For all those worried about the tenuous state of the right tackle position, it appears as though the Eagles were as well. They agreed to terms on a one year deal with former Bronco Ryan Harris. Harris was a third round pick in 2007 draft and started 34 games for the Broncos. He had registered 10 starts last year, but injuries limited him to just 11 appearances. Harris is an interesting prospect as he's only 26 and was named the Sports Illustrated All Pro team in 2008.
If he stays healthy, he's just the kind of athletic lineman that Howard Mudd likes. ESPN NFC East blogger Dan Graziano was surprised the market for Harris wasn't better than it was.
It's a surprising signing because Harris is only 26 years old, well regarded as a top right tackle and likely thought he'd get a long-term deal once the market opened. But this week's market clearly isn't last week's market, and it appears players are willing to take less in order to sign with the Eagles, who are loading up for a Super Bowl run.
The move will likely come as surprise to Broncos fans, as it was all but assumed he would be re-signing in Denver and was actually scheduled to visit there today. It certainly is believable that Harris intended to sign in Denver, got the call from the Eagles at the last minute and decided to jump on board.
So at best, the Eagles are getting a young, athletic lineman who has been a very good starter in this league. At worst, they've got some depth if Winston Justice gets healthy and plays well. Either way, I think we'll all sleep a little better at night knowing that we at least have some new blood for the competition at RT. Injured and possibly not that good anyway Winston Justice vs King Dunlap isn't exactly idea to be protecting Michael Vick's blindside.