Report: Brian Dawkins will retire as an Eagle

The player that still remains in the hearts of all Eagles fans is coming home.  According to Jeff McLane of the Inquirer, Brian Dawkins, who announced his retirement last week, will sign a one day contract and retire as an Eagle.  Dawkins had been with the Broncos for the last three seasons but will certainly be better remembered for being the anchor of the Eagles defense through all of those NFC Championship games.

Expect Dawkins to get a celebration at an Eagles game this season and for his #20 to be retired.  After that, expect plenty of Hall of Fame debates.  I know how we all feel about B-Dawk but its not exactly easy for safeties to get into the Hall.

Akers, Dawkins make NFL All-Decade Team

The NFL will announce their All-Decade Team for the 2000's, as voted on by the Pro Football Hall of Fame Committee, this weekend at the Pro Bowl, and we already know that two players who spent most of the decade with the Eagles that will be on the team: David Akers and Brian Dawkins. Akers and Dawkins, along with 9 other players, learned that they will be on the All-Decade Team when the NFL informed all of the All-Decade players that are playing in the Pro Bowl this season that they would receive the honor. The rest of the team will be made up of players not at the Pro Bowl this season.

Akers and Dawkins are certainly deserving of the honor. Akers spent the entire decade with the Eagles and was one of the top kickers in the game year in and year out. Dawkins was also at the top of his game for the entire decade as a leader of the Eagles defense.

Other Eagles could be added to the All-Decade team although I doubt any others would be in consideration. Donovan McNabb would have already been announced as the QB but there was no way he was going to beat out Peyton Manning for that honor.

Here is the list of players already announced as members of the NFL All-Decade Team:
Antonio Gates TE, Alan Faneca G, Steve Hutchinson G, Kevin Mawae C, Julius Peppers DE, Ray Lewis LB, Champ Bailey CB, Dawkins S, Shane Lechler P, Akers K, Josh Cribbs KR

Eagles/Broncos Inactives: Westbrook, Maclin back

The Eagles and Broncos announced their inactive players for their Week 16 match-up:

Eagles: OL Stacy Andrews, WR Kevin Curtis, DB Quintin Demps, DT Trevor Laws, OL Mike McGlynn, CB Geoffrey Pope, TE Martin Rucker, QB Michael Vick

Broncos: DL Chris Baker, QB Tom Brandstater, S Vernon Fox, RB LaMont Jordan, FB Spencer Larsen, CB Ty Law, G Seth Olsen, WR Eddie Royal

The biggest news in this game is that both Brian Westbrook and Jeremy Maclin are back for the Eagles. I would expect Westbrook to get very limited action, possibly 5 touches or so. WR Kevin Curtis is back to being inactive after making a comeback last week, perhaps he suffered a setback in his recovery. Also not playing for the Eagles is Michael Vick, who was injured last week. Vick could still be used as the emergency quarterback but Kevin Kolb is the backup for today.

As for the Broncos, Eddie Royal is their biggest name on the inactive list. Royal is a big threat in the return game so Denver will miss him there.

It's a big game for the Eagles this week, both for playoff scenarios and for the return of Brian Dawkins. While I miss Weapon X as much as the next fan, I hope the Eagles torch him all day today. GO BIRDS!

With Houshmandzadeh and Ward signed, Eagles continue to be free agency spectators

As two more players the Eagles were rumored to be interested in get signed, you begin to wonder what exactly the Birds plan to spend their money on. All the reports out there say the Eagles have over 40 million dollars to work with under the cap, yet the Eagles continue to sit on their hands as all the quality free agents get snatched up.

Not that the Eagles should necessarily pursue some of these players given the prices some teams are paying. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, a receiver who would have looked nice in an Eagles uniform but wouldn't have been the playmaker Donovan McNabb wanted, signed with the Seahawks for 5 years and 40 million dollars. Derrick Ward, who the Eagles could have used as a backup to Brian Westbrook, signed with the Bucs for 4 years and 17 million dollars. Both teams overpayed, especially the Seahawks. Housh is a quality recevier but he is already 32 years old and never had much speed to begin with. Ward would have been a solid backup with the Eagles, but not at that price. He will get a chance to start in Tampa and could excel.

So, what does that leave for the Eagles, who were never really all that interested in Housh or Ward? With the departure of Brian Dawkins, the Eagles could look at bringing in another safety, like former Raven Jim Leonhard. The rest of the defense appears set, so the Eagles could also look to upgrade their offensive line and get a backup running back. Then again, they may just look to get those players in the draft and save their money. Of course, there is always that pipe dream that the Eagles can bring in a top wide receiver, but that will have to happen in a trade and there has been little talk about Anquan Boldin recently. Marvin Harrison is probably the best available free agent wideout but if the Eagles really wanted him they would have signed him already.

So what will the Eagles do with their extra money? Probably nothing, which makes the idea that they couldn't find the money to pay Brian Dawkins that much more frustrating. As Eagles fans, though, we should be used to all of this by now.

It's official: Dawkins signs 5 year deal with Broncos

If this is what it would have taken to keep Brian Dawkins in Philly, maybe the Eagles were smart to let him go. Dawkins has officially signed with the Broncos, getting a 5 year, 17 million dollar deal. According to Adam Schefter of NFL Network, the deal could be worth as much as 27 million over the 5 years and it could also be reduced to 2 years, 9 million.

Really, Denver, 5 years? There is no way that the 35 year old Dawkins will be playing for 5 more seasons, so this deal is probably really just for the 2 year minimum. B-Dawk should be a solid player and a great leader over those 2 years.

The Eagles have now officially lost their heart and soul. The only positive to come from this move is they will now get signicantly younger on defense. The Birds are still way under the cap so it will be interesting to see what they do next to plug some of their holes.

Dawkins to the Broncos appears done

Bad news, Eagles fans. The signing that was off and on and back off again appears to be pretty much official: Brian Dawkins is going to sign with the Broncos. Barring some 11th hour offer, the Eagles are going to lose their defensive leader.

The story was initially leaked as a rumor by the San Francisco Chronicle and was then refuted by several sources, including Adam Schefter of NFL Network. Unfortunately, two reliable sources have come out late Friday night and confirmed that Dawkins has all but signed on the dotted line: Fox 29 of Philadelphia and Derrick Gunn of Comcast Sportsnet.

The shocking part about Dawkins leaving is the fact that the Eagles sit some 40 plus million dollars under the cap. You can't tell me they can't afford to pay Dawkins a few extra bucks over two years to let him retire an Eagle. We know that Dawkins isn't asking for a ton of money, he simply wants more than a one year deal.

The Eagles better have a plan up their sleeve about how they are going to make this team better because all they have done this offseason is lose players. Losing Correll Buckhalter, Lito Sheppard and L.J. Smith aren't huge blows but when you add in a veteran leader like Dawkins, you have to wonder if the team will remain one of the best in the NFC again next year.

I hope that it isn't true as much as the next Eagles fan, but it appears that Brian Dawkins will not be wearing Eagles green next season. Seeing him in a Broncos uniform is going to make me sick.

Brian Dawkins is a Bronco?

It's now official (?). Brian Dawkins has signed with the Denver Broncos. The Eagles were too cheap to offer a multi-year deal to a guy that has given everything he had to the team so he left town. Yet another Philly legend will end his career in another place. Good luck, B-Dawk, and thanks for everything you have done for the Birds. You were the heart and soul of the defense and you truly bled Eagles green.

In other news, the Eagles will now start Quintin Demps at free safety.

Update: Not so fast! There are a ton of conflicting reports out there about whether Dawkins has actually signed with the Broncos. The original story came from the San Francisco Chronicle (why would they be the one breaking it?), but Adam Schefter of the NFL Network reports that no deal has been signed and that Dawkins hasn't even landed in Denver yet. Stay tuned, B-Dawk may not be a Bronco. Yet.

Update #2: Well, now it's official. Dawkins is a Bronco.

Smith, Buckhalter, Considine on the move, Dawkins next to leave the Eagles?

Day one of NFL Free Agency is always filled with rumors and speculation about where each player is going to land. The Eagles have signed only one player so far but there is plenty of news about players who are leaving town. So far, the Eagles have either lost or are close to losing L.J. Smith, Correll Buckhalter and Sean Considine. There is also word that Brian Dawkins is off visiting another team.

L.J. Smith is expected to sign with the Atlanta Falcons. The Eagles never had any intention of bringing back their former "franchise tag" player. Smith was nothing but a disapointment in his years in Philly, he was so full of promise but he just couldn't hang on to the ball. Brent Celek is currently the starting tight end.

Correll Buckhalter is also expected to leave town and sign with the Denver Broncos. Buck wants a chance at a starting gig and should get a chance to compete for one in Denver. The Eagles had some interest in bringing Buckhalter back, but only at the right price. You can bet the Broncos offered more years and more money than the Birds were willing to offer. The Eagles are now left to search for a backup running back. There are rumors that Derrick Ward of the Giants may come in for a visit.

In a move that won't upset any Eagles fan, safety Sean Considine has set up a visit with the Jaguars. It will be the ultimate move of addition by subtraction, anyone who watched Considine play last year knows that he is just not a good football player.

Finally, there was also some bad news for the Eagles. Free agent safety Brian Dawkins was offered a one year deal by the Birds but he has yet to accept it. Instead, he is on his way to Denver to visit the Broncos. Dawkins is likely seeing if he can get a multi-year deal and he may also be putting pressure on the Eagles to up the offer. I would still put my money on Dawkins returning to Philly for one last season.

There is no other word on any players the Eagles have interest in. You can bet they are talking to several free agents but they are very good about not letting word leak out until they are ready to sign.

Eagles to bring back Dawkins, Thomas

After their free agent possibilities took a major hit yesterday, it was nice to get some good news on the Eagles front today. According to Andy Reid, the Eagles are closing in on re-signing veterans Brian Dawkins and Tra Thomas. Reid believes that deals will happen for both "in the next few days".

Both players are unrestricted free agents. After learning that Jordan Gross, the best available free agent offensive lineman, signed a long-term deal with the Panthers, the Eagles had no choice but to bring back Thomas. With Jon Runyan coming off of major surgery, the Birds would have had two glaring holes at the offensive tackle position. Thomas will turn 35 next season but he is still an effective player when healthy. I would expect him to sign a one or two year deal.

Bringing Dawkins, a 7 time Pro Bowler, back for another season also makes a lot of sense. He is the vocal leader on defense and played extremely well last season. Many thought that the Eagles would let Dawkins go because that has been their tendency with players on the other side of 35, but given his Pro Bowl play last season, he needs to be back with the Birds for at least one more year.

The Eagles are left with three possible unrestricted free agents: Jon Runyan, Correll Buckhalter and L.J. Smith. Buck and Smith are as good as gone, Runyan is still up in the air.

Eagles to send two to Pro Bowl

According to those who vote in the Pro Bowl, the Eagles were only good in the secondary. The NFL announced the Pro Bowl rosters today and two Eagles made the team as reserves: cornerback Asante Samuel and safety Brian Dawkins. Both are deserving of the honor; Samuel has had a solid season and has proven the Eagles were wise to sign him while Dawkins continues his steady play.

As for Eagles players that were snubbed, I have a hard time finding anyone who was left off that you can make a great case for. Donovan McNabb certainly has the numbers to be a Pro Bowler but it would be tough to take Kurt Warner, Drew Brees or Super Bowl Champ Eli Manning off the team. Brian Westbrook also has had a solid season but with his injuries his overall numbers just aren't there. The Eagles don't have anyone from the line that should have made the team and no receiver stands out of the pack.

There is still time for other Eagles to make the team since seemingly half the initial roster seems to drop out before the game. All that really matters is that the players can call themselves Pro Bowlers, no one really watches the game anyway.