The Eagles continued to clean out the nest Thursday as they released veteran defensive end Darren Howard and wide receiver Kevin Curtis.
This came after lineman Shawn Andrews and running back Brain Westbrook had their wings clipped by the club.
Howard came to the Eagles in 2006 as a heralded defensive lineman. He never lived up to hype putting up a serviceable 22.5 sacks and 122 tackles in 64 regular season games. His best season was 2008 when he registered 10 sacks.
The 33-year-old’s best years are likely in the past.
In traditional fashion, head coach Andy Reid had only nice things to say of his dispatched Birds.
“Howard has been one of our most productive and versatile members of our defense in the last couple of years,” said Reid. “He is nothing but a solid player, leader and person on and off the field."
In three seasons with the Eagles he caught 116 passes for 1,5777 yards and eight TDs.
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Curtis was productive when he actually played. He even recorded 1,110 yards and six TDs while playing all of the 2007 season. But, Curtis struggled to find the field over the last couple seasons as he battled knee problems.
"Kevin is one of the classiest players I have ever been around,” said Andy Reid.
He also put up one of the more memorable receiving days in Philly history when he grabbed 11 balls for 221 yards and three scores in a Week 3 game against the lowly Detroit Lions.
Despite his flashes of brilliance, Curtis will be 32 before next season and after injuries his best years are likely in the past.
“He's the type of player and person we like to build our team with,” Reid said. “We just feel good about the young core of receivers we have on our team at this point.”
