Anybody who thought Juqua Thomas would make a legitimate run at a roster spot when the Eagles signed him earlier this month, please raise your hand.

It seemed, at the time, to be a move that would help the Eagles survive some training camp days when the ranks at defensive end had thinned and the Eagles needed a pair of "camp legs" to get through a few practices.

Three preseason games later, Thomas is much more than a no-name replacement.

He is on track to make the 53-man roster as a speed-rushing defensive end who has head-turning speed on special teams. Potentially, then, this is another plus move for an Eagles personnel department -- headed by, of course, the combination of Andy Reid and Tom Heckert -- that has a worthy track record of success.

DE Juqua Thomas has come on with the Eagles

Thomas was a player who had been in Tennessee for four seasons and then, in the spring, was released from a contractual option. He didn't exactly inspire a bidding war, and in fact wasn't on the move until the Eagles made him an offer.

Guess what? Thomas is the real deal. He's making it hard for the Eagles to look past his contributions -- a pair of tackles from the line of scrimmage, including a sack, and two special teams tackles against the Bengals, a sack against the Ravens (credited to Dominic Furio, the other No. 75, in the Gamebook) and a pair of tackles in Pittsburgh.

Were the Eagles lucky, or just good, when they reached out and signed Thomas? Probably a little bit of both, which is fine. It was another stellar move for a team that has made so many of them in recent years.

And that brings us to the decision to withdraw the franchise tag designation from Corey Simon, making him an unrestricted free agent who can sign with any team. The Eagles will receive no compensation, no down-the-line draft picks. Nothing.

Eyebrows were certainly raised when the Eagles made the move, and that's expected. But given the on-field success the team has had and the off-the-field wins the team has made with personnel moves, there just wasn't the out-and-out cry of "WHAT ARE THE EAGLES DOING??"

You know why? Because the fans trust the Eagles. Because the Eagles have earned the fans' trust. It is a relatively new phenomenon for any team in Philadelphia, but there you have it. Undeniable proof.

The fans trust the Eagles' decisions.

So I applaud the front office for reaching that status, and I send out this message -- which I'm sure they already know -- it won't last forever.

Now, let's talk more about the Simon move and what it means for the Eagles now and in the future. Barring a flurry of injuries -- I'm knocking on wood as I write this -- the Eagles have plenty of talent at defensive tackle. They won't miss Simon as long as Hollis Thomas and Darwin Walker and Sam Rayburn and Mike Patterson are on the field. Paul Grasmanis is the leading candidate for the fifth tackle spot, and he's being pushed by rookie Keyonta Marshall.

What is really intriguing is how the Eagles use their salary-cap wiggle room. Heck, it's more than wiggle room. The Eagles have a tremendous amount of room under the cap, and they can use it many, many ways.

I would expect them to continue to hammer away at contracts for some key young players and some veterans who are nearing the end of deals. Who? The names Brian Westbrook, Michael Lewis, L.J. Smith, Keith Adams, Dirk Johnson and N.D. Kalu come to mind immediately. The Eagles have a history of signing players to long-term deals just prior to and during the season, and there is every reason to anticipate something happening in that department in the coming months.

The Eagles, with so much room, have the ability to acquire veteran players who can help them now, either thorugh trades or the waiver wire. That's exciting as 53-man rosters are being set. The Eagles will be players in the coming week as they juggle those last few roster spots.

Then again, the Eagles can defer some of those cap dollars into next year and jump right into the mix in the 2006 spring free agency derby.

What the Eagles have done so well is, well, everything. They've added talent up and down the roster. They've strategized to win now and remain in position to win in years to come.

It's a rare happenstance in any sport. Reid has always said he'll look anywhere for talent and he's proven it in his time as the Eagles head coach. At a time when the Eagles shed talent in Simon, they are looking ahead to more additions and subtractions to improve the roster.

And guess what? It's OK with you. You trust Reid and Heckert and Jeffrey Lurie and Joe Banner and you should. They have a plan and they've stuck to it. The decisions have been bold and, in a vast majority of the cases, correct. The Eagles have earned your trust the hard way: By doing it the right way.

News And Notes And One ... More ... Preseason ... Game

The MRI on Shawn Andrews' shoulder was negative, and he was on the field on Monday and is scheduled to play Thursday against the Jets.

Let's talk about wide receiver Michael Gasperson and why the Eagles signed him so late in the preseason game, OK? I want you to keep an eye on him. He's 6 feet 4, 220 pounds and he runs well. If he shows the Eagles anything, I think he has a chance to stick on the practice squad as the team tries to develop him. It is, possibly, an excellent move. The Eagles liked him in college. He tore up his ACL -- and had previous knee problems, so teams backed off. The Eagles are taking a no-risk flier. It could work out ...

A roster battle to watch: Mike Labinjo and Martin Patterson on Thursday night for the middle linebacker job. I think Patterson has tailed off a bit of late and that Labinjo has stepped up his play. Patterson needs a big game to win a job here.

Good story on offensive guard Adrien Clarke: He ballooned to about 365 pounds as a senior at Ohio State and his draft stock plummeted. The Eagles picked him in the seventh round in 2004 and he missed all of last year with an injury. The Eagles wanted to keep him. Clarke had gotten his weight down, looked good in camp but then was injured. Now he's around 335 pounds and is having an excellent summer. He has emerged a bit from the guard pack.