I'll be the first to admit that the Eagles haven't exactly set the world on fire during this free agency period, but with baseball on the horizon, the Birds did their best today to keep their names in the conversation. First, they sent Chris Clemons and a fourth round pick to Seattle for defensive end Darryl Tapp, and then, running back Mike Bell agreed to the offer sheet that the Eagles gave him.
I'll start with the trade for Tapp first. Though I don't think anyone is going to miss Chris Clemons in Philadelphia, trading both him and a fourth round pick for a guy that had just two sacks last season seems a little bit high of a price to me. Yes, Tapp is three and a half years younger than Clemons, but his best season was two years ago, and that year, he had four of his seven sacks in a single game. In 2008, he recorded 5.5 sacks, and last year, he had just 2.5. I don't like the decrease in numbers one bit when it comes to rushing the quarterback, but I do like the fact that Tapp is a bigger guy, and seems to be much more adept at stopping the run than Clemons ever was. While Clemons was more of a linebacker/end combination, Tapp is strictly a defensive lineman, weighing in at about 270 pounds. He recorded 49 tackles last season, and while I don't see him as much more than another rotational lineman, he still has a chance to make an impact opposite Trent Cole. That much I do like.
Then, we come to the Mike Bell offer sheet. Ever since Duce Staley left, people have been clamoring for the Eagles to sign a big back to pick up the short yards when they matter the most. Well, it looks like they've finally listened. Bell weighs in at 225 pounds and played a part in the Saints winning the Super Bowl last season, rushing for 654 yards and five touchdowns. You might remember him from the second week of the season, when he pounded the Eagles for 86 yards and a touchdown. He certainly wouldn't be the number one back with the Eagles, but he would be nice to see in the backfield on a third and one or two situation.
Of course, the Saints still have a week to match the offer sheet that the Eagles gave Bell, and at one year and $1.7 million, it's not going to break the bank for New Orleans to do that. However, with both Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush still under contract, I don't know how much the Saints want to keep all three of their running backs from last season. Bell certainly looks like the odd man out, and if the Saints don't match the offer, then he would come to the Eagles without any sort of draft compensation going back to New Orleans. As far as I'm concerned, that's actually the best part about this potential deal. Rather than have to give up a draft pick for what could basically be seen as a third down back, the Eagles could get him for just under $2 million for next season, and with Bell, Leonard Weaver and LeSean McCoy in the backfield, all of a sudden, the Eagles look even better at the running back position. Bell will be turning 27 years old before the start of the 2010 season, but with only 348 carries in his entire pro career, I don't see age being as much of a factor here as it was with Brian Westbrook.
Hopefully, the Saints don't match the offer sheet for Bell. I'd enjoy seeing him in Eagles green, at least for one season. Besides, it would give us Eagles fans something to be happy about in a relatively dull offseason so far.
ESPN.com: Eagles trade Clemons to Seattle for Tapp, Bell agrees to Eagles deal
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