Another Interesting Day
Posted: March 15th, 2019 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 1 Comment »Another day of action, with guys coming and going.
Roster Move: #Eagles have signed LB L.J. Fort to a three-year contract through 2021. #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/JY7uUMcQDN
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) March 14, 2019
The Eagles signed seven-year veteran LB L.J. Fort, who has played for the Browns, Bengals, Seahawks and Steelers, mainly as a backup and special teamer.
Fort got a $875,000 signing bonus and base salaries of $1.025 million in 2019 and $1.5 million in 2020 and 2021.
— Reuben Frank (@RoobNBCS) March 14, 2019
Fort is coming to Philly to compete for a LB spot and play STs. The Eagles tried this last year with Corey Nelson. You may recall that didn’t go so well. The Eagles got good STs play from LBs D.J. Alexander and LaRoy Reynolds. Neither one of those guys was much of a defensive player, though.
I haven’t had a chance to study Fort as a STer. I tend to trust Dave Fipp when it comes to finding STs talent.
As a LB, Fort doesn’t do a lot for me. He does have solid cover skills and that gives him value in today’s NFL. He was mostly a role player with the Steelers last year. He didn’t show great instincts, which is something I really value in a LB. He also wasn’t as physical as I like. He tends to be a drag-down tackler. I like LBs who put runners/receivers down forcefully.
Fort is 29 and has played in 61 NFL games. He’s only started three of them, though. Fort has one career INT. That came against Michael Vick and the Eagles in the 2012 season opener.
Let’s look at the Eagles LB depth chart for now.
SAM … Nigel Bradham ……… Nate Gerry
MLB … Paul Worrilow ………. Alex Singleton
WLB … Kamu Grugier-Hill … L.J. Fort … B.J.Bello … Asantay Brown
The Eagles have a bunch of 230-pound guys with some athletic ability who can run and play in space.
What they don’t really have is a true MLB. They could add someone through free agency or the draft. It is possible they see Fort playing on the inside. I have my doubts about that. I just don’t know that he can shed blocks consistently and be a run-stuffer when needed.
Gerry could play MLB. I listed him at SAM for now, but that’s more a guess than anything else.
The Eagles aren’t done at LB. We’ll just have to wait and see what the next move is.
*****
DeSean Jackson met the media. Not overly compelling, but the DeSean fans will enjoy it.
Watch live as wide receiver DeSean Jackson meets with the Philadelphia media. https://t.co/CYsKsYUSk9
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) March 14, 2019
*****
4 years, $37.5M with $23M fully guaranteed for new #Giants WR Golden Tate. https://t.co/peU1pxD4Og
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 14, 2019
Great news. This should help the Eagles get a 4th round comp pick in 2020.
As for the Giants…what a strange offseason. They’re trying to spin to the media that they are rebuilding. Okay, but you don’t have Eli at QB and sign Golden Tate if you’re rebuilding. What a bizarre offseason.
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Report: Jordan Matthews, 49ers agree to contract https://t.co/jJJmcp0qJ4
— BleedingGreenNation (@BleedingGreen) March 14, 2019
Good news. Losing Matthews cancels out signing Fort. That means the Eagles should get a 5th round comp pick (maybe a 4th) for losing Jordan Hicks.
As for Matthews, hopefully he can play well and get his career back on track.
I’m sure the door is always open for another return to Philly.
*****
No news on the RB front.
Be patient.
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[…] Another Interesting Day – Iggles BlitzThe Eagles have a bunch of 230-pound guys with some athletic ability who can run and play in space. What they don’t really have is a true MLB. They could add someone through free agency or the draft. It is possible they see Fort playing on the inside. I have my doubts about that. I just don’t know that he can shed blocks consistently and be a run-stuffer when needed. Gerry could play MLB. I listed him at SAM for now, but that’s more a guess than anything else. The Eagles aren’t done at LB. We’ll just have to wait and see what the next move is. […]