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The Philadelphia Eagles just announced that restricted free-agent linebacker Omar Gaither has signed his one-year tender offer. Gaither, who missed all but five games of the '09 season with a Lisfranc sprain, has started 34 games for the Eagles since being drafted in the fifth round in '06.

The late Jim Johnson benched Gaither in favor of Akeem Jordan late in the '08 season. When Jeremiah Trotter was released before the '07 season, it was believed Gaither would be an upgrade at middle linebacker. But the young player has never looked comfortable as a starter. If he makes the team in 2010, he'll need to be a valuable part of Bobby April's special teams unit.

We'll keep you posted on the players who haven't signed their tenders. The versatile guard/center Nick Cole hasn't signed his tender at this point. I think the Eagles would be wise to pay Cole a little money and lock him up for a few seasons, but it doesn't look like it will happen before the April 15 deadline.

Dallas Cowboys

When free agency begins Friday, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says he has a plan and is going to stick to it.

Tight end Jason Witten recently chatted with ESPN Radio's Colin Cowherd. Here are some highlights of the conversation.

New York Giants

Despite a need to add talent on defense, don't expect the Giants to go after big-ticket free agents like Julius Peppers or Karlos Dansby.

The Giants may have some competition when it comes to signing backup quarterback David Carr.

Philadelphia Eagles

New Eagles general manager Howie Roseman sat down for a Q&A session Wednesday that touched on a number of topics.

Linebacker Jeremiah Trotter says he thinks he'll be back in an Eagles uniform for the 2010 season.

Washington Redskins

Carlos Rogers is none too happy with the Redskins' decision to place a first-round tender on him.

Rogers isn't the only Redskins player facing restricted options this offseason.

I've spent a good part of the morning combing over the Eagles' list of unrestricted free agents. Most of these players will become restricted free agents if 2010 becomes an uncapped season. And there's a pretty solid chance of that happening. Here's a look at the Eagles' unrestricted free agents:

• Jason Avant, WR, 26
• Jason Babin, DE, 29
• Nick Cole, G/C, 25
• Omar Gaither (IR), LB, 25
• Chris Gocong, LB, 26
• Ellis Hobbs (IR), CB, 26
• Max Jean-Gilles, G, 26
• Sean Jones, S, 27
• Akeem Jordan, LB, 24
• Sav Rocca, P, 36
• Alex Smith, TE, 27
• Jeremiah Trotter, LB, 32
• Leonard Weaver, FB, 27
• Tracy White, LB, 28

Of those players, Jordan and Weaver are the only ones I'd be truly concerned about getting an extension done. You'd definitely like to get something done with Cole, but he'll likely be a restricted free agent because of the uncapped season. We'll keep you posted on all of the developments in free agency.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Late in the third quarter, the Cowboys continue to ignore starting wide receiver Roy Williams. Quarterback Tony Romo attempted a deep ball to him in the first half on what looked like a broken play.

He continues to trot out there, but Romo has no intention of throwing in his direction. The Cowboys are now exploiting the matchup of whichever Eagles player lines up against Jason Witten. Jeremiah Trotter has no hope of covering him in space, and Quintin Mikell's struggling at this point.

Now we'll see if the Cowboys can beat the Eagles in back-to-back games. As I've said several times, beating a team three times in one season is a pretty tall order. But at this point, it's hard to see the Eagles being able to improve a whole lot in one week. This is a bad matchup for them.

If you haven't stumbled across Sheil Kapadia's Moving the Chains blog, you're really missing out. Sheil runs the show at Philly.com and he does a nice job of digging up valuable nuggets for Eagles fans and observers.

In his latest blog entry, Sheil breaks down how defensive coordinator Sean McDermott has been rotating his defenders. The Eagles are blessed with a lot of talent along the defensive line and McDermott's not afraid to make wholesale changes to create the right matchups. In Sunday's game against the Broncos, McDermott tightened his rotation at defensive tackle while continuing to rotate his defensive ends.

As Sheil points out, that might have something to do with how well Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson are playing right now. They have been highly effective against the run, although Frank Gore did have a nice day recently.

Did you guys realize that Jeremiah Trotter didn't play a single snap in the second half against the Broncos after being relatively effective in the first half? Akeem Jordan moved over and played a lot of middle linebacker in the Eagles' base defense. He obviously gives the Eagles more versatility at that position. Here's the breakdown at linebacker against the Broncos in terms of total plays:

• Will Witherspoon -- 62
• Akeem Jordan -- 39
• Moise Fokou -- 26
• Jeremiah Trotter -- 12
• Tracy White -- 10

The Eagles will sometimes go to a single-linebacker look when they want to get cornerback Dimitri Patterson on the field. I love taking a look at McDermott's different personnel groupings. From what I can tell, he doesn't call as many blitzes as his predecessor, Jim Johnson, but it seems like he uses more players. Will he tighten the rotations during the playoffs? We'll soon find out.

The Eagles have somehow continued to win with a patchwork defense, but coordinator Sean McDermott's still excited to see a couple of familiar faces return to the lineup. Judging by practice this week, it looks like starting linebacker Akeem Jordan (knee) and cornerback Joselio Hanson (four-game suspension) will pick up right where they left off. Hanson will return to the nickel role, which will help solidify the Eagles' banged-up secondary.

It will also help take pressure off Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown, who have held up well while playing through injuries. Veteran linebacker Jeremiah Trotter has now found his legs and he'll continue to help out against the run. On offense, rookie Jeremy Maclin has been wearing a protective boot this week because of plantar fasciitis. On Thursday, offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said he didn't think the foot injury would hinder Maclin against the Giants.

With Jordan, Hanson and DeSean Jackson all returning to the lineup this Sunday, the Eagles could be ready to soar into the playoffs. They're currently tied with the Cowboys at 8-4 but they appear to have the more favorable schedule. The Cowboys will host the Chargers on Sunday and then travel to New Orleans the following Saturday.

Let's look at some of the top storylines heading into tomorrow's game at the Linc:

• Eagles middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter is questionable for Sunday's game with some knee inflammation. He woke up Thanksgiving night with a pain that shot down his leg.

• Paul Domowitch of the Daily News says the Eagles have to keep the pressure on Jason Campbell -- just like they did last time.

• Shawn Andrews is getting a second opinion from a back specialist in Dallas. I'm sure it's Dr. Drew Dossett, who's also a Cowboys team doctor.

• Here's a column Phil Sheridan wrote about Donovan McNabb on Thanksgiving.

• For the latest Eagles injury news, let's turn to the Birds' Eye View.

• Nice story by David Elfin of the Washington Times on Eagles defensive tackle Antonio Dixon, who bounced between foster homes and homeless shelters as a youth.

• Thom Loverro says that Dan Snyder has the chance to "change the culture" at Redskins Park.

• DeAngelo Hall will not play Sunday against the Eagles. He'll be replaced by Carlos Rogers.

• Sally Jenkins has an excellent column that discusses how Jason Campbell has been better than Mark Sanchez and Jay Cutler, the two quarterbacks that Dan Snyder pursued in the offseason.

• Dan Steinberg has an interesting story on Sean and Tim McDermott.

• Jason Reid has more on DeAngelo Hall missing this game. Albert Haynesworth is doubtful with that ankle injury.

Eagles running back LeSean McCoy fumbled early in the fourth quarter, but he got a chance to atone for it by running for the game-winning touchdown. McCoy fell victim to one of Charles Tillman's three forced fumbles on the evening after a 17-yard run. But the Eagles blocked Robbie Gould's 48-yard field goal attempt and immediately drove for the winning score.

The game ended with Sean Jones intercepting a Jay Cutler pass. Tracy White caused the interception by reading Cutler's eyes and tipping a ball intended for Bears tight end Greg Olsen. It was a huge win for the Eagles (6-4) because it keeps them tied for second place in the NFC East with the Giants, one game behind the Cowboys.

Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was 23-of-32 for 244 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. DeSean Jackson had eight catches for 107 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown in the second half. Jackson ran a simple post pattern and used his speed to race past a Bears safety.

With Asante Samuel having to leave the game with a stinger, the Eagles were seriously compromised at cornerback. But the Bears couldn't capitalize. In the fourth quarter, Bears receiver Johnny Knox got behind Sheldon Brown on a fly pattern but Cutler overthrew him.

The Eagles featured a balanced attack on offense with 30 running plays and 32 passes. Given a full week of first-string reps, McCoy had 20 carries for 99 yards and a touchdown. He ran through tackles and he also showed good vision. Jackson and rookie Jeremy Maclin both got it rolling in the second half. Last week, the Eagles' offense waited too late to get going. On Sunday night, the offense showed up just in time. There aren't many players who can stay with Jackson and Maclin, so the Eagles need to find ways to get them involved earlier.

The Eagles need to learn from this game. Jackson and McCoy need to secure the ball -- especially against defensive backs such as Tillman, who's known for stripping the ball. I thought the defense did a good job of staying in Cutler's face. Trent Cole had a sack and he also did a nice job of pursuing plays from behind.

I had sort of forgotten about Jeremiah Trotter, but he did a really nice job against the run, ending up with four tackles. He looked a lot more comfortable in this game. Now the Eagles will host the Redskins before playing the Falcons and Giants.

There's a chance the Eagles and Giants could be 8-4 when they see each other in three weeks. The NFC East lead could be on the line. But first, the Eagles have to take care of business against the Redskins. The Cowboys were outplayed by Washington on Sunday but escaped with a 7-6 win.

I thought safety Quintin Mikell and Brown both had courageous performances. Mikell was in one-on-one coverage more than usual because of all the injuries in the secondary and it was obvious that Brown wasn't himself because of a hamstring injury. Fortunately for the Eagles, Cutler missed wide-open receivers on at least three occasions.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

	James Lang/US PRESSWIRE
	Philadelphia receiver DeSean Jackson is one of the offensive weapons putting the Eagles into contention in the NFC East.

Power Rankings: Preseason: 4. This week: 11.

2009 Schedule/Results

Where they stand: The Eagles (5-3) only trail the Cowboys by a game but it's impossible to know where this team is headed. The Eagles have some great offensive weapons, but they're capable of flopping at any minute. The Oakland loss was inexcusable, but they bounced back with convincing wins over the Redskins and Giants. The offense didn't play well against the Cowboys. Quarterback Donovan McNabb made some shaky throws, including two interceptions. This is still a dangerous team, but it's hard to go out on a limb and say Philadelphia is a definite playoff team. Questions abound at running back and on the offensive line. They're also thin at linebacker, where they've had to bring reinforcements such as Will Witherspoon and Jeremiah Trotter.

Disappointments: There have certainly been several disappointing injuries, but the healthy player who has to frustrate Andy Reid the most is Stacy Andrews. He was signed in free agency to help solidify the right guard spot. And that's not what's happened. He was beaten routinely by the Cowboys' defensive linemen in Week 9. And it took him several games to even crack the starting lineup. I think left tackle Jason Peters would also have to be considered a disappointment based on our lofty expectations for him. This was supposed to be an elite left tackle but he's looked uncomfortable in Reid's blocking schemes.

Surprises: We knew wide receiver DeSean Jackson was capable of putting up big numbers, but tight end Brent Celek has emerged as a Pro Bowl-caliber player. He's studied tape of Jason Witten ever since he entered the league -- and right now he's putting up Witten-type numbers. Celek's averaging over 12 yards per catch and that's pretty impressive for a tight end. He's learned how to set up defenders at the top of his routes -- and he's getting plenty of separation. He's become a trusted target for quarterback McNabb.

Outlook: The Eagles still have to make trips to Arlington and the Meadowlands. It's not going to be an easy December. And that's why this Sunday's game in San Diego is huge for the Eagles. The Chargers are riding high after a last-minute win over the Giants. The Eagles can't afford to drop into a tie with the Giants at 5-4. They'd like to stay within striking distance of the Cowboys. In order to get on a run, the Eagles desperately need McNabb to be more consistent. He was under a lot of pressure from the Cowboys' defense, but he still needs to be better than 16-of-30 with two interceptions. The interception to Mike Jenkins changed the game. The Eagles need to figure out what's going on with Brian Westbrook at some point. I think he could certainly help them, but right now he's impossible to count on because of the injuries. Anyone know what Michael Vick is on this team? Just asking...

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

On Friday, Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg told reporters that he thought guard Todd Herremans (foot) could play a full 60 minutes against the Redskins. Herremans is returning from foot surgery and he says he's not interested in a rotation system.

It looks like Herremans will start at left guard and Nick Cole, who'd replaced Herremans, will move over to right guard. Left tackle Jason Peters (knee) will start the game, but he's still not 100 percent. If something happens to him during the game, there's a good chance Herremans would slide over to left tackle and be replaced by Cole at left guard. That would likely cause Max Jean-Gilles to take over at right guard. Does that make sense?

And does anyone know what happened to Stacy Andrews? Everyone assumed that he would be the full-time right guard, but the guy can't even beat out Jean-Gilles. And I don't mean that as a knock on Jean-Gilles. It's just that the Eagles actually spent some free-agency money on Andrews, and they're not getting much of a return.

The fact that Herremans is the backup left tackle tells you everything you need to know about King Dunlap. In other news, Winston Justice hasn't been a picture of consistency at right tackle. When will Jon Runyan get the call? With the signing of Jeremiah Trotter, it looks like the Eagles are trying to host an '06 team reunion. It would be impolite to leave Runyan off the invitation list -- especially after witnessing the work of Dunlap and Justice. They'd make a great law firm marquee, but as NFL tackles, they're not much to look at.

OK, that's all I have for today -- unless a special edition of the Vinny Cerrato radio show breaks out on ESPN 980 this evening. I'll check back with you guys tomorrow afternoon.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

As if Eagles linebacker Omar Gaither needed another setback, he'll now undergo Lisfranc surgery on his injured foot and likely miss the rest of the season. The Eagles haven't announced that Gaither's being placed on injured reserve, but that's the logical next step.

Gaither will be replaced in the starting lineup by Will Witherspoon, who arrived in a trade deadline deal with the Rams on Tuesday. Jeremiah Trotter will continue to serve as the backup middle linebacker. At this point, Gaither has to be wondering what he'll have to endure next. He appeared to have a bright future when he replaced Trotter before the '07 season.

But Gaither lost his starting job to Akeem Jordan last season and he was only starting this season because Stewart Bradley was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. You have to credit the Eagles for trading for a pretty solid player in Witherspoon. I know he wasn't all that effective in '08 for the Rams, but he'll be surrounded with more talent on this Eagles team.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

Witherspoon

If you were scarred by watching Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter chase Raiders tight ends around the Black Hole on Sunday, I have some good news for you. The Eagles have acquired 29-year-old linebacker Will Witherspoon from the Rams in exchange for wide receiver Brandon Gibson and a fifth-round pick in 2010.

Witherspoon has been a very productive player since joining the Rams in 2006. He was a third-round pick by the Panthers in 2002 and he made 16 tackles in the Super Bowl for Carolina. The Eagles were in desperate need of a linebacker with Omar Gaither suffering from a foot injury and Trotter trying to get up to speed after being out of the league for two years.

Witherspoon injured his back and hip in Sunday's game, so I'm not sure what his status will be for Monday's game against the Eagles. But if he's anywhere close to healthy, the Eagles need him immediately. Why did the Rams give up a pretty good player for Gibson and a fifth-round pick? Well, obviously they were probably going to release him at the end of the season. Former Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is in the process of changing that locker room in St. Louis.

Good move by the Eagles.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

The unthinkable happened. The Eagles went into the Black Hole and suffered a 13-9 loss to the Raiders. It was a horrible day for the NFC East, but at least we've come to expect these performances from the Redskins.

The Eagles were so bad that Andy Reid couldn't even bring himself to field questions after the game. He made a statement about how Tom Cable out-coached him -- and then fled the building. You can point to a lot of areas in which the Eagles played poorly in the loss, but Reid's failure to show any interest in the running game certainly didn't help. Brian Westbrook was poised to have a huge day -- but Reid only fed him the ball six times. He had to make his impact catching the ball, which he did quite nicely with nine catches for 91 yards.

The Eagles couldn't account for Raiders tight end Zach Miller, who had an 86-yard touchdown during which he ran through a Jeremiah Trotter tackle. Maybe that's what happens when you bring back players who've been on the couch for a couple seasons and hand them valuable playing time.

The Eagles allowed the Raiders to control the clock, in part, because of Reid's refusal to run the ball. David Akers missed two field goals (43 and 47) in the game, but the Eagles shouldn't have been in a spot where they needed to win with field goals. They faced some adversity with left tackle Jason Peters injuring his knee in the first quarter, and they never responded. Quarterback Donovan McNabb was sacked six times and he finished the day 22-of-46 for 269 yards.

Now that road game next Monday at FedEx doesn't look quite as certain. Really, really bad day for the NFC East -- except for the idle Cowboys. Pretty solid day for them, I'd say.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

PHILADELPHIA -- I'm moments away from taking off for Dallas, but here are a few observations from the Eagles' convincing win over the sad-sack Bucs.

• Linebacker Jeremiah Trotter didn't look too bad after almost two years away from the game. He's still a menacing player, but he looks trim compared to the guy I remember from '06. I saw him blow up the center of the Bucs' offensive line on at least one occasion, and he did a nice job checking the defense into the right call at least twice. Trotter was in there for about 20 plays, according to coach Andy Reid. I'll have some quotes from Trotter later today.
• I had a brief but interesting talk with Eagles president Joe Banner in the postgame locker room. I asked him about Reid getting to 100 wins Sunday. "He's had a lot of milestones," Banner said. "We're just waiting for him to get that big milestone." Of course, Banner was alluding to that elusive Super Bowl title that the Eagles have been seeking. It's pretty obvious that Banner and Reid are shocked that they haven't been able to get it done over the past decade.
• Jeremy Maclin is a star in the making. He won't go off for 140 yards and two touchdowns every week, but he's capable of making a defense pay. The Bucs picked their poison in rolling coverage to DeSean Jackson. Maclin and Donovan McNabb made them pay dearly.
• To this point, the fabled Spread Eagle offense is pretty overrated. Do you really need Michael Vick to execute an inside handoff? On the other hand, the Eagles' base offense appears to be in excellent shape.
• You think Brian Westbrook will enjoy eight touches per week? No, that's not going to cut it. The brooding Westbrook is going to get antsy if this keeps up.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

PHILADELPHIA -- Turns out the Eagles didn't need the Wildcat formation to beat the winless Buccaneers. They stuck with Donovan McNabb for most of the game, and he responded in a big way. In fact, he looked better running the ball than Michael Vick -- right from the opening possession.

McNabb was flushed out of the pocket on the Eagles' first play from scrimmage and he raced 13 yards. He followed it up by lofting a perfect pass to rookie Jeremy Maclin for a 51-yard touchdown. McNabb and Maclin hooked up for a 40-yard touchdown later in the half and the Eagles took a 21-7 halftime lead.

Coach Andy Reid virtually ignored the running game in the first half because he didn't need it. In the second half, Brian Westbrook finally got a piece of the action when he caught a pass for 20 yards to help set up his own 7-yard touchdown run. But this was McNabb's and Maclin's day. Wearing a protective vest to protect his injured rib, McNabb was 16-of-21 for 264 yards and three touchdowns.

Bucs quarterback Josh Johnson tried to keep his team in the game in the first half, but his interception in the end zone with no time left on the clock virtually ended Tampa Bay's hopes. The Eagles' defense did everything it could to confuse Johnson. Defensive end Victor Abiamiri lined up at linebacker at times, and Jeremiah Trotter blew up a couple of plays from his old middle linebacker spot.

The Eagles took control of the game in the first quarter and you never got the sense the Bucs were going to rally. With this win, Reid is now 11-0 after byes. I'm headed down to the locker room. I'll have a full report in a couple of hours.