Happy trails Darren Howard

The Philadelphia Eagles announced today that they've released veteran DE Darren Howard. Andy Reid had this to say.

"Darren Howard has been one of our most productive and versatile members of our defense in the last couple of years," said head coach Andy Reid. "He is nothing but a solid player, leader and person on and off the field."

This is one of those moves that surprising in some ways but not in others... Howard signed to be a productive DE opposite Trent Cole, a role in which he ended up being a bust in. However, he was able to find a usable role for himself as a situational pass rushing DT, where he collected most of his 15.5 sacks the past two seasons. That was, however, his only useful role and considering Howard was scheduled to make over $5 million next year the Eagles obviously felt that wasn't enough. The addition of Daryl Tapp, who can also shift inside, likely helped Howard out the door. In addition, the Eagles probably still hope to see Victor Abiamiri stay healthy as he has shown flashes of being a good inside rusher as well.