2009 NFL Free Agency: Offensive Line

Tra Thomas is patiently waiting for the Eagles to make him an offer he can't refuse

If there is one thing that I agree with Andy Reid on, it’s the importance of the offensive line.  Football games are won and lost in the trenches.  The Offensive Line has long been strength of the Eagles, and we have used both the draft and Free Agency to add talent.

The 2009 off-season brought a lot of questions to the line, none of which have been addressed (yet).  Both starting tackles from last year are unrestricted free agents.  Jon Runyan had a fairly serious knee surgey, and I expect him to re-sign once he gets himself healthy.  On the left side, Tra Thomas is expected to resign with the Birds, but that has yet to happen upon posting.  On top of the questions at Tackle, former first round pick Shawn Andrews missed the entire 2008 season while battling depression and a lingering back injury.

With such uncertainty at a critical position like Offensive Tackle, the Eagles would be wise to address the position in more ways than one.  Restricted Free Agent Nick Cole signed a 2nd round tender today, so he will be back in Green next year.  The Eagles have already been linked to Ravens Guard / Center Jason Brown, and I’m sure Andy Reid and Co. plan on aggressively pursuing the top Free Agents along the Offensive Line.

Tackles

• Stacy Andrews – 27 – Cincinnati – Tackle / Guard
• Jon Runyan – 35 – Philadelphia – Tackle
• Tra Thomas – 34 – Philadelphia - Tackle
• Marvel Smith – 33 – Pittsburgh – Tackle
• Willie Colon (Restricted) – 25 – Pittsburgh – Tackle
• Elton Brown – 26 – Arizona – Tackle / Guard
• Wayne Gandy – 38 – Atlanta – Tackle
• John St. Clair – 31 – Chicago – Tackle
• Jason Fabini – 34 – Washington – Tackle
• Rob Petitti – 26 – St. Louis - Tackle
• George Foster – 28 – Detroit – Tackle

Guards

• Jason Brown – 25 – Baltimore – Center / Guard
• Chris Kemoeatu – 26 – Pittsburgh – Guard
• Jahri Evans (Restricted) – 25 – New Orleans – Guard
• Harvey Dahl (Restricted) – 27 – Atlanta – Guard
• Russ Hochstein – 31 – New England – Guard
• Duke Preston – 26 – Buffalo – Guard / Center
• Seth McKinney – 29 – Cleveland – Guard / Center
• Floyd Womack – 30 – Seattle – Guard
• Pete Kendall – 35 – Washington – Guard

Centers

• Jeff Saturday – 33 – Indianapolis – Center
• Melvin Fowler – 29 – Buffalo – Center
• Tom Nalen – 37 – Denver – Center
• Brad Meester – 31 – Jacksonville – Center
• Matt Birk – 32 – Minnesota – Center
• Jeremy Newberry – 32 – San Diego - Center
• Steve McKinney – 33 – Seattle – Center / Guard

Of the positions along the line, the #1 priority is the Offensive Tackle.  However, the Eagles have quite a few linemen who can play either Guard to Tackle like Shawn Andrews and Todd Herremans.  Therefore, signing a player at either OG or OT makes sense of the Birds, as long as they are comfortable moving Andrews or Herremans outside.  Among the available Tackles, Marvel Smith and Shawn Andrews’ brother Stacy are the most intriguing and could start immediately.

Rumors are floating that the Eagles are interested in center/guard Jason Smith, but I don’t know what the fascination is about.  If I were going to go after a Guard in Free Agency, that player would be Chris Kemoeatu.  The 345 pound Guard from Tonga fits in the mold of Andrews and Max Jean-Gilles, and would help the Eagles further improve their running attack.  Plus the Eagles have been lacking a Samoan presence.

Ideally, I’d like to see Thomas re-sign as soon as possible.  If the Eagles aren’t comformtable relying on Runyan in ‘09, I’d slide Todd Herremans out to RT and sign a Free Agent Guard like Brown or Kemoeatu.  Then on top of re-signing Thomas and inking a Free Agent, I’m still looking for the Eagles Left Tackle of the future in the 1st round of the upcoming draft.  That’s a lot of action along the Offensive Line, which is exactly what Andy Reid wants.