L.J. Smith Signs With Baltimore

March 18, 2009
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L.J. Smith, the Eagles’ franchise player last year, has agreed to play for the Baltimore Ravens signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal.

Does this make Todd Heap available?

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  3. Eagles Sign Veteran Tight End
  4. Jeremy Maclin Signs
  5. Eagles Sign 3rd Rounder Bryan Smith

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14 Responses to L.J. Smith Signs With Baltimore

  1. PairFace on March 18, 2009 at 3:38 pm

    I’d love a guy like Heap. But his injury history is awful. I would rather get a TE early in the draft than for the Eagles to pursue Heap.

  2. DeWayne on March 18, 2009 at 4:18 pm

    No I think L.J is there as an insurance policy if Heap goes down. He will be his backup & give them some speed in certain situations, not consistency.

  3. Franz on March 18, 2009 at 4:25 pm

    DeWayne, I think you may be right. The contract says he is a backup – which is all he really is anyway. So much for the franchise player this team made him out to be.

  4. 5superbowlrings on March 19, 2009 at 7:25 am

    How many starters are gone now?

  5. PairFace on March 19, 2009 at 2:05 pm

    LJ Smith was not the starting TE at the end of the year. Celek was starting. So the starters lost remain Dawkins (35 years old) & Thomas (34), with Runyan (34) still unsigned.

    The Eagles have signed starters Stacy Andrews (27) and Sean Jones (27). So if Runyan does not come back (likely), the Eagles need 1 starter.

    How about the Cowboys…4 starters lost, and 2 starters signed. Any more 33-year-old linebackers on the horizon???

  6. 5superbowlrings on March 20, 2009 at 12:42 pm

    The eagles lost the heart and soul of the defense and replace him with a guy with a one year contract. I see your point…this must be a wash in your eyes. How many years has thomas protection mcnabb? Eagles bring another head case with a bad knee. Isee the upgrade point here. You are right the eagles absolutely are better now. Good points.

  7. 5superbowlrings on March 20, 2009 at 1:43 pm

    Roy was not a starter at the end of the season either.

  8. PairFace on March 20, 2009 at 2:35 pm

    I didn’t comment on how good or bad the signings were, just their ages. It remains to be seen how the replacement players will perform. But that goes for the Cowboys as well. Who is going to perform at T.O.’s level for the Cowboys? Is Olshansky an upgrade from Canty??? Who is starting at CB with Henry and Pac Man gone???

    BTW, I didn’t count Roy, though he wasn’t playing due to injury, not because he was overtaken on the depth chart. I counted:

    TO (replaced in-house by Roy Williams – but someone has to replace his spot – would that be Butterfingers or Miles Austin???)
    Canty (replaced by Olshansky)
    Henry (replaced in-house?)
    Z.Thomas (replaced by Brooking)

  9. 5superbowlrings on March 20, 2009 at 2:59 pm

    I thought butterfingers = TO. I like hurd as the #2 and crayton in the slot.

    As for henry’s replacement, I like scandrick and jenkins. Both had good first years. Reminds me of the time the eagles had two young corners and let troy walk.

    Canty and igor appear to be a wash on paper. Brookings appears to be a wash to zach as well may be a little better.

    Btw for a team only minutes away from the superbowl, why so many changes? Seems a little odd. I would expect changes from a team who missed the playoffs.

  10. PairFace on March 20, 2009 at 4:05 pm

    Change is a big part of today’s NFL. Dawkins’ leaving was a surprise, but that’s how it goes. Sean Jones is not going to replace the impact plays that Dawkins made. But he is an upgrade as a pass defender, and is 8 years younger than Dawk.

    As for Thomas, not as big of a loss. Steady performer and good pass blocker. But was a liability as a run-blocker, and was clearly part of the 3rd-and-short problems the Eagles had last year. With both Andrews brothers on the OL, and with the signing of Weaver today, that problem is being addressed.

    >>>As for henry’s replacement, I like scandrick and jenkins. Both had good first years. Reminds me of the time the eagles had two young corners and let troy walk. <<<

    Oh really??? Undrafted Scandrick and undrafted Jenkins remind you of 1st-round pick Lito Sheppard and 2nd-round pick Sheldon Brown??? Don’t you mean you HOPE they remind you of Sheppard and Brown? Because that’s all it is right now.

    I’ll agree that Olshansky is somewhat even with Canty. But replacing Thomas, who wasn’t all that effective, with another aging OLB on the decline, isn’t upgrading te position, which is what the Cowboys needed to do.

    And you left the WR comparison alone…I wonder why:

    TO-Williams-Crayton-Austin
    vs.
    Williams-Crayton-Austin-Hurd

    Which group is better???

  11. 5superbowlrings on March 20, 2009 at 4:50 pm

    Undrafted? Check your source again.

  12. PairFace on March 20, 2009 at 6:05 pm

    Ahhhh, stupid ESPN. They list them as “undrafted” in 24-point font in their player bio. But on 2nd look, it’s their fantasy draft position. That website is getting more ridiculous with each passing day.

    Anyway, Jenkins looks like a nice player from what I read. But that would still be a tall order to throw either guy in there as the starter, and expect steady play all year long. Sheppard and Brown were groomed for the better part of 2 full seasons before they replaced Vincent and Taylor. I would think the Cowboys would be in the market for a vet just in case neither player Jenkins or Scandrick are ready.

    What say you on the Eagles signing Weaver today??? Upgrade???

  13. 5SBR on March 20, 2009 at 8:45 pm

    The 8 years younger than Dawkins comment is true, but the Eagles signed Jones to a one year contract. How is that going to help the eagles in the long run?

    BTW – who was the OLB the cowboys signed as you mentioned above? They did sign Brookings (ILB) who is an upgrade (after thinking about it) since he is two years younger and has played in a 3-4 defense before. Thomas was playing out of position.

    On the Weaver deal, it was an upgrade since the eagles did not have a true FB. But, another one year deal. I hate one year deals. Now how much money do the Eagles have under the cap? $30M+ still???

    Jenkins is solid, but Scandrick is better. He play the slot most of the year…aggressive ballhawk player. He was the biggest surprise of the draft for the Boys.

  14. PairFace on March 20, 2009 at 9:05 pm

    The 1 year deals are actually pretty shrewd, imo. They allow the team to evaluate the player in their system before deciding to commit to them long-term. They’ll have exclusive negotiating rights until free agency opens next year, and will have plenty of cash to put together a long-term extension. The Eagles extend quite a few contracts mid-season, and it’s where a good portion of their cap space is used.

    However, I don’t recall a year like this, where the Eagles have signed so many 1-year deals. It may have something to do with the CBA expiring at the end of the 2009-2010 season. The players’ union is looking to get rid of the salary cap, and if they don’t reach an agreement in time, next year is going to be an “uncapped” year. But I think there would be a lockout before that ever happened. Maybe that’s part of it…maybe not.