It's safe to say the Eagles did not get what they bargained for when they signed Andrews as a free agent in February 2009. But there were red flags.
For one, Andrews was just four months removed from having torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Second, the Eagles almost immediately moved him to guard even though he had played most of his career at tackle.
"To be fair, we watched him at tackle in Cincinnati and . . . he had played three games, like he has voiced, at guard," said Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, who also proclaimed Nick Cole the new starter at right guard. "So it was a projection."
The Eagles originally slotted Andrews at right guard so his brother, Shawn, could move to right tackle to replace Jon Runyan.
"I did it because [the Eagles] said it would help Shawn's back," Stacy Andrews said Saturday night.
Shawn Andrews, of course, never played right tackle for the Eagles and was eventually released. He signed an incentive-laden deal with the New York Giants three weeks ago and is showing that he may have recovered from the back problems that plagued his final two years in Philadelphia.
Stacy Andrews said that his brother's troubles affected the way he was portrayed in the media and by fans. His agent, Rich Moran, went further and said the younger brother's problems affected how the Eagles dealt with the elder one.
"I think that what happened with Stacy had a lot to do with what happened with Shawn," Moran said. "He was playing his brother's position. . . . If Stacy knew that he was being signed to play guard, he would have never signed."
The Eagles' admission that the Andrews signing was a failure was just one move - albeit the most significant - on a cutdown day with a flurry of activity.
