Philadelphia Eagles To Add A New WR?

February 9th, 2009 | Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles fans have long, long wanted a top flight wide receiver added to the roster. In the Reid-McNabb era, the Eagles have succeeded despite lining up the nondescript cast of guys like James Thrash, Todd Pinkston, Freddie Mitchell, and Greg Lewis. For one season, we saw McNabb at his absolute best with Terrell Owens lining up on the outside. Then T.O. did what T.O. does. He tore the team and locker room apart. They have another chance to add a top receiver this offseason.

Last year, rumors flew around that the Eagles were trying to acquire Randy Moss, Roy Williams, Anquan Boldin, and Larry Fitzgerald. They were unable to land any of them. This year they have the opportunity to add Boldin or TJ Houshmandzadeh.

Boldin is still upset with the Cardinals for not working out the new contract with him that he feels he was promised and deserves. His name will be rumored on the trading block until he is either traded or he is given his new contract. The Eagles have 2 first round selections in the 2009 draft (picks 21 and 2 and an unhappy Lito Sheppard. The Eagles could offer one of their picks and Lito for Boldin. Even throw in a 4th or 5th round pick to sweeten the deal. Of course a trade would be contingent on the Eagles being able to work out the new contract that Boldin is seeking.

Currently, the Cardinals are $40 million under the cap for 2009. They certainly have the cap space to make Boldin happy if they choose to. It sounds like Kurt Warner may be making his decision on whether to retire or return to the Cardinals next year based on what happens with Boldin. That would mean Arizona is faced with the choice of not only possibly losing an All Pro wide receiver, but of losing their starting quarterback as well. Is Leinart ready to become the quarterback they thought they were getting when they drafted him? If not, most likely the Cardinals will do something to make Boldin happy unless Boldin decides he has just had enough of the organization and forces his way out.

The other option staring the Eagles right in the face is to make an offer to free agent wide receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh. Housh would be a great addition. He is a great receiver and even after spending years around a me-first wide receiver like Chad Johnson, he has shown no signs of following in Chad’s footsteps. Hell, he has one of the hardest names in the NFL for people to remember how to spell. If anyone should have been changing his name to make himself more marketable, it was Housh. He is a hard worker who quietly goes about his business. He would be welcomed with open arms by the Philadelphia Eagles fan base.

DeSean Jackson was fantastic as a rookie wide receiver. Given the track record of rookie wide receivers during Andy Reid’s tenure in Philly, he was better than any of us could have expected. If the Eagles could line up Boldin or Housh on the other side of the field, one of the best offenses in the NFL would become even scarier for opposing defense. More running lanes would open up for Brian Westbrook as well as more of those short passing routes he terrorizes opponents with.

I think Boldin would be the better fit. He is the prototypical West Coast Offense wide receiver. He is fantastic on slants. Does a great job with yards after the catch. As an Eagles fan, I will jump for joy if I get to see either Boldin or Houshmandzadeh in an Eagles uniform in 2009 and beyond.