Familiar face missing for Eagles

The man many fans feel is the face of the Philadelphia Eagles - as well as their heart and soul - is a free agent this morning.

Free safety Brian Dawkins, the emotional leader of the team for a decade, entered the free agent market at the stroke of midnight. That doesn't mean he won't resign with the Eagles. The team has apparently made him a contract offer, but there is no deal in place just yet.

It’s kind of hard to imagine the Eagles without Dawkins. And it’s equally hard to envision Dawkins in something other than that familiar green, black and silver.

That means, technically, Dawkins is not on the team's roster as of right now. He has company on that list with two other familiar names, both veteran members of the team.

Longtime starting left tackle Tra Thomas, yes, the guy who protects quarterback Donovan McNabb's blind side, also is now officially a free agent. So is his bookend on the offensive line, right tackle Jon Runyan. Interestingly enough, Runyan was one of the first big free agent signings of the Andy Reid era.

Between them, that's more than 30 year of service to the Eagles hanging in the balance.

It's possible the Eagles might simply be waiting to see what kind of interest is shown in this trio of aging stars.

But it's a bit of a roll of the dice. Thomas is considered one of the top left tackles on the market. Dawkins also is expected to draw interest. He struggled early in the year, then rallied and again was one of the keys to the Birds' stellar defense that propelled them into the playoffs. Runyan may not get as much interest. He is rehabbing from microfracture surgery on his knee.

Dawkins, a second round draft pick out of Clemson, has been with the Eagles for 13 years. Thomas was the 11th pick taken in the 1998 draft.

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