A Doubting Thomas?

The Eagles on Friday announced the expected re-signing of defensive end Juqua Thomas. The initial reaction here was to blast the Eagles on what I initially thought to be a horrendous move. Why? Well, for a team that is rather conservative in how it spends its cap money, it is simply fascinating that the Eagles habitually spend money on mediocre talent at this position. Thomas had been non-existent his first five seasons in the league, accumulating only 5 total sacks. Last season, he had a "breakout" year, totaling 6 sacks and eventually replacing free-agent bust Darren Howard at the end of the season. Whoop-de-friggen-do. In fact, Scouts Inc. in it its rankings of available free agents listed Thomas on par with former-Eagle N.D. Kalu. Not exactly a ringing endorsement.

Still, a 5-year,$12.5 million deal in a market where completely absurd contacts are being signed in the early stages of free agency is a relative bargain. Even if Thomas never surpasses his sack totals from last year, the Eagles retain quality depth along their line at a very fair price.

Despite re-signing Thomas, the defensive end position still has some question marks. Will Darren Howard even come close to the production the Eagles thought he was capable of when they signed him last offseason? Will Jevon Kearse make it all the way back after his devastating knee injury last season? Will Trent Cole continue to emerge as a feared pass rushing threat in his third season? These are all questions the Eagles had better be damn sure to answer prior to the draft. If there is a guy sitting there in the third or fifth-round(the Eagles traded their fourth-rounder to the Saints) that could add some youth to an aging defensive end rotation the suggestion here is that the team seriously consider him. With the questions surrounding the position and the revelation at One NovaCare that Jerome McDougle completely sucks, I believe they should and will add another defensive end somewhere in the middle rounds of the draft.