Getty Terrell Suggs and Willie Henry were teammates for the Baltimore Ravens and once shared a sack.
You have to hand it to Howie Roseman for being consistent. The Philadelphia Eagles general manager promised to build the team in between the trenches, at the line of scrimmage. He stayed true to his word by adding another beefy defensive tackle to the mix.
The Eagles signed veteran defensive tackle Willie Henry on Tuesday and released linebacker Joe Bachie to make room. The 6-foot-3, 288-pounder was a free agent after the Houston Texans let his practice-squad contract expire in January. Henry spent the 2020 campaign with the San Francisco 49ers but only saw action in one game. He was waived with a non-football illness designation.
Prior to that, the 27-year-old played three seasons for the Baltimore Ravens (2016-18) where he accumulated 4.5 sacks and 12 quarterback hits in 17 games. Henry was originally a fourth-round pick (132nd overall) out of Michigan in 2016.
Pass Rush of the Day: Bull Pull Armover by @WE_69 #DLIsBringingTheEnergy
Henry was a three-year letterman for the Wolverines and appeared in 35 games, including 22 starts at defensive tackle. He was named All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2015 and finished his college career with 10 sacks and 86 total tackles (18.5 for loss). The Ohio native has experience in both a 3-4 and 4-3 alignment and brings a reputation as a fierce pass rusher.
Bleacher Report praised his first step quickness in a scouting report, comparing him to a “wolf smelling meat” when the quarterback was in his sights.
Henry has a strong, thick base and uses it to get push in bull-rush scenarios and also to anchor against the run. He’ll sit in a gap and shut down the run, but he has the length and power to handle a two-gap assignment just as well. When the quarterback is in his sights, Henry is like a wolf smelling meat. He attacks with great closing speed and a tenacity that’s missing from many top prospects in this class.
Roster Moves: #Eagles have signed DT Willie Henry and waived LB Joe Bachie.
The latest Eagles news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Eagles newsletter here!
Henry Recorded Two-Sack Game in 2017
Henry’s NFL sample size is very small due to a slew of injuries. That’s the Roseman way, right? He was placed on injured reserve twice in his first three seasons in Baltimore before they cut him after Week 4 of the 2019 preseason. He didn’t play a single snap during his rookie year. However, Henry’s freakish physical attributes — hands (10 ⅞) and reach (33 ⅜) — make him an intriguing project player to test out at training camp.
He put a few drool-worthy moments on tape for the Ravens, highlighted by his two-sack performance in 2017. He took down Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Hundley twice in that game and finished with 3.5 sacks that year. He wasn’t able to sustain success in Baltimore but the potential is there if he can stay healthy. Henry has maintained a positive attitude, too.
“You now know the feeling of having two sacks. It’s kind of like now I want three sacks in a game,” Henry said after his two-sack game in 2017, via the Baltimore Sun. “I just want to keep getting better. I’m pretty sure that if I get that third sack in a game, it’s going to feel good, but then I’m going to want to have four sacks in a game. I just want to be better than I was the last week.”
“Lift as you climb.”
This is what Willie Henry (@WE_69) believes.
Eagles Loaded at Defensive Tackle
The Eagles’ depth chart keeps growing at defensive tackle. The latest one includes Henry, plus the following players: Javon Hargrave, T.Y. McGill, Milton Williams, Fletcher Cox, Hassan Ridgeway, Marlon Tuipulotu, Raequan Williams. Williams, a third-round pick, and Tuipulotu, a sixth-round pick, are rookies. Roseman made a concerted effort to fortify the defensive line this offseason.
“We’re always going to build this football team and we’re going to start with the line of scrimmage,” Roseman told reporters during draft weekend. “Right or wrong, as long as I’m here, that’s going to be the priority. And I think the great things about the two guys next to me is that’s what they believe too.”
READ ALSO: