Kearse's Eagles Days Could Be Numbered

A month ago, Eagles defensive end Jevon Kearse was benched, and he'll probably be released in the coming weeks. The former Pro Bowler never lived up to expectations in Philadelphia after several monster seasons with Tennessee during the first half of his career.

As Michael David Smith wrote on November 16, Kearse had 35 sacks in his first three NFL seasons, and has managed 34.5 sacks in the six years since. And now with Juqua Thomas getting most of the playing time -- and making substantially less than Kearse ($1 million to $6.5 million for 2008) -- it's pretty clear how this is going to end:

"I've seen [the big picture], but I don't let it get to me," Kearse said. "I just want to take something positive from this season and that is to get healthy. I want to use this time that I haven't been playing or practicing and let my knee get right and see what the future holds."

Kearse seems like a good guy who's been slowed by one injury or another. If he can prove he's healthy, he'll certainly get a shot with another NFL team, probably something similar to what the Broncos and Colts offered Simeon Rice.

Hopefully Kearse's story has a happier ending than getting cut twice before heading home to wait for the phone to ring, although I suspect Eagles' fans would've settled for just a little more productivity during his four years in Philly.