The trading/free agent signing period is fast approaching, so the Eagles front office will have to decide who they plan to pursue come March 5th. Over the next few weeks at BGN, we will be taking a position-by-position look at who we could see in an Eagles uniform come training camp. Today's position? Safties.
Ever since the departure of Brian Dawkins, the free safety position has been a shadow of its former self. It became yet another position on the Eagles defense that saw a revolving door of starters, from a former Browns interception wizard to a rookie cornerback. Free agent acquisition Sean Jones did little to fill the hole in the Eagles secondary and likely will be departing via free agency. Macho Harris needs a lot more time to develop and may need to consider switching back to cornerback, his natural position. Oh, and don't even get me started on the play of Quintin Demps. Unfortunately, while the free agent market offers many tantalizing options at safety, almost all of them are unreachable restricted free agents. However, there are a few players worth examining:
Darren Sharper (UFA): Although he's getting up there in years, this past season has shown that Sharper still has what it takes to be a big playmaker in the NFL. During the Saints run to the Super Bowl, he racked up an amazing 9 interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns. The Saints have not placed the franchise tag on Sharper and, should contract talks fail to produce, the Eagles could be a tempting team for Sharper to finish his career. It's hard not to salivate at the thought of Sharper in midnight green.
Jermaine Phillips (UFA): Coming off of a season ending thumb injury, there is a good chance that the 30 year old Phillips will be available come March 5th. In his eight seasons with the Buccaneers, Phillips has demonstrated powerful tackling, good hands, and a knack for stuffing running backs at the line of scrimmage. One thing to watch out for, though, is his off-the-field issues. Phillips was arrested in January for domestic battery, which could eliminate his chances with many teams.
Bryan Scott (UFA): The 28 year old Scott could prove to be a good option at FS with his ballhawking tendencies. He performs well in coverage plays and moves like a cornerback. He has also demonstrated a good deal of versatility, starting at outside linebacker for the Bills during 2009. Scott's natural position, though, is safety and he could prove to be a quality contributor whether starting at FS or backing up Quintin Mikell at SS.
Other Available Free Agents:
- Oshiomogho Atogwe (RFA)
- Antoine Bethea (RFA)
- Roman Harper (RFA)
- Nick Collins (RFA)
- Dawan Landry (RFA)
- Melvin Bullitt (RFA)
- Atari Bigby (RFA)
- Bernard Pollard (RFA)
- Will Allen (UFA)
- Mike Brown (UFA)
- Jarrad Page (RFA)
- George Wilson (RFA)
- Roy Williams (UFA)
- Eric Smith (RFA)
- Ryan Clark (UFA)
- Clinton Hart (UFA)
- Mark Roman (RFA)
- Danieal Manning (RFA)
- Gerald Sensabaugh (RFA)
- Abram Elam (UFA)
- Brodney Pool (RFA)
- Ko Simpson (RFA)
- Nick Ferguson (UFA)
- Brian Russell (UFA)
- Daniel Bullocks (RFA)
- Josh Bullocks (RFA)
- Matt Ware (RFA)
In the next installment, we will be taking a look at cornerbacks. Feel free to leave any suggestions on who to examine in the comments section. For more information on unrestricted vs. restricted free agents in a potentially uncapped year, check out this great article over at Mocking The Draft.
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