Eagles should retain Runyan

By Connor Byrne  |   Monday, March 20, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Philadelphia Eagles
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After starting 144 straight games at right tackle for the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles, right tackle Jon Runyan has become one of the toughest, most consistent and most feared offensive linemen in all of football. He strikes fear into the hearts of opposing defensive linemen, while constantly keeping them away from his quarterback and running backs.

At the conclusion of last season, Runyan became an unrestricted free agent and many expected him to hit the open-market with a bang. Instead, there has been very little interest for the 32-year old who hasn't missed a game since his rookie season in 1996.

The reason for that is because Runyan's attitude has stopped teams from having much of any interest in him. Rather than getting out there and being an advocate for himself, Runyan went on vacation in the Cayman Islands at the dawn of free agency and has publicly stated that he will not be visiting any team until they give him a concrete contract offer. Is that possibly the stupidest move a prospective big-money player could make? Absolutely. Evidently, fiscal intelligence isn't Runyan's greatest strength; unfortunately, it's not his agent's greatest strength either.

Runyan could have burst onto the market and found himself in the same situation that Chicago Bears right tackle John Tait found himself in after the 2003-2004 season. After a successful five-year career with the Kansas City Chiefs, the now 31-year-old Tait signed a six-year contract worth $33.5 million, with an astounding $14 million bonus; that deal made Tait the highest-paid right tackle in football. Runyan wouldn't have stood to make that kind of money, but similar money probably would have found its way to his bank account. Teams like the Buffalo Bills or New England Patriots would have gladly compensated Runyan like the great offensive lineman that he's been. Even now, those are probably the two most likely landing spots for Runyan, who stands at an imposing 6-7 and weighs 330 pounds.

Up to this point, the Eagles haven't shown much interest in re-signing Runyan - their starting right tackle of the last six seasons. Along with veteran center Hank Fraley, Runyan has been the anchor of the Eagles' offensive line since the late '90s. He's been through everything with the club, including three consecutive devastating NFC title game losses from 2001-2003, and a heartbreaking Super Bowl loss to the Patriots in 2004.

The Eagles should certainly give Runyan a call and throw out a solid contract offer to retain his services. Currently, Philadelphia's replacement for Runyan is 2005 fourth-round pick Todd Herremans. The notion of having an unproven youngster like Herremans replace a proven leader and performer like Runyan is foolish to say the least.

Although Herremans has learned behind Runyan for a full season, he is by no means ready to start on the line for the Eagles next season. Starting quarterback Donovan McNabb was beaten like a drum last season by defensive pressure; he'll be beaten even more with Herremans at right tackle rather than Runyan. Quietly, I'm sure McNabb would agree with that. If there's one player that could convince the Eagles that Runyan should return, it would have to be McNabb. He would be wise to make his feelings known to owner Jeff Lurie, team president Joe Banner and GM Tom Heckert.

If the Philadelphia Eagles want their offensive line to be solid at right tackle for the next few years, they'll give Runyan the contract that he seeks. If they want to experiment with a young player like Herremans and tamper with solidity, then they could be in for trouble next season. Re-signing Runyan is a must before a team desperate for help at the tackle position calls him and signs him to a lucrative deal.

--Connor Byrne can be reached at cbyrne@realfootball365.com
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