4 big-name free agents for Eagles to avoid like the plague

1. Patrick Queen will cost more than Eagles can afford

The Eagles love to stock their linebacking corps with athletic linebackers who can make plays from sideline-to-sideline. Patrick Queen is a free agent who fits that description perfectly. That does not mean the Eagles should offer the sort of lucrative, long-term contract that will be required to secure the services of the former first-round pick.

The weakness in Queen's game is that he hasn't found a way to turn that athleticism into playmaking. He was drafted with the idea that he could be a turnover machine at the NFL level. Unfortunately, he turned more into a tackling machine for the Ravens. That is not the sort of linebacker that should receive a big money deal in free agency.

Again, it's the issue of resource allocation that would make inking Queen a bad deal for Philadelphia. They should be able to find a linebacker in the draft that can give them 80 percent of Queen's production at 20 percent of his price via the draft. Overpaying a middle linebacker would not be a wise use of cap space by the Eagles this offseason.

Instead, Philadelphia needs to be careful that they only hand out big money to premium positions this offseason even if that does not fit perfectly with their overall needs. If Philadelphia wants to spend big in free agency it would be wise to restrict the dollars to an edge rusher. Replacing Haason Reddick is a spot where the Eagles might be wise to overpay on a short-term deal. Queen isn't that sort of linebacker and that's why he should not get a big deal from Philadelphia when free agency begins.