Well now the move to acquire Witherspoon makes even more sense. News surfaced today that Eagles MLB Omar Gaither needs surgery to repair a Lisfranc sprain in his foot, which means he’s done for the year. This is terrible news for the birds who are weak at the linebacker position after losing Stewart Bradley in the preseason, signing back Jeremiah Trotter and remembering why they cut him in the first place, and watching second year man Joe Mays not even get onto the field due to poor performance. Gaither heads into free agency next year and this injury coupled with his declining performance certainly won’t help him make a strong bid for a spot on the Eagles roster in 2010 (or on any other roster for that matter).

The Eagles defense is literally falling apart and it all started from the top when Jim Johnson passed away this summer. Witherspoon already had a lot of pressure on him when he was traded to Philadelphia but that pressure has just been intensified ten times over. Not only is he starting at one of the most important defensive positions for a defense that has a reputation for being one of the toughest, strongest units in the league, but he is pretty much the Eagles last line of defense (pardon the pun). There is absolutely no depth behind him and he is the newest member of the team. This is the guy that is most likely going to be wearing the radio helmet on the field and making sure the defense is on the same page. That might be difficult when he has known his team mates for all of two days. Although it is a great opportunity for Will to prove himself, I can confidently say that I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes (or cleats). Let’s just hope he is up to the task. The fate of the Eagles may depend on it.