Monday, March 11, 2013
Goldson a fit for Philly?
By Tim Kavanagh
It's no secret that the Philadelphia Eagles need help for their secondary looking ahead to the 2013 season, and while it's not expected that they'll repeat the summer of 2011 with a wild string of high-profile signings, some believe that Philly will be in the mix to strengthen their CB and S ranks with veterans in the coming days. One possibility at safety is Dashon Goldson, whose time with the San Francisco 49ers appears to be over.
Safety was listed as the No. 1 need for Philadelphia in the Insider "Offseason Playbook" compiled by Gary Horton and Field Yates. Here's Yates describing why Goldson would fill that need so well, and ESPN NFC East blogger Dan Graziano offering his thoughts as well:
Field Yates
Offseason Playbook: Philadelphia"Goldson was a first-team All Pro in 2012, and although he's not an elite coverage safety, he has very good ball skills with 9 interceptions over his past two seasons. More importantly, Goldson is an imposing force in the back end of a defense who makes the most of his 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame. He can be a tone-setter for Philadelphia, which needs help in the worst way in the secondary. Goldson was not franchise tagged by the 49ers this offseason after earning the tag in 2012, and it looks possible that his days in San Francisco are done. In Philadelphia he would bring consistency and reliability to a safety group that had very little of it last season. Goldson is a productive safety against both the run and in the passing game and would bring immediate toughness to a defense that is in transition right now. Regardless of what scheme Bill Davis opts to run in Philadelphia, he needs to add playmakers on all three levels of his defense. Goldson has proven himself to be one for the 49ers in each of the past four seasons, and he would immediately become a pillar of Philly's new-look defense in 2013."
Dan Graziano
Goldson part of Eagles' plan?"It would certainly be exciting for the Eagles to land a player who may be the top guy on the market at a position of significant need. Goldson turns 29 in September, so he's not old but likely not exactly as young as the Eagles would like the new players on their defense to be. And you do have to ask yourself why a Super Bowl team that barely substituted at all on defense in 2012 is letting Goldson go. Eagles fans may also be gun-shy about another big-name free-agent signing so soon after the mess of 2011. But there's no question they need players -- and playmakers, especially on defense. There are quite a few experienced safeties on the market, and it's possible the Eagles like someone else better. But they will need to get someone, and Goldson would qualify as a big splash."
