After two years of uncertainty, the Big Kid is gone.
It's certainly difficult to fault the Eagles for doing so, but from where I'm sitting, releasing Shawn Andrews doesn't seem to make much sense.
He has missed the past two seasons with back injuries, both of which required surgery, but by all accounts he's finally healing up the way he should be and has a legitimate shot at coming back full-strength in 2010.
He was also only scheduled to make just under $2 million—a number more than reasonable even for a backup, much less a two-time Pro Bowl guard who, at certain points, has been the best guard in the league.
Keeping him would not have had a huge impact on the wallet, so I'm not sure I see the point in cutting the troubled lineman loose right now.
The release comes at a point when the Birds are facing huge question marks on the interior of their line with Jamaal Jackson rehabbing from a torn ACL and Stacy Andrews, Shawn's brother, looking to rebound from an incredibly disappointing 2009.
The potential that Andrews could return to even half his Pro Bowl form is reason enough to keep him around, but the added insecurities along the interior line make this move, and its timing, incredibly perplexing.
Andrews says he has yet to speak with other teams, and is first trying to get himself back into playing shape, but my best guess is that he will wind up somewhere like Baltimore, St. Louis, or Minnesota where there are extensions of the Andy Reid coaching tree, and guys who have interacted with Andrews.
He could be a huge catch for a team if he can come back healthy, but that remains to be seen.
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