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.

Houshmandzadeh leaning towards returning to Bengals

As of 12:01 Friday, Free agency is officially underway. Unfortunately, it already looks like Donovan McNabb might not get a top offensive weapon. T.J. Houshmandzadeh is the number one wide receiver available and many speculated that he would be signing with either the Eagles or the New York Giants. Well, word has come from The National Football Post that Housh is close to returning to the Cincinnati Bengals with the chances he will sign with Cincy being set at 70%. That's right, instead of signing with a good team where he might have a chance to win a championship, Houshmandzadeh is leaning towards going back to his old, crappy team.

While Housh wouldn't be the cure for everything that ails the Eagles offense, he would have helped give the Eagles one of the best receiver trios in the league. Any quarterback would love to throw to Housh, Kevin Curtis and DeSean Jackson. Alas, it doesn't look like it is meant to be. The Eagles had better double their efforts in trying to pry Anquan Boldin out of the desert.

Heckert: Eagles to target offensive line, not wideouts

While all the rumors about Anquan Boldin and T.J. Houshmandzadeh coming to the Eagles are intriguing, they're only rumors unless the Birds actually do something about it. Ever since the Eagles had the T.O. experience, they have been hesitant to go out and acquire a big name free agent wide receiver. It appears that will be the case again this offseason, at least according to GM Tom Heckert.

Heckert sat down for an interview with Fox 29 and laid out the Eagles plans for the offseason. He said the number one priority for the Birds is to "figure out the offensive line situation", whether it's through the draft or free agency. The team has two aging, unsigned tackles and will need to find a way to build for the future while still protecting Donovan McNabb next season.

The only other area of need that Heckert said the team will address is at backup running back. With Correll Buckhalter likely out the door as a free agent, the Eagles will need to find someone else to get 5 touches a game when Brian Westbrook is healthy and be able to carry the load for those 2 games that Westbrook misses every year. Lorenzo Booker is not the answer for the Eagles and they know it, so I would look for them to draft a running back with one of their first round picks.

The line and the running backs were the only needs addressed by Heckert, meaning the wide receivers aren't a priority for the Eagles. Heckert even said that with the drafting of DeSean Jackson last year, the team has already gotten all the receiver help it needs. I hope you are all comfortable with another year of Jackson and Kevin Curtis as the main targets because that looks like all we are going to get.

While none of this news comes as a shock, it's still disappointing. The Eagles saw what having a top wideout did for the Cardinals and you would think they would do everything they could to give Donovan McNabb that kind of weapon. Unfortunately, they just don't view wide receivers as being as important as other positions. They are simply happy with the depth they have at wideout and aren't concerned with adding top-end targets. McNabb has proven that he can flourish no matter who he is throwing to so the Eagles feel like they don't need to waste their resources on playmakers on the outside.

None of the statements made by Heckert completely rule out the Eagles acquiring a wide receiver this offseason. Even if the Birds were going all-out in searching for a wideout, this wouldn't come out and say that was an area of need. The Eagles have always played things close to the vest so Heckert is likely not playing all of his cards in this interview. He stuck to the more obvious needs that everyone already knew about and kept any other thoughts to himself. That's just the Eagle way.

Watch the Heckert interview for yourself:

Eagles receiver search continues: Housh, Boldin, Holt?

The NFL offseason is barely a week old and already the Eagles rumor mill is churning with speculation that the Birds will go after one of possibly several available wide receivers. It's a rumor that never dies because it's a need that never gets filled. Kevin Curtis and DeSean Jackson are both excellent number two receivers but neither is the big possession receiver that the Eagles really need. Fans have been clamoring for a star receiver in Eagles green since last spring when Randy Moss, Roy Williams and Anquan Boldin all were rumored targets. The following three receivers are players the Eagles should be targeting this offseason:

T.J. Houshmandzadeh is the candidate who seems to be the most available and makes the most sense. Housh is a free agent who seems highly unlikely to re-sign with the crappy Bengals and is looking to join a Super Bowl contender. He has even gone so far as to come on Philadelphia radio and proclaim his interest in the Eagles. Of course, he will probably go to every city and say the same thing about every team, that's just what free agents do. Regardless, Housh's ability to make the tough catches across the middle would be the perfect complement to the speedy Curtis and Jackson. At 31, he isn't young, but how can you argue with 90+ catches the last three years? He isn't a big-play guy but he could fill the role of possession receiver that Reggie Brown will never be.

Another player who could be available is Anquan Boldin. Much has been written on this website and many others about Boldin wanting out of Arizona. He has long been unhappy with the huge contract his teammate Larry Fitzgerald has and has repeatedly said that he wants a new deal or he is leaving town. Boldin has even recently said that his relationship with the Cardinals has gotten so bad that he doesn't think it will ever be repaired. While Boldin is often injured, he is still young and would be another great target for Donovan McNabb. He would look great in the Eagles offense with his ability to make short catches and turn them into big plays with his size and speed. If he wants out of Arizona, that Eagles had better be making an offer. One possible snag is that his agent is the nefarious Drew Rosenhaus, someone the Eagles would prefer not to work with.

One last possible receiver on the Eagles radar has to be Torry Holt. The Rams are looking for some cap space and they have made it known that the former Pro Bowl receiver is available. Holt is 32 but has still averaged 83 catches over the last 3 seasons. He has certainly lost a step but he is still a solid possession receiver. The biggest issue with Holt has to be his contract. He is scheduled to make 10 million dollars next season, a price that the Eagles will be reluctant to pay for an aging veteran.

All three of the above players would be upgrades for the Eagles. While none is extremely likely to end up in Philly, you can bet that the Eagles will at least inquire about their availability. It became painfully obvious in the NFC Championship game that the Arizona Cardinals had horses on offense that the Eagles lacked. With a solid defense already in place, the Eagles have a team that looks ready to compete for the Super Bowl again next year. If they can just find one more weapon on offense for Donovan McNabb, the Birds might finally have a receiving core that would strike fear into opposing defenses.

Of course, the Eagles could easily choose to do what they do every offseason and not address the receiver position at all. Then we'll all be right back here again next year, wondering whether the Birds will finally make a move for a top receiver.