumped out a little.”

There are some red flags. The first is that Rolle is best-suited for strong safety, not free safety – and the Eagles’ need is for the latter, not the former. The second is that he does not possess blazing speed; his best 40 time, according to this Web site, is 4.48, and he more commonly checks in at around 4.6. Finally, there is the question as to how long he might want to play pro football. While he was born in Houston and raised in New Jersey, Rolle is of Bahamian descent and has said he would like to open a free clinic in the Bahamas.

But certainly character would not appear to be an issue. And you wouldn’t think there would be much of a learning curve; he graduated from Florida State in 2.5 years, with a 3.75 GPA.

It is believed that Rolle will go no later than the fourth round. And the Eagles have certainly done well in that part of the draft under the Andy Reid Administration. Trent Cole and Brent Celek were both fifth-round picks – in 2005 and ‘07, respectively. Brian Westbrook was a third-round choice in ‘02.

And way back in 1996 the Eagles used the last pick of the second round on a safety.

Guy by the name of Brian Dawkins.

Whatever happened to him, anyway?



 

Mike Mayock, draft analyst for the NFL Network, appeared on Comcast SportsNet’s Daily News Live Thursday, and as always served up some great food for thought.

It is generally believed that the Eagles will use their first-round pick (No. 24 overall) on a safety in the draft, scheduled for April 22-24. And the one Mayock has come to like is Earl Thomas, from Texas.

Thomas is not big, Mayock noted; he said Thomas goes 5-10, 186. Texas’ official Web site lists him at the same height, but at 197 pounds. Whatever the case, he is much smaller than another player often linked to the Birds, USC’s Taylor Mays.

Mays, who goes 6-3, 230, is a big hitter who saw his stock plummet this past season, amid concerns over his coverage abilities.

Sounds a little too much like current Eagle Sean Jones.

Thomas, by contrast, is “a playmaker,” Mayock said on DNL.

And then he dropped this nugget: “He reminds me of Ed Reed.”

Mayock tempered it a bit, saying Thomas is not as good as Reed, the Baltimore star. Few players are. But his ballhawking clearly caught Mayock’s eye during film study.

Thomas recorded eight interceptions in 2009, a Longhorns single-season record, and returned two of them for touchdowns. He was also credited with 71 tackles (45 of them solos), and 16 pass breakups. The latter total, combined with his interceptions, means he defended 24 passes, most in the country.

So it’s a name to keep in mind. Goodness knows there will be others in the weeks ahead.