2008 Philadelphia Eagles Season - Offseason

Offseason

Though the Eagles finished the 2007 season strong, winning their final three games, they finished 8–8 and in last place in a tough division. In the off-season, the Eagles made noise by signing star cornerback Asante Samuel from the New England Patriots on February 29, 2008, the first day that he became available. Samuel, signed to a six-year, $57 million contract, was considered the top player available in free agency, and was Philadelphia's biggest signing since Terrell Owens in 2004. The Eagles also signed defensive end Chris Clemons, and gave him a sizable signing bonus, but he struggled with injuries in the preseason, and barely made the team. Oft-injured defensive lineman Jevon Kearse returned to the Tennessee Titans and Takeo Spikes was released, with a young corps of linebackers ready to replace him. Tight end L.J. Smith, who has battled injury, was given a franchise tag to keep him in Philadelphia.

In the draft, the Eagles traded down again, lining themselves up with two first-round picks in 2009. Training camp and the preseason were mixed with good news and bad news. On the negative side, All-Pro guard Shawn Andrews had a late-start to the preseason because of a personal battle with depression. Cornerback Lito Sheppard now looked like a third wheel in the secondary behind Samuel and Sheldon Brown, and vented his frustration. A contract dispute with star running back Brian Westbrook also looked to be another distraction until the team signed him to a three-year, $21 million extension. Philadelphia's biggest issue was the weak receiving corps. In the spring, the team was unsuccessful in acquiring a big name receiver, and the situation was exascerbated when number one receiver Kevin Curtis went down with a sports hernia in the preseason, while number two receiver Reggie Brown nursed a sore hamstring. No moves were made to fix the problem, and many experts considered the Eagles too weak at the position to go deep into the playoffs. However, 5'10 second round draft pick DeSean Jackson had a great preseason, and was named as a Week 1 starter for the Eagles at receiver. Quarterback Donovan McNabb also had a strong preseason, and finally looked fully recovered from his 2006 knee surgery. The rebuilt special teams unit impressed in the preseason, with draft picks Jackson and Quintin Demps returning a punt and a kick respectivelly for touchdowns in an exhibition win over the Patriots.

The offense went into the season with Westbrook in his prime and a seemingly rejuvenated McNabb, but the receiving corps looked feeble, and the offensive line looked uncertain, with the aging tackles Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas anchoring the unit, and Shawn Andrews not playing until the middle of the preseason. The defense featured the deepest secondary in the NFL with Samuel, Brown, Sheppard, and veteran safety Brian Dawkins. The linebacking corps looked young and quick, and Trent Cole was the clear star on the defensive line. Possibly the most key improvement in the team over 2007 lies in the special teams, which was a consistent weakness the previous season.