A lingering question from the draft: Why is Philadelphia coach Andy Reid so willing to help the Cowboys, an NFC East rival?
In this draft, Reid agreed to a deal that allowed the Cowboys to move up in the second round and select Penn State inside linebacker Sean Lee. The Cowboys indirectly added their first pick, Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant, from Philadelphia. The pick originally belonged to the Eagles, but Reid sent ti to Denver, which in turn traded it to New England before reaching the Cowboys.
In 2007, Reid gave a first-rounder to the Cowboys for picks in the second, third and fifth rounds. The Cowboys used that pick on outside linebacker Anthony Spencer, who had a breakthrough performance last season. The Eagles selected quarterback Kevin Kolb of Stephenville, middle linebacker Stewart Bradley and cornerback C.J. Gaddis. None of those picks made an impact for the Eagles last season, but Kolb is in line to replace the traded Donovan McNabb at quarterback.
Reid made another intra-division move with McNabb, trading him to Washington before the draft.
Reid’s stock reply on trading within the division is that he cares only about improving his club. If that means dealing with a division rival, so be it, he says.