Demeco Ryans

The trade for DeMeco Ryans comes with a cautionary tale. You may have heard it before: The Eagles acquire an established player from another team - in this case, a former two-time Pro Bowl linebacker from Houston - and that player does not deliver upon expectations. See: Jevon Kearse and Stacy Andrews. Ryans comes with rather large expectations, although they're tempered with the fact that he is only two years removed from a ruptured Achilles tendon and that he is moving back into the middle of a 4-3 defense after a season as one of two inside linebackers in a 3-4. The Eagles say they believe that Ryans, whom they acquired from the Texans in March for a fourth-round draft pick, is no longer hindered by his injury.

BRIAN ROLLE wears jersey No. 52 now. Why? Well, the Eagles traded for DeMeco Ryans in the offseason, and they handed Rolle's No. 59 to Ryans, since that had been Ryans' number in Houston. Rolle says he got no say in the giving away of his old number, or in the choosing of his new one. This is one of many things that Rolle feels he can't let bother him, like fans who tell him he should shut up on Twitter because Eagles linebackers missed a lot of tackles last season, like reporters who repeatedly question his listed height of 5-10.

DeMECO RYANS manned the middle of the Eagles' defense for the first time Tuesday, standing in a shaft of light beaming from the heavens that followed Ryans about the NovaCare field, as unicorns frolicked and celestial choirs . . . OK, it really wasn't all that dramatic. Just a guy in short pants and a helmet, wearing jersey No. 59, looking a little bigger than your typical Eagles middle linebacker, at 6-1, 237. Rookie strongside starter Mychal Kendricks stood on one side of Ryans (confirming what had been whispered)

When the Eagles traded for DeMeco Ryans, the feeling of relief and excitement among fans was palpable. The team had picked up a name linebacker. Finally. But the big move doesn't necessarily mean the Eagles solved the linebacker problems that were so plain and painful to see last season. Ryans is a two-time Pro Bowler and renowned leader, but after an Achilles tear in 2010 he wasn't the same player in 2011. The Eagles are optimistic about his health and returning him to the 4-3 system in which he excelled, but even if he returns to form, the team might need insurance and definitely needs an upgrade at outside linebacker.

DEMECO RYANS - A two-time Pro Bowler, Ryans was acquired to be the answer to the question that has long loomed over middle linebacker. He has the pedigree, but has to bounce back from a down season in 2011. JAMAR CHANEY - After a fast start as a rookie, Chaney had a rocky 2011, starting at the strong side and then moving to the middle early in the season. He struggled at times, and will have to move back outside with Ryans in town. BRIAN ROLLE - Rolle was probably the team's most effective linebacker last season, and showed impressive power for his size.

DeMeco Ryans finally loosened the mint-green tie he had grabbed hastily to accent his green-checked shirt and navy suit before an unexpected flight to Philadelphia on March 21. His voice had gone dry and scratchy, despite swigs from a nearly empty water bottle that crinkled in his grip as the questions kept coming. On his first day as an Eagle on March 21, Ryans sat in the team's offices finishing the final round of a gauntlet of interviews with reporters and radio hosts.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Eagles have room to add another defensive tackle, with free agents Derek Landri and Trevor Laws still unsigned. Mike Patterson, Cullen Jenkins, Antonio Dixon, and Cedric Thornton are under contract, but the Eagles carried five defensive tackles last season. Thornton, an undrafted rookie, could be expendable. The Eagles could be targeting one of a number of attractive defensive tackles in the first round of next month's draft. General manager Howie Roseman agreed that it is a position of strength in the draft.

An entry by Les Bowen on the Daily News' Eagles blog, Eagletarian, at www.eagletarian.com FORMER EAGLES and Houston Texans defensive end N.D. Kalu has a sports radio talk show in Houston now, on KILT. Like many Houstonians, Kalu was surprised by the departure of middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans to the Eagles; unlike most Houstonians, Kalu still pulls passionately for the Birds, so he isn't too grief-stricken. We thought it might be fun to catch up with N.D. and get his impressions not only of Ryans, his friend and former Texans teammate, but of the differences Ryans will encounter between being a Texans focal point and assuming that role here.

Omar Gaither, Stewart Bradley, Joe Mays, Akeem Jordan, Chris Gocong, Will Witherspoon, Jamar Chaney, Casey Matthews, Jeremiah Trotter 3.0 . . . DeMeco Ryans? Have the Eagles finally found, after five seasons of impostors, their savior at middle linebacker? After the Eagles bagged Ryans in a trade with the Houston Texans on Tuesday, reaction from the team's fans has been overwhelmingly positive. Much of the excitement has to do with Ryans, of course. But underneath it all has been the blue-collar city's desperation for a savior at the most blue-collar of positions.