Eagles Wake-Up Call: Buzz Picks Up On Goldson


The slow trickle of news that marked the early portion of the three-day “legal tampering period” has turned into more of a steady stream. By Monday night — Free Agency Eve — it was flowing real nice, including where the Eagles are concerned.

Adam Schefter got things rolling with some news regarding fan favorite Dashon Goldson.

(Schefter even threw in a Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie nugget in for good measure.)

Reuben Frank reports that the Eagles are showing interest in both Goldson and fellow safety LaRon Landry.

The bottom line when it comes to many of these free agents — and Goldson in particular —  is this: A lot of it comes down to the money. The Eagles are in need of a serious upgrade at safety and would be foolish not to see value in Goldson, who is coming off back-t0-back Pro Bowl years in San Francisco. New VP of Personnel Tom Gamble (formerly with the Niners) has seen his impact up close. But the financials have to make sense, as Howie Roseman explained to Birds 24/7 recently.

“If they are of value, they can still play at a high level, we’re going to look at them, we’re going to grade them, and we’re going to see if that matches what our salary structure is and if that’s what we’re looking for,” said the Eagles’ general manager.

There will be a level of discipline heading into this free agency period given the circumstances. Roseman noted that in 2011, when the team splurged ineffectively on big-name free agents, the team was coming off a playoff loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Packers. They wanted to push all their chips in.  This time around, they are coming off a 4-12 campaign and have a new head coach at the helm. It is a different time. The Eagles are less pressed, and they hope a bit wiser when it comes to the process. Just because they have north of $30 million in cap space does not mean they will pluck a ton of big names off the board.

“We’re always going to try to be smart and be aggressive,” said Roseman. “By the same token, [you have to] learn from [2011] and how important it is to build a team and to build the right environment.”

Will Goldson fit the bill? He checks a lot of the boxes, but it will have to be at the right price.

WHAT YOU MISSED

Sheil arms you with a list of 25 free agents the Eagles could pursue.

 Michael Vick cancels three upcoming appearances amid threats of violence.

The Eagles are reportedly showing interest in defensive lineman Desmond Bryant.

The team took care of two of their own, signing Jon Dorenbos and Colt Anderson to deals.

The Eagles’ brass, including Jeffrey Lurie, went to Morgantown to work out QB Geno Smith.

It is to be determined if the Eagles are interested in LB James Harrison. But we learned that Harrison, per his agent, is interested in the Eagles. 

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

Dan Granziano did free agency primers for each of the NFC East teams. Here are his thoughts on the Eagles going in:

Strategy: The Eagles’ management figures that whoever remains in place from two summers ago knows all about how badly the last big experiment with free agency went, so don’t expect to see a frenzy like the one it created on the market in 2011. But the Eagles have many needs — cornerback, safety, linebacker, nose tackle, a right guard or tackle, maybe a big wide receiver. They will be active because they must. As for strategy, though, I’d expect them to target younger free agents who can help them build the roster long term, not just help them contend in 2013. The moves the team has made since firing longtime coach Andy Reid and hiring Kelly indicate that Kelly plans to be in Philadelphia for a long time and is thinking about what can make his team competitive for years to come, not just right away.

Peter King had a couple free agency nuggets in his MMQB column that could be of interest to Eagles fans.

Three under-the-radar guys generating more interest than you’ve heard: Steelers corner Keenan Lewis, Jets defensive end/tackle Mike DeVito, Chargers guard Louis Vasquez.

Tennessee, with an estimated $19 million available to spend, is targeting Buffalo guard and all-purpose lineman Andy Levitre. One source told me Tennessee would go out hard for Levitre in the opening hours of the market, which echoes what beat man Jim Wyatt wrote in the Tennessean last week.

COMING UP

Free agency starts at 4 p.m. We’ll bring you the latest throughout the day.