Curtis wasn't an Eagle for very long.

Earlier we reported that the Eagles agreed to a deal with former Patriots and Buccaneers tight end Alex Smith -- now it's been made official.

The Eagles have signed Alex Smith, and to make room for him on the roster have cut tight end Tony Curtis, as we said may happen earlier when first reporting the Smith signing.

Initially, I didn't expect Curtis to make the roster at all, but because of the uncertainty the Eagles kept him around instead of Rob Myers, whom they put on the practice squad.

Curtis was just holding a roster spot until a veteran tight end could be found. Smith is that guy, and that Eagles will look for him to be a weapon behind Brent Celek. Hopefully Smith can finally live up to his billing come out of college and be the playmaker the Eagles believe he can be.

He'll need to pick up the offense very quickly, as he only has four days of practice before the Eagles first game at Carolina. Don't expect to see him much in that game, perhaps only on defense, but after that the Eagles will expect to see him a lot in the redzone and in short-yardage situations.
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Philadelphia will finally get a glimpse of their newest aquisition.

The Philadelphia Eagles announced today that they have officially signed tight end Tony Curtis and linebacker Curtis Gatewood. To make room for both players they have released wide receiver Shaheer McBride and quarterback Adam DiMichele.

Because I expect rookie tight end Rob Myers to make the team as the second tight end, I would imagine that Curtis will be the third tight end, coming in on short-yardage and goal-line situations. Gatewood has never had any extended playing time in the NFL, and may not be an Eagle for very long. The roster must be cut down from 80 to 75 players next week.

The real story is that Michael Vick is expected to not only play Thursday against the Jaguars, but is expected to come in with the first team. I imagine he won't be doing a whole lot, but the Eagles will show some packages in order to put something into the head of opposing defensive coordinators.

Reid has not said that Vick will play with the first team offense, but he has said that Kevin Kolb will play the entire fourth quarter after McNabb plays the first three, so it's safe to assume that Vick will be coming in and showing a little something with the starters.

Vick will see extensive action during the fourth preseason game, probably playing up to an entire quarter as a quarterback with either the second or third team.
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Tony Curtis stretches out for a ball that falls out of his reach.


According to Jason La Canfora of NFL Network, the Eagles have been looking at former Cowboys tight end Tony Curtis, and plan on signing him pending a physical.

Curtis, for his career, has 11 receptions for 50 yards and three touchdowns. At 6'5 and 251 pounds, Curtis will be more of a blocking tight end, and his signing will probably mean the release of Eugene Bright. Of course, it could mean the end for Rob Myers, but the Eagles probably want to see a little more out of him. It's clear at this point that Bright is simply not an NFL tight end.

It was looking like Curtis could be the backup in Dallas during the 2008 offseason when the Cowboys traded then-backup tight end Anthony Fasano to the Dolphins. However, the Cowboys used a second-round draft pick on Martellus Bennet, who immediately took over the second tight end spot.

Curtis was released after the 2008 season and picked up by the Kansas City Chiefs after they traded Tony Gonzalez. Curtis was released recently after the Chiefs signed former Giants receiver Amani Toomer.

The signing of Curtis will be a sign that the Eagles have hit the panic button concerning the tight ends considering he goes against everything Andy Reid looks for in a tight end. Curtis is more of a guy who comes in to block, as evidenced by his minimal receiving yards.

The Eagles will be counting on Schobel or Myers/Bright/Curtis to step up big time and help this team out at the tight end position. Don't be surprised to see a lot of three and four-wide sets this year, even for Reid.
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