Philadelphia Eagles 2011 Free Agents: Who Stays and Who Goes?

When the NFL lockout is lifted — whenever that may be — the Philadelphia Eagles will have some decisions to make on their own guys before they get a crack at the rest of the league.

It’s been said there will be about a three-day window for teams to negotiate with their own players before the most ridiculous free agent frenzy in NFL history kicks off, so the Eagles had better already know what they’re going to do with their own players ready to hit the NFL job market.

These free agents are listed under the assumption that the reports are correct and the required service time to become an unrestricted free agent will go back down to four years rather than six, as was the case last season.

Each decision will be a mix of what the Eagles’ decision-makers should do, and what they will do. So without further adieu, here’s a little something to get you ready for the impending start of the NFL’s free agency period.

In no particular order:

James Harrison, RB — Going

Harrison is a guy the Eagles really like and will want to keep. However, the feeling likely won’t be mutual. Harrison wanted out of Cleveland because he wasn’t seeing enough carries, but when the Browns and Eagles swapped Harrison for Mike Bell straight up, Harrison likely saw fewer carries and less time in Philadelphia.

If he were a restricted free agent, he’d be staying. But since he can decide where he’d like to play and understands there are several teams that would like to give him 8-12 carries per game as the “2” in a 1-2 punch, Harrison is history in Philly.

David Akers, K — Going

This is an unfortunate way to end a stellar career in Philadelphia, but Akers has soured himself to the team by first refusing to sign the transition tag and then telling the media he doesn’t believe he’ll be back. There’s no way the Eagles offer him the money he’s looking for, and even went so far as to drafted a kicker in the fourth round.

It won’t be surprising, but it will be a touch heartbreaking to see Akers in a different uniform.

Stewart Bradley, LB — Staying

With or without the lockout, Bradley is likely a guy the Eagles would re-sign. He has likely lost his starting spot in the middle to second-year man Jamar Chaney, but Bradley is best suited to play the SAM position anyway — the same position he played in college.

Bradley is a smart guy and with the lockout destroying most of the offseason, new defensive coordinator Juan Castillo will need as many smart guys on the team as possible.

Omar Gaither, LB — Going

It looked for a while like Gaither would be a starter for years to come, but his soft play against the run and unwillingness to sign an extension with the team a couple years ago means he’s gone. Gaither could start in the middle in a 3-4 somewhere as his football acumen is obvious. He’s also a great special teams contributor, but the Eagles have added a lot of young linebackers and there’s simply no room for Gaither any longer.

Sav Rocca, P — Staying

My gut tells me the Eagles like Rocca enough and he’ll come cheaply enough that he’ll stay on. The only way he leaves is if fourth-round pick Alex Henery can earn a spot as both the kicker and punter, which seems unlikely.

Nick Cole, C/G — Going

It’s about time, too. Cole has been a liability for too long and for whatever reasons his short-comings have always been placed on others. Late in the 2009 season, Cole replaced Jamaal Jackson after he was injured in Week 16 against the Denver Broncos. For the rest of that game, as well as the next two games against the Dallas Cowboys, the pressure up the middle was heavy and immediate as Cole played a revolving door.

But who caught the blame? Donovan McNabb, and he was shipped out of town. Cole, however, was allowed to stay and mess up once again.

Last season his poor play at right guard let to a lot of heat for right tackle Winston Justice, who spent most of his time trying to make up for Cole’s inabilities and play guard as well.

Cole has always been overrated by this team, has never been starting material, and should never wear midnight green again.

Max Jean-Gilles, G — Staying

Jean-Gilles has lost 80 pounds over the last two offseasons and his footwork got much better as a result. His familiarity with the offense will likely mean he sticks around and is the opening day starter if first-round pick Danny Watkins can not get up to speed with Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg very complicated offense in a month’s time.

Ernie Sims, LB — Going

Sims was a complete disaster last season, running past plays more often than not. He looked lost when it came to reading the play pre-snap and took on blockers about as well as Asante Samuel. In my humble opinion, at 6’0, 230 pounds with a 4.5-second 40-yard dash, Sims’ best bet would be to transition to safety and continue his NFL career further away from the line of scrimmage.

Ellis Hobbs, CB — Going

Retirement or not, there’s no room for Hobbs. The Eagles will likely pick up another cornerback to go along with Asante Samuel, Joselio Hanson, Trevard Lindley, and third-round pick Curtis Marsh. It’s been a long time since Reid carried more than five corners, and I don’t foresee it happening this season.

Dimitri Patterson, CB — Going

The same can be said for Patterson as was said for Hobbs, sans the retirement talk. Personally, I think Patterson caught far too much heat for his performance last season and showed at times that he has a real eye for the ball. He had a very bad game against the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings and I believe that inflated a lot of the numbers that get tossed around. Overall, Patterson would make a great backup elsewhere.

Akeem Jordan, LB — Going

Jordan, I believe, has never gotten the respect he deserves from the Eagles. The guy is an athlete who can make plays if he’s given the opportunity and he’s always been the best option at WILL. Unfortunately the Eagles thought they had something in Sims at will and forced Jordan to play out of position at SAM last season.

If a team will snag Jordan and allow him to play WILL where he belongs, he could solidify a linebacking corps.

Quintin Mikell, S — Going

This is a shame. Mikell has long been one of the most underrated players on this team and in the entire league. In back-to-back seasons he was forced to play alongside Quintin Demps and Macho Harris, and often made up for their horrendous mistakes by playing the entire field sideline-to-sideline.

With Mikell to make them look a whole lot better than they were, it’s likely both guys would be out of the league entirely rather than clutching the final roster spot as they are now in, I believe, Houston and Washington respectively.

Mikell would be a great guy to have around as the young safeties on this team — Kurt Coleman, Nate Allen, Jaiquawn Jarret — learn and progress in Juan Castillo’s new system, but it’s looking like the team feels comfortable handing the reigns to the young kids as the units last line of defense.

There could be a bidding war for Mikell’s services, but the Eagles likely won’t be in that auction.