Evan Mathis got an offer from the Ravens. It was described as a “nice offer” by Mathis. He took off for Arizona, where he wants to discuss things with his family. More than likely Mathis knows what he wants to do and is hoping that the Eagles and Ravens up their offers while he is “contemplating” things.

Multiple sources say the Eagles have made Mathis an offer. There is no question that the team wants to keep him. It comes down to value. The Eagles aren’t trying to be cheap. Mathis just isn’t the kind of player you can over-spend on. You’ve got to be choosy about when to do that.

I don’t know which way this will go. I’m not overly worried, so maybe that is a sign I think he’ll return. I certainly hope he does.

A lot of people want to know what happens if Mathis leaves. The Eagles have plenty of options. There are lots of free agents available. The Eagles could go for any number of veterans. Guys like Jacob Bell, Robert Gallery, Eric Steinbach, and old Mudd student Jake Scott are all out there.

None of them played as well as Mathis last year, but let’s also not deny that Mudd played a part in that. Jason Peters had his best year. Jason Kelce was a 6th round pick that started all year. Todd Herremans moved to RT with little notice and played well. Mudd is a terrific coach and athletic blockers can thrive in his system.

I do not think the Eagles would turn to the draft. That would make us awfully young on the inside. The goal is to keep Mathis. If that doesn’t work out, the team has other ways to go.

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After DeSean’s PC yesterday, GM Howie Roseman made mention that something might happen at LB in the next few days.

What?

For a long time, I felt very strongly that a veteran MLB was going to be the target. Here we are a few days into FA and the Eagles haven’t been linked with anyone of note.

Then we find out they did make a minimal offer to Dan Connor. So how did that fit into the plans? Makes me wonder if he was going to be an insurance policy and Luke Kuechly the primary draft target.

If that is/was the case, then the Eagles have to be looking at an OLB in FA. I still don’t know who. I know some fans want Erin Henderson from the Vikings. I don’t see him as a likely target. Jo-Lonn Dunbar is a guy that I’m curious about. I posted some notes on him and some FA thoughts over at ScoutsNotebook.

Remember that I’m just guessing with all of this. We have no track record of Juan Castillo moves to study for patterns. Might find out he does want a big guy at SAM. I’m guessing that isn’t the case, but we’ll find out soon enough.

I know many fans would love to add a big guy to stuff the run. That would be fine if we played in the AFC North. We play in the NFC East. Romo, Eli, and RG3 are our biggest concerns. The Ravens had a guy like Jarrett Johnson to help them stuff Cedric Benson, Peyton Hillis, and Rashard Mendenhall. You must build your team to deal with the competition you face. We’re in a passing division. Makes more sense to get a SAM who can cover and play the run.

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For SB Nation Philly, I wrote about DeSean’s extension.

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The Niners are now in the running for Peyton Manning. This isn’t good. We need him to go stay in the AFC. SF is dangerous enough with a mediocre offense. I don’t want Peyton out there.

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The Eagles haven’t lost any significant FA targets so far. All the top LBs are available. There are still plenty of good RBs. Adam Schefter is starting up with the Plax to Philly talk. We’ll see if anything comes of that.

Some people have asked about RS, specifically why the team didn’t go for Eddie Royal. As a slot receiver, I’m not sure he would have been an upgrade on Jason Avant. As a RS, Eddie is odd. He only has 8 KORs in the last 2 years combined. He has primarily been a PR. Eddie did have some success as a KOR in the past. His best year was 2008 when he was a rookie and averaged 26.1 yards per KOR.

He is a good PR, but it sounds like DeSean still will get mixed in there. The Eagles need someone that can be the primary KOR and help out at PR. With no Avant or no DeSean, Royal might have been a target. I tend to think we’ll look to the draft for the RS.