Overall, the Birds’ chance to make a splash in free agency is pretty limited. The Eagles could sign Bengals wideout T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who is more of a possession receiver than the big, lethal game-changer fans covet. Houshmandzadeh would add polish and depth to Donovan McNabb’s arsenal of weapons. They could throw big money at Tennessee defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, the market’s marquee talent, although they don’t really have a crying need for a defensive tackle. Most of the rest of the names out there fall under the “So what?” category.
“I wish there were more free agents available,” Banner said. The team president knows that an organization often accused of not wanting to spend in the splashy way fans covet is going to be sitting on something like $40 million in salary-cap room, once last year’s likely-to-be-earned incentives are added in, in what might be the final year of the salary cap. The Eagles can sign Thomas and Dawkins, bump up McNabb, pluck a Houshmandzadeh, and still not come close to using up that amount of cash.