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At 4 p.m. on Tuesday, November 28th, the Philadelphia Eagles officially waived cornerback Josiah Scott. Now, the question on everyone’s mind is whether or not this is the precursor to signing veteran linebacker Shaq Leonard, formerly of the Indianapolis Colts.
Leonard has been in the news quite a bit the past week. Having had a visit today, Tuesday, November 28th, with the Dallas Cowboys, the Eagles are now moving into high gear in their pursuit of the top player in the current free-agent market.
In fact, today, November 28th, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that “Free-agent three-time All-Pro LB Shaquille Leonard is visiting today [November 28] with the Dallas Cowboys and, in the words of a source, ‘should be visiting later this week’ with the Philadelphia Eagles.”
The Eagles Have a Need at Linebacker
The reason Leonard is so sought after isn’t just his experience. He also fills a need for the Eagles as linebackers Zach Cunningham (hamstring) and Nakobe Dean (Lisfranc) were lost to injury in the past month. Scott being released doesn’t at all guarantee the signing of Leonard, however.
The Eagles face an uphill battle to bring Leonard to Philly. For one thing, it’s definitely not a positive that their inter-division rival got the first meeting with the All-Pro linebacker. The biggest potential hurdle, though, is that the Cowboys have more cap space.
Elliott Shorr-Parks of 94 WIP Philadelphia tweeted today, “Something to consider w/potential Shaq Leonard signing: #Eagles have only $2m in cap space, per OTC. The Cowboys have $6m.” Shorr-Parks then goes on to say, “I am sure Howie can/will make the money work, but the Eagles don’t have a ton of space. The Cowboys have more space to work with if it is a bidding war.”
If Leonard looks like he’s in any condition to help a team, Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones will certainly do everything within his power to keep Leonard in Dallas. He’ll want to do all he can to keep his biggest competition in the NFC East from plugging a hole in their roster.
This Is Likely Not the End of the Road for Scott
If the Eagles lose out on Leonard, where they might look next remains to be seen. One thing is for sure: Eagles GM Howie Roseman will want to bolster their league-leading 10-1 roster for a deep playoff run any way he can. It might not be completely off the table to even see Scott back in an Eagles uniform eventually. It wouldn’t be the first time he came and went.
The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Scott in the fourth round back in 2020. He’s had a couple of stops since then, including two seasons with the Eagles prior to 2023.
Initially, Scott started this year with Philadelphia, joining the team for training camp. In the end, though, he didn’t make it past the final roster cut to start the year. When the team began to feel the wear and tear of the NFL season, Scott then came back after being signed off of the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad back on Saturday, October 18th.
According to the Eagles’ official site, “Scott played four games this season. He was inactive last Sunday for the win over the Bills. Scott registered one solo tackle on 17 defensive snaps.”
Though the 24-year-old cornerback has only started four games with the Eagles in totality, he’s played in 33. In that time, he registered 40 tackles, eight pass deflections, two interceptions, and one sack. It also should be noted that he contributed to an Eagles team that made a Super Bowl appearance early this year.
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