Hank Signs + Some Ray Edwards Talk

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Hank Baskett signed a 1-year deal to return to Philly.  Good news for everyone involved.  Hank is perfect for what we need.  He gives us a good #4 WR.  Hank can play, even start if needed.  He also will block and play Special Teams if that is what we need.  High character, low maintenance.  We will have a spot open to add a 5th WR.  That will likely be filled through the draft.  Hank is just a good insurance policy.  I'm glad he's back.  We can now look for WRs at our discretion.  There isn't a need to get someone that is polished or able to contribute right off the bat. 

No official word on Justin Fargas.  That leads me to believe he may have some injury concerns.  Justin has talked to a couple of teams.  He visited KC and here.  You know money isn't the issue.  If he's not signing there may be some problem with how he checks out on the team physicals.  That is the reason Oakland reportedly cut him. 


RFA HUNTING?

Ray Edwards has been getting quite a lot of pub recently.  Some Minny writer speculated that the Eagles could make a run at him.  Now Bob Grotz is saying that we could go after him.  I have mentioned Ray a few times as a potential. RFA target. 

Here's the case for Ray.  He is 25 years old.  He plays LDE and has an ideal build at 6'5, 270.  That gives him the frame and bulk to be able to hold the POA.  He's also athletic enough to be an effective pass rusher.  Ray isn't an explosive up the field guy.  He's a complete LDE, something we hoped Victor Abiamiri would develop into. 

Ray is an ascending player.  He gets a little better each season.  People think he just had the good game vs Dallas in the playoffs.  Not so.  He emerged this year to being a real quality starter. Check out his numbers: 

Year 1 - 15 Gms - 10 Sts - 3 sacks - 10 Tkls
Year 2 - 12 Gms - 11 Sts - 5 sacks - 30 Tkls
Year 3 - 15 Gms - 15 Sts - 5 sacks - 54 Tkls
Year 4 - 16 Gms - 16 Sts - 8.5 sacks - 51 Tkls

He is just hitting his prime and has 4 or 5 really good years left.  He also doesn't benefit from playing in a blitzing defense.  MIN likes to use their DL to get most pressure.

For comparion's sake, check out Aaron Kampman's numbers in his first 4 seasons:

Year 1 - 12 Gms - 6 Sts - 0.5 sacks - 24 Tkls
Year 2 - 12 Gms - 10 Sts - 2 sacks - 29 Tkls
Year 3 - 16 Gms - 16 Sts - 4.5 sacks - 67 Tkls
Year 4 - 16 Gms - 16 Sts - 6.5 sacks - 81 Tkls

Aaron followed this start with 37 sacks in the next 3 years.  That was the prime of his career.  I don't know that Ray will end up being as good as Kampman, but he's definitely headed in the right direction.  

The case against Ray is that he plays on a great DL and that skews his production.  He rarely has to deal with double teams.  He can count on pressure from RDE and up the middle.  There are also questions about whether he will pay the price to become a Pro Bowl type of DE.  

We'd have to give up pick #24 to get him.  I know some people think you could negotiate with the Vikings, but they're not letting him go for less than a 1.  The only reason they would let him walk is that they have so many other high-priced players.  AP and Sidney Rice will want mega-deals soon.  Same for Chad Greenway.  Percy Harvin will be in that category in 2 years.  They already have 3 high-priced DL.

Do you give up #24 and a big deal to sign Ray?  Maybe.  The DE class has lots of potential, but each guy also has issues.  Jason Pierre-Paul is raw.  Derrick Morgan isn't an explosive athlete.  Jerry Hughes is a bit undersized.  Sergio Kindle is more of a 3-4 LB.  Brandon Graham is short and doesn't have long arms.  Corey Wootton is still dealing with the after effects of an ACL injury from December 2008.

I haven't had a chance to watch a ton of tape on Ray.  I know he's a good player, but I'm not exactly sure how good.  I'll trust the Eagles on this. 

I wouldn't get too worked up one way or the other.  This reeks of a situation where writers are starting to write about other writers' speculation.  Somehow this morphs from random idea to rumor with legs. 


HALL REPORTING FOR DUTY

The Eagles signed former Air Force star Chad Hall.  He was a WR/RS and extremely productive for them.  He's spent the last 2 years doing his duty, but is now hoping to get a chance to play football.  He's only 5'8, 180, but Chad has excellent quickness, good hands, and is just a natural football player.  Think of him as a Danny Amendola type.  Chad realistically projects to the Practice Squad, if things work out for him. He's been out of the game for a couple of years. It can take time to shake that rust off. You'd hope for him to really make a run at the roster in 2011.

Now, it is possible he'll get here and won't be able to overcome the size/speed issues. If so, you cut him and say "Off you go". It is also possible that Chad will exceed expectations and grab one of the final roster spots. You don't know what to expect with a guy like him. No matter what, it is highly unlikely he'll offer any impact in 2010 outside of being good in practice.

Dave wrote a great story about how he got signed.  Must-read material.

http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/Story.asp?story_id=20470&spadaro=1
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