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HOT TOPIC
Much of EagleNation has spent the offseason whining about the Eagles' need for a big running back to complement undersized Brian Westbrook.
The Eagles didn't add a big running back in free agency and also didn't draft one in April. The reason just may be that they feel they already have a capable between-the-tackles runner on their roster: Thomas Tapeh.
Tapeh, a 6-1, 243-pound '04 fifth-round pick out of the University of Minnesota, missed all of last season after suffering a serious hip injury in the next-to-last game of his rookie year. He will compete for the starting fullback job this summer against incumbent Josh Parry, but unlike Parry, who is strictly a blocker and semi-occasional pass-catching option, Tapeh also is a capable ball carrier.
The Eagles drafted him two years ago with the idea of using him in one-back sets. But he was raw and struggled to pick up the Eagles' complicated offense. He carried the ball 12 times for 42 yards as a rookie.
In Andy Reid's seven years in Philadelphia, the Eagles seldom have used their fullback as a running option. But that could change if Tapeh wins the starting job.
"Yeah, that certainly is a possibility," offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said. "Especially if you have a player there like (Tapeh) who can run it. It certainly can be a part of your offense."
If the spring minicamps are any indication, Tapeh appears to have a much better grasp of the Eagles' offense than he did as a rookie. As for his injury, which initially appeared to be career threatening, he said he has made a complete recovery.
Doctors had to wait more than seven months for his hip joint to stabilize last year before they could operate on him, which effectively ended any possibility of an '05 return.
"When they went back in there (to perform surgery), they saw all kinds of torn ligaments, cartilage, everything," Tapeh said. "It was ugly."
Tapeh was a productive runner in college, rushing for nearly 2,000 yards at Minnesota.
"I have a history of running the ball," he said. "If they want to tap back into my history, I can run the ball. (But) I don't call the plays."
PLAYER NOTES
--Wide receiver Jeremy Bloom, the Olympic moguls skier who the Eagles took in the fifth round of the draft, sat out a good portion of the team's spring minicamps due to hamstring problems. But coach Andy Reid said he should be fine by the start of training camp on July 20. "It looks that way right now, yeah," Reid said. "We will see how he does. It looks like he will be able to do that." The Eagles drafted Bloom mainly as a punt returner.
--The Eagles have signed two or their eight draft picks. Linebacker Omar Gaither, a fifth-rounder out of Tennessee, and defensive tackle LaJuan Ramsey, a sixth-rounder from USC, both agreed to terms. Ramsey was a college roommate of the Eagles' '05 first-round pick, Mike Patterson.
--Running back Correll Buckhalter, who has missed two of the last three seasons with knee injuries, didn't participate in the spring minicamps, and it's unlikely he'll be ready to go when training camp begins. "He's making progress," Andy Reid said. "He's doing some change-of-direction stuff and looks like he's able to push off that leg a little bit better than he was. We'll see. It's his second surgery, so we have to feel very comfortable with how he feels. We start up in a month, so we need to see how much progress he makes in a month."
--While left tackle William (formerly Tra) Thomas has stopped taking blood-thinner medication for the blood clots in his leg and says he'll be ready to fully participate in training camp next month, Andy Reid said they'll probably give rookie Winston Justice most of the snaps at left tackle early on in camp. "We'll probably start out with him and see how he does there," he said.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
FRANCHISE PLAYER: None.
TRANSITION PLAYER: None.
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
--LB Justin Ena (not tendered June 1).
--RB Lamar Gordon (not tendered June 1).
--P Sean Landeta (not tendered June 1).
--TE Chad Lewis (not tendered June 1).
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: None.
EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS: None.
DRAFT CHOICES SIGNED
--LB Omar Gaither (4th): 4 yrs, terms unknown.
--DT LeJuan Ramsey (6th): 4 yrs, terms unknown.
PLAYERS RE-SIGNED
--CB Roderick Hood: RFA; $1.573M/1 yr.
--P Dirk Johnson: RFA; $721,600/1 yr.
--RB Reno Mahe: RFA; $721,600/1 yr.
--WR Darnerien McCants: UFA; 1 yr, terms unknown.
--S Quentin Mikell: RFA; $721,600/1 yr.
--OT Jon Runyan: UFA; $12.5M/3 yrs, $2.5M RB; 2006 cap: $3.65M.
--DE Juqua Thomas: Potential UFA; terms unknown.
PLAYERS ACQUIRED
--LB Shawn Barber: FA Chiefs; 1 yr, terms unknown.
--WR Jabar Gaffney: UFA Texans; 1 yr, terms unknown.
--QB Jeff Garcia: UFA Lions; 1 yr, terms unknown.
--DE Darren Howard: UFA Eagles; $30M/6 yrs, $9.5M SB; 2006 cap: $2.58M
--DT Ed Jasper: UFA Raiders; $750,000/1 yr, $40,000 SB; 2006 cap: $465,000.
--TE Matt Schobel: UFA Bengals; 5 yrs, $1.8M SB.
PLAYERS LOST
--LB Keith Adams: UFA Panthers; 2 yrs, terms unknown.
--S Jack Brewer: UFA Cardinals; terms unknown.
--DT Paul Grasmanis (retired).
--QB Andy Hall (released).
--OG Artis Hicks: Traded Vikings.
--DE N.D. Kalu: UFA Texans; $750,000/1 yr.
--QB Mike McMahon (released).
--WR Billy McMullen: Traded Vikings.
--WR Terrell Owens (released).
--DT Hollis Thomas: Traded Saints.
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