At worst, Wells adds great depth along the line.


As the Eagles were hard at work today deciding who would be the first 10 players to get the axe, they were also in the middle of swinging a trade for Arizona Cardinals left guard Reggie Wells.

A sixth-round pick for a guy who hasn't missed a game in four years seems like a no-brainer, but what are the rippling effects of the move? Clearly the fanbase seems very unhappy with Stacy Andrews at right guard, and the Eagles organization doesn't appear thrilled with him either.

It's not so much that's he been bad, but he's certainly not living up to his paycheck. I'm one of the few people defending him, but even I can't say with a straight face that's he been worth the money he's making to this point.

But, if we back up for a second, you'll see that I said Wells is a left guard. That's what he's always played during his seven-year NFL career, so it seems unlikely they'd move him to the right side and part ways with Andrews.

Andy Reid loves versatile linemen, but if Wells has the versatility necessary, he hasn't been asked to show it too often.

He has played some right tackle for the Cardinals, but probably not enough to breed any confidence that he could step in, build a rapport with the other guys along the line, and perform any better than Andrews could at guard.

Instead, this looks like an indictment of Max Jean-Gilles. He has done everything he can this offseason to get in shape, including undergoing lap-band surgery, but he's been inconsistent during the preseason and still doesn't show that he truly grasps the blocking scheme.

There were a few times he would get caught up combo-blocking with whomever happened to be playing center at the time, only to stand there and watch as a linebacker came flying past him and untouched into the backfield.

Jean-Gilles was a guy who got caught as a restricted free agent under the rules of an uncapped season, so it wasn't surprising to see the Eagles bring him back. Had he hit free agency, it's likely he wouldn't even have been on their radar.

There is definitely a chance Wells could have been brought in to take over Andrews' spot, but only if the Eagles are confident they've found a trade partner for Andrews. They owe him $5 million this season if he's on the team or cut, so it would at least make sense to keep him for some depth at the very least should they not be able to move him via trade.

Finding a team to take Andrews and his lofty contract would certainly be difficult, but his versatility to play right guard or tackle could be attracting enough for a bad team to take a leap and hope he can get back to the level of football he was playing in Cincinnati.