Getty Linval Joseph of the Minnesota Vikings looks on during the NFL International Series match between Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns at Twickenham Stadium on October 29, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
The first step to fixing a glaring weakness is to acknowledge it. The Philadelphia Eagles took action on that front by signing veteran defensive tackle Linval Joseph on Wednesday.
Joseph will look to fill the void left by rookie Jordan Davis in the interior of the defensive line. The 6-foot-4, 239-pounder is a bona fide run-stuffer who once led the entire NFL in run-stop percentage. Joseph has also been productive when asked to rush the quarterback as evidenced by his 25 career sacks in 12 seasons. He was a two-time Pro Bowler for the Minnesota Vikings where he worked under Jonathan Gannon in 2017.
The 34-year-old fits the Eagles’ scheme and should slide right in as a space-eating nose tackle. He has 644 total tackles in 171 career games, including 56 tackles for loss. Joseph racked up 31 run stops during the 2016 campaign, four years after winning a Super Bowl with the New York Giants.
Head coach Nick Sirianni addressed the Eagles’ porous run defense on Monday night after giving up 152 rushing yards to Washington. Philadelphia is about to face a murderer’s row of running backs: Jonathan Taylor (Indianapolis), Aaron Jones (Green Bay), Derrick Henry (Tennessee), and Saquon Barkley (New York).
“We’ll look at this tape and see what went down on this game, knowing that, hey, when you show that a team attacks a place, we’re going to see it again, right, and then we’re going to see that again,” Sirianni told reporters. “So, we’ll work like crazy to get it fixed, and we understand that that will be the narrative of how to beat us. We have to own that and fix it, and we will.”
Eagles Activate Tyree Jackson, Put 2 Players on IR
The Eagles made a flurry of roster moves on Wednesday as they started preparing for the Indianapolis Colts. The team placed tight end Dallas Goedert and defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu on injured reserve. Both players are now eligible to return in Week 15 against the Chicago Bears.
Earliest Eagles on IR will eligible to return:
Jordan Davis: Week 13 vs. Titans
Avonte Maddox: Week 14 at Giants
Dallas Goedert: Week 15 at Bears
Then, they activated reserve tight end Tyree Jackson from the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perfom List. He’ll be fighting for starting snaps with Jack Stoll until Goedert gets back. Meanwhile, the Eagles opened up the 21-day practice window on defensive end Janarius Robinson. A former fourth-rounder of the Vikings, Robinson is considered an “insane athlete” who brings crazy potential as a speedy edge rusher.
And now #FloridaState EDGE #11 Janarius Robinson with a FIERCE pass rush, dipping and ripping past RT #70 John Ojukwu and forcing an incompletion (VERY nearly a strip sack).
Marquise Blair Joins Practice Squad
The Eagles inked former Carolina Panthers safety Marquise Blair to the practice squad. Originally a second-round pick (47th overall) of the Seattle Seahawks in 2019, the 6-foot-1, 196-pounder can play safety or slot cornerback. He has 50 total tackles and 3 passes defensed in 25 career games, including 3 starts.
MARQUISE BLAIR ‼️
Gotta love a defensive touchdown 😏
Blair is an insurance policy for Avonte Maddox after the starting slot corner hit injured reserve. Josiah Scott is the primary backup at nickel corner but he struggled at times against Washington. Here is a scouting report on Blair (via NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein):
Athletic, full-throttle prospect with the mindset of a linebacker in a free safety body. Blair plays the game with an aggressive field demeanor that fuels his passion to race into the action, ready to strike on sight. However, his lack of discipline hurt his team with targeting penalties and by over-running responsibilities against the run and pass.
Marquise Blair killed a guy…
AND WASNT SATISIFIED.