Eagles Release Brian Westbrook

Tis the season in the NFL to release aging players. A day after the San Diego Chargers released future Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson, the Philadelphia Eagles released their dual threat half back Brian Westbrook on Tuesday.

Westbrook will leave the Eagles after eight seasons with the team. He was a third round draft pick by the Eagles in 2002 out of Division 1-AA Villanova. Westbrook is the second leading rusher in franchise history with 5,995 yards, just 543 yards behind leader Wilbert Montgomery. He made the Pro Bowl two times, in 2004 and 2007. In 2007 Westbrook led the NFL in total yards from scrimmage with 2,104 yards. His numbers have been in decline the last two seasons, and in that time, LeSean McCoy has emerged as a capable starter.

An explosive running back on the field, Westbrook was also an adept pass catcher out of the backfield. He had over 60 receptions four seasons in a row from 2004-2007. He has 66 total touchdowns, 29 of those receiving touchdowns. Westbrook has 9,785 total yards in his career with only 12 total fumbles.

As much as Westbrook was known as a dual threat on the field, he was also known for injuries. He never played in all 16 games in a season. He missed several games throughout his career with knee, ankle, and rib injuries. The most troubling injury happened this past season when he suffered two concussions less than a month apart. He suffered a concussion against the Washington Redskins on Oct. 26 when he came in contact with the knee of London Fletcher. Westbrook missed two games and returned to play against the San Diego Chargers where he suffered another concussion on a helmet to helmet hit. After missing five more games Westbrook managed to make it back for the last two games of the season, though he was limited to just 14 carries combined in those two games.

Now that the 30-year-old Westbrook is a free agent, the question becomes: does he play in 2010 and where? According to Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun Times, Westbrook wants to continue playing in 2010. What team will take a chance on an aging injury prone running back? I don't know, but it seems that Tomlinson has a bigger market than Westbrook just because he is less injury prone. There is little doubt that this is a bad time for Westbrook to be a free agent because NFL team's are currently hyper aware of the prolonged effects of multiple concussions, and thus less likely to take a chance on him.