According to Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN, the Philadelphia Eagles are poised to sign former Lions and Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata.
As we noted back in January, Howie Roseman cashed in on a soft "old guy market" last offseason, when the Eagles signed aging players, like Chris Long, Corey Graham, Patrick Robinson, and LeGarrette Blount. That strategy paid off big time, as all four players made significant contributions to the Eagles' Super Bowl season. It appears that strategy is carrying over into 2018, as Ngata turned 34 in January.
The Eagles needed defensive tackle depth with the likely (now almost certain) loss of Beau Allen in free agency. At 6'4, 340 pounds, Ngata should fill Allen's role as a run-stuffing defensive tackle in the middle of the Eagles' defense. The Eagles' depth along their defensive line will now likely look like this on game day:
Position | 1 | 2 |
DE | Brandon Graham | Chris Long |
DT | Fletcher Cox | |
DT | Timmy Jernigan | Haloti Ngata |
DE | Derek Barnett | Michael Bennett |
*TBD what Vinny Curry's future holds.
Ngata played in Baltimore for nine years while Eagles personnel head Joe Douglas was there. Last season in Detroit, Ngata played in five games before being lost for the season with a torn bicep. He had 7 tackles and 2 sacks.
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