According to Ray Parillo of Philly.com, the Eagles are close to signing soon to be free agent veterans Brian Dawkins and Tra Thomas.
Yesterday, Parillo talked to Reid in Indianapolis at the NFL combine and came away with the impression that the Dawkins and Thomas deals were iminent without Reid actually saying it.
It makes sense because the Eagles had made it clear that they were going to hang onto the 35-year old Dawkins. He looked like he was at the end of the road when the season started last year but came onto make some big plays as the Birds made their run for the playoffs.
A key adjustment was made by defensive coordinator Jim Johnson who kept Dawkins near the line of scrimmage as a run stopper and blitzer with underneath pass coverage.
I don't think he can run like with the speedy wide receivers in coveage any more. Still his savvy and leadership are worth bringing back until the Eagles are sure they've got a replacement for him.
Hopefully young Quintin Demps will recover from his poor performance in the NFC championship game.
They had no choice but to resign Thomas, now that Carolina has resigned Pro Bowl left tackle Jordan Gross. The Panthers inked him to a record deal for an offensive lineman on Thursday.
I'm concerned about Thomas' inability to bend his knees and to bend from the waist. He's going to have major problems with these athletic pass rushers who get as low as the ground when they come around the corner.
He takes care of his body and works hard during the off season, so he'll hopefully be ready to give the Birds another good year.
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