The Philadelphia Eagles sign Linval Joseph (DT) after weeks of struggling to stop the run. Howie Roseman and the Eagles front office decided to make a change, signing the two-time all-pro to a one-year deal on Wednesday.
After Jordan Davis went down with a high ankle sprain in week eight, the Eagles defensive front has struggled. Davis has proven himself to be the Eagles’ best run defender at nose tackle, so his absence has been deeply felt over the past two weeks.
Joseph, who was drafted by the Giants before playing with the Vikings and Chargers, is in his 13th year as a pro. The 33-year-old stands at 6’4, 329, a big body who takes up space and clogs up running lanes. His job will likely be limited to just that in 2022.
Joseph isn’t one to fill up the stat sheet, gathering just one sack and six TFLs in his last two seasons with the Chargers. However, his tackle numbers remained high at 119 in the same span, highlighting his run-stuffing ability. At the tail end of his career, he won’t be an all-pro, but he certainly still has gas left in the tank that the Eagles plan to take advantage of.
Over the next four weeks, the Eagles will see the Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers, Tennessee Titans, and New York Giants, four run heavy teams. With that in mind, the Joseph move was a must need, especially with Davis’s timeline still uncertain.
Alongside Joseph are Javon Hargrave, Fletcher Cox, and Milton Williams, the first of which has been especially productive this season. However, while this group thrives in the pass rush, none of them have been able to replace Davis’s role in the run game. Joseph’s signing allows the Eagles to go back to rotating their defensive front, keeping everyone fresh and allowing adjustments for down and distance.
The Eagles play the Colts this Sunday at 1 o’clock, a game where stopping the run is key. Joseph is expected to play.
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