As if Sunday night’s showdown between the Cowboys and the Eagles needed any more juice.
Free agent linebacker Shaquille Leonard, who visited both teams last week, is signing a one-year deal with Philadelphia, according to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter.
The 28-year-old is a three-time Pro Bowler and was 2018’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, playing five-plus years with Indianapolis before being waived by the Colts in a surprise move last month.
Leonard visited The Star last Tuesday and followed that with a visit to Eagles headquarters on Wednesday. It was believed that the former second-round draft pick out of South Carolina State would take the weekend to decide which team to sign with and announce his decision Monday.
Added LB help in Philadelphia: Former Colts’ All-Pro LB Shaquille Leonard is signing a one-year deal with the Eagles, per sources.
The Eagles next game is Sunday night at Dallas vs. the Cowboys, the other team Leonard visited. pic.twitter.com/Kf5ggbP9TD
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 4, 2023
Either way he went, Leonard was set to join a star-studded defense that will likely be in line for a deep playoff run; he played in three postseason contests during his time with the Colts.
Philadelphia’s defense- and especially its linebacker corps- has seen a good number of injuries. Nakobe Dean is on injured reserve with a foot injury, and Zach Cunningham missed the team’s Week 13 game because of a hamstring injury. The Eagles have three off-ball linebackers on their active roster: Christian Elliss, Nicholas Morrow, and Ben VanSumeren.
The unit took a beating on Sunday in a 42-19 home loss to San Francisco, allowing the 49ers to convert eight of 11 third-down plays and giving up over 450 yards of offense.
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Leonard has history with Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni; Sirianni was the Colts’ offensive coordinator the year Leonard was drafted.
The Eagles- presumably with Leonard in uniform and possibly ready to contribute- will travel to Arlington for a Week 14 primetime meeting with the Cowboys. A Dallas win would move the team into a tie for first place in the NFC East; an Eagles win would give that squad a big leg up in the race for a division title.
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