FanHouse Brian Dawkins

Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.

Earlier this offseason Donovan McNabb said he wanted to see how the Eagles upgraded the roster before he would talk about a contract extension. After last fall, when things got so bad that Andy Reid benched McNabb for Kevin Kolb, it looked as if neither head coach nor starting quarterback would be in Philly another year, much less long term.

With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.

From Mike Shanahan's firing to the Jay Cutler trade, the Broncos are almost unrecognizable from the team that finished last season. After three playoff-less seasons, that may not be a bad thing.

The upheaval does make it difficult to predict where they'll look on draft day, however. A new coach and general manager running their first draft don't have a track record to use as a guide, which should make the Broncos a team to watch on April 25.

Last month, the Eagles fired Dan Leone when, via Facebook, he referred to the organization's decision to let Brian Dawkins sign with the Broncos as "retarted". Leone, a game-day stadium employee, immediately apologized for his actions, but was still dismissed.

Leone subsequently made the media rounds telling his story in the hopes of getting his job back, and during an interview with FanHouse, he hinted that Dawkins' representatives might be in touch with him for his show of loyalty, even if misguided.

Everyone is on Facebook (even FanHouse -- become a fan, holmes!) My older family members, old high-school teachers, everyone. It's just a fact of life.

Here's another fact of life: if you write something on your Facebook page, it's possible for everyone to see it. Texas lineman Buck Burnette learned this the hard way. And now, so has Dan Leone, a former employee of the Philadelphia Eagles, who was recently fired for referring to the team as "retarted" (though he presumably meant "retarded") in his Facebook status.

'HouseCast is FanHouse's audio podcast. Watch out. You might just get what you're after.

BDTH returns early in the week to chat it up with Dan Levy, proprietor of OnTheDLPodcast.com and the aptly named and very awesomely done podcast On the DL. Dan joins Will Brinson and Ryan Wilson to talk about all things Philly, including Brian Dawkins leaving, Donovan McNabb being a "phony," Terrell Owens (he still kind of counts, no?), and Ron Jaworski's preparedness. Additionally, Dan, Will and Ryan touch on Arlen Specter, how politics and sports mix, and how Dan plans to use On the DL to eventually rule the world. Kidding.

Hit the jump to download the various MP3 segments or listen to the whole thing in our embedded player.

Philadelphia had a void to fill, both on the field and emotionally after losing longtime safety Brian Dawkins to Denver via free agency. The Eagles are banking on Sean Jones to fill that gap.

Jones had 83 tackles and four interceptions for Cleveland last season, despite missing four weeks with a knee injury suffered in Week 1. The good news for Eagles fans is that Jones proclaimed that his "knee is 100 percent right now" at his introductory press conference in Philadelphia. The better news is that Jones, when he's healthy, can be a very solid player in the defensive backfield, and he's eager to prove himself again.

While the rest of the NFL is taking part in a free agent spree, the Chicago Bears have been incredibly quiet. I'm not necessarily talking about signing guys, because sometimes that stuff is out of your control. I'm talking about the Bears not being mentioned in any rumors for any free agent or possible trade target.

It's not as though the team doesn't have needs, as I outlined five in the offseason roadmap. I unintentionally omitted another need, which was astutely pointed out by the first commenter -- that they need an able-bodied backup to Matt Forte in the backfield as well. So that makes six pretty important needs.

On the first day of free agency, the Broncos landed wideout Jabar Gaffney and long snapper Lonnie Paxton, both formerly of the Patriots. New head coach Josh McDaniels also wasted little time in shoring up one of the league's worst defenses a season ago: Denver inked safeties Renaldo Hill and Brian Dawkins.

And today, the rebuilding process continues: according to Denver's CBS4, defensive tackle Darrell Reid and linebacker Andra Davis have also been signed.

All season long Brian Dawkins said that he was hopeful that he'd work out a way to stay with the Eagles. Less than 24 hours into free agency, though, that looks like an impossibility. The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that Dawkins and the Broncos have agreed to terms on a contract that will be formally announced in Denver on Saturday.

Dawkins fills a huge hole for the Broncos. Their defense will be stocked with new, presumably young for the most part, faces. Dawkins gives them an experienced leader who can help the team forge a new defensive identity.