PHILADELPHIA -- The first thought on Ndamukong Suh was that he would probably never hit the free-agent market. No way the Detroit Lions could let him, not with franchise tags and other means at their disposal.

The second thought, once it became clear Suh would actually become a free agent next Tuesday, was that he probably wouldn’t really fit with the Eagles. Suh would likely continue playing in a 4-3 defense, the scheme he’s become comfortable in. The Eagles have gone to a lot of trouble to fit their personnel into their new 3-4.

But then, ESPN’s Mark Dominik dropped a name that changed the conversation: Reggie White. Dominik, the former Tampa Bay general manager, wrote that Suh is the best free agent to hit the market since White left the Eagles for Green Bay in 1993.

On top of that, Dominik listed some teams that should make a push to try to sign Suh next week. Three of those four teams were Washington, Dallas and the New York Giants. That would make it very likely that not only would the Eagles be passing on Suh, they may well have to try to block him twice a year. And that will get old very quickly.

So maybe going after Suh isn’t such a bad idea after all. The 6-foot-4, 309-pound Suh is, in Dominik’s words, an aggressive player whose passion and determination make the whole defense better. Whether he played nose tackle or was used as a 3-4 defensive end, the Eagles could find a way to utilize Suh.

Heck, getting him might be enough to convince them to change their defensive scheme back to a 4-3. Suh is that much of a difference-maker.

As Dominik put it, a team could surround Suh with three cheap linemen playing on rookie contracts. He has that much of an impact.

Should the Eagles do it? It couldn’t hurt to try. Will they do it? The guess here is that it’s unlikely. The Eagles’ front seven was actually pretty good in 2014. The line, anchored by Fletcher Cox, is both talented and relatively young. Fixing the back end of the defense will make the front seven that much more effective.

But it’s worth thinking about. And signing Suh will be a lot easier for the Eagles than having to block him twice a year.