Suddenly there's a glut of accomplished running backs looking for work.

The Philadelphia Eagles announced they will release RB Brian Westbrook less than 24 hours after LaDainian Tomlinson was cut by the Chargers.

"Brian is one of the greatest Eagles of all time and he is even a better person and leader," said head coach Andy Reid on the team's website. "In my mind, there has not been a more versatile running back that the NFL has seen. I had a conversation with Brian this morning to let him know. This is by far the most difficult part of this job. We wanted to make this move now in order to maximize Brian's chances of landing with another NFL team."

Westbrook will leave with more yards from scrimimage (9,785) than anyone in Eagles history. His best year came in 2007 when he rushed for a career-best 1,333 yards while catching 90 balls for 771 yards; his 2,104 yards from scrimmaged paced the league that year.

But Westbrook suffered through the least productive season since his rookie year in 2009, a victim of recurring concussion problems. He played in just eight games and managed just 455 yards from scrimmage.

"Brian Westbrook is one of the most electric players in the history of this franchise and is certainly also one of the most popular," said team owenr Jeffrey Lurie. "He was personally one of the my favorite players to watch each and every Sunday and his playmaking abilities, leadership and values will be missed."

Westbrook, who has battled various injuries throughout his career though he'd never missed more than four games until last season, said earlier this month that he was, "100% sure that I wouldn't hang it up (this offseason) unless something crazy happens."

The move leaves second-year man LeSean McCoy atop the Eagles' depth chart at tailback, though they could be in the market for a complementary back, perhaps even the title-starved Tomlinson. -- Nate Davis