Eagles Could Pursue Defensive End Derrick Burgess

Written By Bob Cunningham On Monday, March 15, 2010

Could Burgess be back in midnight green in 2010?



Many Eagles fans were upset when the Eagles allowed Derrick Burgess to walk after the 2004 season, but the Raiders threw money at him that the Eagles were not willing to match. The Raiders overpaid, as they usually do, but that doesn't mean the Eagles didn't think Burgess was a very good player.

So when his name came up in trade discussions last season, the Eagles got into the mix. However, they weren't willing to match the third and fifth-round picks that the New England Patriots gave up for Burgess.

But according to Howard Eskin, now that he's back on the market, the Eagles are expected to take a chance and pursue the 32-year old defensive end.

He would probably be willing to come back to Philadelphia on a modest contract and, while he has clearly taken a step back with his age, he would still be the best pass-rusher on the team, save Trent Cole, of course.

Burgess isn't going to have 16 sacks again like he did back in 2005 with the Raiders, but he's feared enough as a pass-rusher that if teams even take a little bit of heat off Cole to worry about Burgess, he's already done his job.

Reports have recently linked the Eagles to Vikings' defensive end Ray Edwards after their failed attempt at signing Julius Peppers and taking a slight interest in Aaron Kampman, but Burgess is a guy who actually makes sense. He will already know the defense, be familiar with some of the players, and come at a decent price.

The Eagles have shown an affinity for bringing back former players, so pursuing Burgess to fill an obvious need only makes sense.


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