Eagles Notes: Eagles hire Donahoe to assist Roseman

The Eagles replaced one former general manager with another when they hired Tom Donahoe as a senior football adviser.

Donahoe, who was an executive with the Steelers in the 1990s and with the Bills in the 2000s, replaces former Browns GM Phil Savage, who recently left the Eagles to become director of the Senior Bowl.

General manager Howie Roseman said that Donahoe, 64, will bring "valuable experience" to the Eagles. "He's been with winning organizations. He's someone that can add a lot of insight," Roseman added.

Donahoe will mostly assist Roseman and Anthony Patch, director of college scouting, in preparation for the draft. Roseman made it official Thursday that he won't be replacing the recently departed Ryan Grigson, although Patch will assume most of Grigson's responsibilities as director of player personnel.

"We're going to go with the people we have," Roseman said.

Grigson became the Colts GM in January. Only one Eagles scout followed him to Indianapolis - Ahmad Russell. The team also lost scout Dan Jeremiah this offseason when he left for nfl.com.

Aside from the Donahoe hiring, the Eagles also announced Thursday that they named Ed Marynowitz assistant director of pro scouting, Jake Hallum senior scout, John Middlekauff West Coast scout, Dan Hatman pro scout, Alec Halaby special assistant to the general manager, and Jake Rosenberg manager of football administration.

Marynowitz comes from the University of Alabama, where he was director of player personnel. Hallum has been a scout since 1992 and worked for the Eagles from 1995 to '99.

Middlekauff, Hatman, and Halaby were promoted by the team. Rosenberg was a bond and commodities trader.

Roseman said Donahoe worked for ESPN and continued to evaluate players after he was fired by the Bills following the 2005 season. Before arriving in Buffalo in 2001, Donahoe spent 15 years in Pittsburgh. He was the Steelers' director of football operations from 1991 to '99.

Donahue worked with former Eagles executive Tom Modrak in Pittsburgh and Buffalo.

One thinks he has something to prove, the other doesn't.

Either way, Brandon Graham and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie will be under the microscope this season.

Graham, the Eagles' top draft pick in 2010, essentially lost last season as he recovered from knee surgeries. He told reporters Tuesday, after the first day of organized team activities, that he accepted the "bust" label some have already pinned on him.

Eagles coach Andy Reid said that the defensive end hasn't been limited by the knee.

"He's moving fast," Reid said Thursday. "I don't know if you'd call it a chip on your shoulder, but he wants to do well. He wants to prove that he's a quality NFL player, and I think he's on a mission to do that."

Rodgers-Cromartie is taking over for the recently traded Asante Samuel at left cornerback. Last season he played out of position in the slot and struggled. Rodgers-Cromartie, who came in the Kevin Kolb trade last July, told reporters that he had nothing to prove this season.

"We're not asking him to play the inside slot position right now," Reid said. "He's playing strictly corner right now. So just home in on that and keep perfecting it."

Reid said that defensive end Jason Babin and defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins, who missed this week's practices, were excused. The coach was quick to point out that OTAs are optional. Babin was in Alaska hunting and Jenkins was with his wife after she had minor surgery.