Eagles 2009 Off-Season Overview

It seems like this gets said every year for the Eagles, but they are about to head into a very critical off-season.  Is the window still open, is it closing, or is it now closed?  This off-season will likely determine the answer to that question.  I plan on doing a whole series of posts about the off-season this year includng a position by position analysis, but for now, here is a very brief overview and a schedule for the off-season.

• Filling Out the Coaching Staff - Pat Shurmur has left to be the OC in St. Louis and the guy everyone assumed would replace him, Mark Whipple, could be the next go.   The Eagles still have an opening on the coaching staff so that will need to be filled soon.
• Determining What the Needs Are - There are a lot of areas in which the Eagles could use some improvement, but not all of them will be able to be filled this off-season.  The FO will need to determine what the needs of this team are and how to address them.  Luckily for Andy Reid and Tom Heckert, we will be here to offer them guidance.  We’ll have a position by position review of the team and what its needs are over the next few weeks.
• Resigning Free Agents - The Eagles have quite a few critical free agents this off-season.  Brian Dawkins, Jon Runyan, and Tra Thomas has been mainstays for the Eagles over the last decade, but all three are aging starters and the Eagles will face some tough questions in dealing with all three.  Other unrestricted free agents include Sean Consindine, Correl Buckhalter, Joselio Hansen, and LJ Smith.  Nick Cole and Hank Basket will also be restricted free agnets.  Who comes back? Who moves on?
• Will The Eagles be Buyers in Free Agency? - Last year the Eagles shocked a lot of people and signed the jewel of the free agency class, Asante Samuel, on day one and then followed that up by signing Chris Clemons not too long after.  Will the Eagles be buyers again this year or will they be moe conservative as they usually are?  There’s a lot of potential free agents that could help the Eagles but will the FO pony up the bucks?
  • Free Agency begins on February 27
• NFL Draft - The Eagles will need to figure out which of their needs they will address via free agency and which they will address via the draft.  The Eagles FO loves to build through the draft so it’s likely key areas like OT will be addressed via the draft.
  • NFL Scouting Combine is February 18-24 in Indianapolis, IN
  • NFL Draft is April 25-26 in New York City, NY