With an eye on improving depth and adding experience and track record, the Eagles signed linebacker Shaquille Leonard to a one-year contract on Monday.
Leonard joins a linebacking corps that has been challenged by injuries: Nakobi Dean is on injured reserve with a foot injury and Zach Cunningham missed Sunday’s game against the 49ers with a hamstring injury. The Eagles have three off-ball players on their active roster – Christian Ellis, Nicholas Morrow and Ben VanSumren.
Head coach Nick Sirianni is very familiar with Leonard from his days with the Colts, for whom Leonard, a second-round pick (No. 36 overall) from 2018, played for him until just two weeks ago. Leonard was a three-time first-team All-Pro, one-time second-team All-Pro, and a three-time Pro Bowl player. He was the 2018 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
In short, Leonard has been a star since he stepped onto the NFL field.
“He made a lot of plays, that’s for sure,” Sirianni said. “He had a knack for the football and how to get the football. What I remember is how hard he threw, as an offensive coordinator. His height was similar to (former college basketball coach) Jim Boeheim’s 2.” Zone-3 At Syracuse, he will play in the passing lane.
“He was a great teammate and I really enjoyed being around him. I still have a relationship with him. I think he’s a great person and a great teammate and, like I said, the main thing is the ball and his height.” Mind it though.”
Injuries in the 2022 season, including one resulting from offseason back surgery, along with a broken nose and concussion, limited his play and Leonard saw action in just three games that season. This year, Leonard has recorded 65 total tackles, including 2 for loss, in nine games.
He visited first the Dallas Cowboys and then the Eagles at the NovaCare Complex last Wednesday before making his decision to join Philadelphia. Sirianni spoke the other day about his “pitch” to Leonard about joining the Eagles.
“All I’m going to do is be honest with him and tell him the situation here, the situation in this building,” Sirianni said. “I think the playing field is limited to the people that we have in this building, and some of them have a prior relationship as well. I want Shaq to make the decision that’s best for him. Because, again, when there’s that prior relationship you want to make sure — and that’s what I told him, ‘I just want you To make the decision that is best for you. Take all the information from both places and do what’s best for you.”
“So, I’ve been calling him a lot in the last couple of days, and he’ll make the decision that’s best for him. I’m confident of that. He’s a good person.”
He is now an Eagle with the experience and talent to help the Eagles down the stretch of the 2023 season.
