The news came in the wee hours of Sunday morning, although the Eagles knew it before then: Wide receiver Donte' Stallworth agreed to terms with New England, getting a deal worth a reported $30 million over six years, including $3.6 million guaranteed for 2007.

The reaction here? Disappointment, but an expected outcome. Stallworth, a good player and a good fit in the locker room, moves to New England and the Eagles move on.

They still have a lot of fluid situations working, but they certainly are going to have questions to answer at wide receiver.

As of Sunday afternoon, reports indicate that linebacker Ryan Fowler will soon sign an offer sheet from either the Eagles or the Titans. Wide receiver Kevin Curtis remains a hot property at wide receiver. There are other players whom the Eagles have contacted.

We're on the edge of our seats.

Clearly, the biggest question Eagles fans have regards wide receiver. Stallworth brought an explosiveness and defense-stretching element to the offense. His numbers weren't all that impressive, honestly, with 38 catches and five touchdowns last season. His hamstring injury cost him four games and will probably always be a source of concern for teams.

WR Jason Avant has a chance to step up in his second season

But now the Eagles face the challenge of replacing Stallworth's productivity and his presence. Losing a backup strong safety (Michael Lewis) or a backup quarterback (Jeff Garcia) or a reserve cornerback (Rod Hood) is entirely different than losing a starting wide receiver.

Are the Eagles good enough at wide receiver? A more accurate question: How will the Eagles make their wide receiver situation the best it can be between now and September?

Curtis? It is going to take a huge pile of money, right? He has a line of suitors lininig up for his services -- the Eagles, the Lions, the Giants and the Vikings. This will be decided in the next day.

Meanwhile, the Eagles have a very promising quartet working hard in the off-season -- Reggie Brown, Greg Lewis, Hank Baskett and Jason Avant. They signed Bethel Johnson as a player who will compete for a roster spot. They have Jeremy Bloom in the fold, but he is primarily a return man and asking him to become an NFL-ready receiver after three years of no games seems to be asking a lot. A couple of the kids, Bill Sampy, Michael Gasperson, they have a chance.

Brown is the headline player at wide receiver. Make no mistake about that. He is a rising standout at the position, and he will have no problem being the go-to receiver this season. But how can the Eagles compensate for losing the top-end talent that Stallworth is? Who brings that speed to the table? Who has the ability to make defense account for his presence?

Interesting, and challenging.

I am a big, big Avant fan. I like the way he runs his routes and attacks defensive backs and uses his body. I saw enough of Avant in practice, in the preseason and then in the regular season -- mostly, the finale against Atlanta -- to believe Avant can be a very good intermediate-route receiver here. Baskett is a big, strong receiver who has tremendous hands. He should make strides this year and develop into a reliable, productive mid-range receiver. Lewis has skills the enable him to find seams in coverage. He plays off coverage well. He recognizes things well and he catches and runs well.

As a group, it's a good foursome.

But the question the Eagles must answer is this: Is it enough? The team was prepared to enter last season with that group and then the opportunity to trade for Stallworth came along. It was a reasonable price to pay -- the Eagles dealt Mark Simoneau, a good backup-type linebacker and a fourth-round draft pick -- and acquired Stallworth for one season.

Looking back, was it worth it? I say yes. The Eagles are going to recoup the fourth-round draft pick they will give up in this year's draft in the form of a compensatory pick next year -- in fact, they figure to receive a fistful of those picks next year because the players they have lost in this free-agency period are signing such big contracts and should earn starting jobs with their new teams -- and Stallworth helped the team win the NFC East last year for the fifth time in six seasons.

Looking ahead, hey, anything can happen. The Eagles are still in the game with Curtis, whom they enjoyed a very productive visit on Thursday and Friday. There are a lot of highly-promising wide receivers in this draft. The NFL is alive with trades and deals, so if the Eagles really feel the need to add a wide receiver to replace Stallworth, they have the means to do so.

Twists and turns. Stallworth leaves and the Eagles move on. That is the way it goes in the NFL. You have to be resilient and you have to have moves and counter moves. We'll see how the Eagles react.