http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060313/...NlYwN5bmNhdA--
Eagles Sign Darren Howard for $30M
By ROB MAADDI, AP Sports Writer 16 minutes ago
PHILADELPHIA - The
Philadelphia Eagles signed former New Orleans defensive end Darren Howard to a six-year, $30 million contract on Monday in an attempt to upgrade their defensive line.
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It includes $10.5 million in guaranteed money, according to a person familiar with the deal who spoke on condition of anonymity because the terms weren't released.
The Eagles will announce the signing at a 1 p.m. news conference.
Howard spent his first six seasons with the Saints and twice reached double-digits in sacks. He bolsters a defensive line that failed to generate much pressure on quarterbacks last season.
The Eagles were hoping to sign former Saints center LeCharles Bentley on Saturday, the first day of the NFL's free agency period. They reportedly had reached a verbal agreement with the two-time Pro Bowl lineman, but Bentley chose his hometown
Cleveland Browns instead. So, Philadelphia switched its focus to the defensive line for now.
The 29-year-old Howard is coming off an injury-plagued season in which he had just 3 1/2 sacks in 12 games. It was a difficult year emotionally for Howard and his teammates because Hurricane Katrina wiped out New Orleans and forced the team to set up a temporary home in San Antonio.
"It was the longest 17 weeks I've ever been through. I wouldn't wish that on anybody," Howard said Sunday. "It was very stressful."
Howard had 11 sacks in 2000 and 2004. A second-round pick (33rd overall) from Kansas State in 2000, the 6-foot-3, 275-pound Howard had 44 1/2 sacks in six seasons with New Orleans. He didn't miss a game his first three years, but hasn't played an entire season since 2002, missing 15 games total.
Howard didn't play the final four games last season because of a knee injury. He missed two games with a neck injury and another with a knee injury in 2004, and sat out eight games with a dislocated right wrist in 2003.
"I'm healthy. I'm 100 percent," Howard said.
Howard twice was designated a franchise player by the Saints, but never signed a long-term contract and played under one-year deals each of the last two seasons.
Jevon Kearse and Trent Cole were Philadelphia's starting ends last season. Kearse, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, had 7 1/2 sacks while Cole had five as a rookie. However, the two combined for just one sack over the final six games.
Former first-round pick Jerome McDougle was expected to start opposite Kearse, but sat out the whole year after he was shot in the abdomen during a robbery attempt last summer.
The Eagles finished last in the NFC East with a 6-10 record after going to the playoffs five consecutive years and reaching the Super Bowl after the 2004 season.
They signed linebacker Shawn Barber to a one-year deal last week and are expected to aggressively pursue other free agents. Star wide receiver Terrell Owens, who was kicked off the team in November, will be released or traded before he's due to receive a $5 million roster bonus on Wednesday
If he's really "100% healthy" it's a good signing by the Eagles...They needed some depth on that D-line.
Eagles Sign Darren Howard for $30M
Eagles Sign Darren Howard for $30M
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