One-liner analysis on every significant Eagles player and offseason move.

Philadelphia Eagles

Predicted: 1^st

2008 Record: 9-6-1 (NFC Championship game)

Head Coach: Andy Reid (11^th year)

Roster Quick View (*new veteran, **rookie)

Offense (coordinator: Marty Mornhinweg)

QB: Donovan McNabb Got everything he wanted over the offseason except a contract extension.

RB: Brian Westbrook Turns 30 in September, has a degenerative knee and underwent ankle surgery to remove bone spurs in January. Other than that, he’s golden.

RB: LeSean McCoy** Coaches told the second-rounder to improve his blocking if he wants to get on the field. Nice sentiment, but he’ll be needed regardless.

FB: Leonard Weaver* It was getting hard to live with the charade of DT Dan Klecko here, so Philly brought in one of the better young fullbacks in football.

WR: DeSean Jackson Electrifying playmaker with star potential. Still a little too methodical for defenses to truly fear, but he’s miles ahead of where most guys his age would be in this system.

WR: Kevin Curtis Consistent hands and sharp routes makes him an ideal West Coast receiver. Eagles would love for Jeremy Maclin to steal his job soon, though.

WR: Jason Avant Courageous over the middle. Moved the chains on 13 of his 15 third down receptions last season.

TE: Brent Celek Not a raging athlete, but proved with 19 catches in three playoff games that he can be an effective receiving option in the flats. Must improve blocking.

TE: Cornelius Ingram** Knee injury kept him from being an early round pick. When healthy, has 4.6 speed to stretch the seams.

LT: Jason Peters* The most athletic offensive lineman in the NFL.

LG: Todd Herremans Quietly had a Pro Bowl-quality ’08 campaign. Great size and excellent use of hands, especially as a run-blocker.

C: Jamaal Jackson Two substandard seasons leave him fighting 350-pound guard Nick Cole for center job. Expect a personnel change, as Cole at least offers some mobility.

RG: Stacey Andrews* Hoping to quickly recover from ACL surgery. Brought here, in part, to lend emotional support to his brother Shawn.

RT: Shawn Andrews If he’s right, he can be the best RT in the NFL.

6 OL: Max Jean-Gilles Playing for a new contract. Actually, will probably be bench warming for a new contract.

Defense (coordinator: Jim Johnson)

LDE: Juqua Parker Experienced veteran who buttresses his solid all-around athleticism with a variety of crafty moves. Not a dazzler, but a good piece in a puzzle.

DT: Mike Patterson When endurance holds up, he’s an upper-tier run-plugger with excellent lateral range.

DT: Brodrick Bunkley Has blossomed as a run-stopper after learning how to create the necessary space to win in his individual matchups.

RDE: Trent Cole Phenomenal leverage and relentless motor make him a superb pass-rusher and surprisingly-improved run defender.

3 DT Trevor Laws Shows some potential. Playing time will continue to increase as long as he keeps honing his mechanics and learns to get off the snap quicker.

3 DE: Darren Howard Lost weight and regained his pass-rushing flair with 10 sacks in ’08. Must stay healthy and strong down the stretch, though.

SLB: Chris Gocong Takes on blocks and handles his reads just fine. But in this defense, any LB who sits in nickel is really more of a backup.

MLB: Stewart Bradley Outstanding size and even better speed (including horizontally). At 25, has a chance to become one of the game’s best.

WLB: Akeem Jordan Fine tackler who brings good agility and progressing instincts.

4 LB: Omar Gaither Was benched for not being a beast last season. Probably a better fit at utility LB anyway, given he can play all three spots.

CB: Asante Samuel There might not be a more feared playmaking corner in football.

CB: Sheldon Brown If interceptions didn’t exist, he’d be regarded as one of the best corners in the game. Wants a new contract but is more likely to get traded first (it won’t happen this year).

NB: Ellis Hobbs* Why did Philly trade for him after inking ascending nickelback Joselio Hanson to a five-year, $21 million contract?

SS: Quintin Mikell Absolutely tremendous at the point of attack. His eruditeness in this defense could soon land him in Hawaii.

FS: Quintin Demps Jim Johnson loves the second-year pro’s size and speed.

6 DB: Sean Jones* The third safety sees plenty of action in this scheme. Not a playmaker, but certainly solid.

Special Teams

K: David Akers Somewhat of a franchise icon, but inconsistency in long range could lead to his dismissal at some point.

P: Sav Rocca Brought in for his big leg, though has focused more on being a placement punter. Continues to get better.

RS: DeSean Jackson The type of returner that smart punters stay away from.

Offseason Quick Glance

Draft

RD PK (OVR) NAME POS SCHOOL

1 19 (19) Jeremy Maclin WR Missouri

2 21 (53) LeSean McCoy RB Pittsburgh

5 17 (153) Cornelius Ingram TE Florida

5 21 (157) Victor Harris CB Va Tech

5 23 (159) Fenuki Tupou OT Oregon

6 21 (194) Brandon Gibson WR Wash St

7 4 (213) Paul Fanaika OG Arizona St

7 21 (230) Moise Fokou OLB Maryland

KEY PLAYERS ACQUIRED

OT Stacy Andrews: UFA Bengals, $40.98M/6 yrs, guarantees unknown.

FS Rashad Baker: UFA Raiders; 1 yr, terms unknown.

CB Ellis Hobbs (trade Patriots).

S Sean Jones: UFA Browns; $3M/1 yr, guarantees unknown.

OT Jason Peters (trade Bills).

FB Leonard Weaver: UFA Seahawks; $1.75M/1 yr.

KEY PLAYERS LOST

RB Correll Buckhalter: UFA Broncos; 4 yrs, terms unknown.

S Sean Considine: UFA Jaguars; $3M/2 yrs, SB unknown.

S Brian Dawkins: UFA Broncos; $17M/5 yrs, $7.5M guaranteed; can void to $9.5M/2 yrs.

WR Greg Lewis (traded Patriots).

OT Jon Runyan

CB Lito Sheppard (traded Jets).

TE L.J. Smith: UFA Ravens; $1.5M/1 yrs, guarantees unknown.

OT Tra Thomas: UFA Jaguars; 3 yrs, terms unknown.

Analysis

Everyone knew as early as last summer that the Eagles would have to replace some veteran cogs in 2009. Per usual fashion, the front office didn’t let sentimentality get in the way. Defensive heart and soul Brian Dawkins was allowed to leave. So were decade-long offensive tackles Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan. As always, the Eagles are more than prepared to move forward.

Quintin Mikell and Quintin Demps form a good post-Dawkins safety tandem. (Former Brown Sean Jones was also brought in to help.) To replace Thomas, Philly gave up the No. 28 pick, along with about $24 million in guaranteed money to acquire sterling LT Jason Peters. Peters is an affordable commodity, given that the club had about $40 million in cap space. Even with that trade, the Eagles still had the 21^st overall pick. They dealt the pick and a sixth-rounder in order to get WR Jeremy Maclin at No. 19. They hope Maclin can be another version of DeSean Jackson, though he may take some time to develop.

To replace Runyan, Philly signed guard Stacey Andrews. This is key because the ex-Bengal is the brother of Shawn Andrews, the 26-year-old All-Pro who missed most of last season with a back injury and depression. With Stacey around, Shawn moves to RT and, hopefully, finds personal peace.

RB Brian Westbrook is banged up and will be 30 in September. The Eagles drafted his current compliment and long-term replacement, LeSean McCoy, in Round Two. However, at 204 pounds, the versatile McCoy may not provide the power running that they lost in Correll Buckhalter.

Lito Sheppard won’t be missed, especially now that Ellis Hobbs is here and competing with the re-signed Joselio Hanson for the all-important nickel back job.