Ralph Vacchiano
NFC East Reporter
Shaquille Leonard isn’t going to fix all of the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive problems. He might not even fix the issues with their linebacking corps. But the Eagles were getting desperate at that position.
So this was one division battle they had to win.
As many around the NFL expected, the Eagles signed three-time All-Pro linebacker Leonard to a one-year deal on Monday afternoon after the 28-year-old chose the Eagles over the Dallas Cowboys, whom he also visited last week. Leonard will almost certainly be in the Eagles’ starting lineup when they play the Cowboys in Dallas on Sunday night and might even need to be on the field for most of the game.
That’s because the Eagles don’t have much of a choice after what was a disastrous performance by their linebackers in particular, and their defense in general, in a humiliating, 42-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Their tackling was awful. Their coverage was terrible.
They needed help. And even if Leonard is a shell of what he once was, he certainly couldn’t hurt.
“We still have confidence from the tape that he still can play,” said Eagles coach Nick Sirianni. “He’s been a high-level player in this league for a very long time. He still has the knack to take the ball away, still has the knack to run and hit the ball carrier, still has the length that he has to make throws hard in the passing lane.”
At least they hope he does. How much help Leonard really can provide the Eagles is unclear. The fact that the Indianapolis Colts cut Leonard on Nov. 21, even though they’re in the thick of the race for the AFC South title and the AFC playoffs, is probably telling. The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder had become a part-time player for the Colts, who clearly didn’t think he had fully recovered from the back surgery that limited him to just three games in 2022.
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Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/eagles-beat-cowboys-to-shaq-leonard-in-desperate-attempt-to-aid-struggling-defense
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Publish date : 2023-12-04 21:57:00
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