When coach Andy Reid's Kansas City Chiefs released Eric Winston on Wednesday, they sweetened the free-agent market with one of the NFL's better right tackles. It didn't take long for Reid's former team, the Philadelphia Eagles, to come calling.
Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News reported Thursday the Eagles were one of the first two clubs to contact agent Drew Rosenhaus about signing Winston. Bowen reports the zone-blocking Houston Texans -- where Winston played from 2006 to 2011 -- were the second team.
Along with that duo, The Miami Herald suggests the Dolphins are another logical landing spot for the 29-year-old lineman, who visited with the team last year before signing with the Chiefs.
Winston would give new Eagles coach Chip Kelly an immediate upgrade in the trenches. The 6-foot-7, 302-pounder hasn't missed a game since 2006, while the Eagles were undone by injuries last season. At one point in November, guard Evan Mathis was Philly's only opening-day starter still healthy.
Pro Football Focus graded Winston as the ninth-best right tackle in the NFL last season -- 26th best overall -- and he currently sits at No. 42 in our list of the top 85 free agents. The Chiefs saw Winston as an expendable chess piece, but a player with his track record is going to be snatched up quick.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
