Will He Help Resurrect the Eagles, according to the pundits?

Shaq Leonard: The Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys to sign Shaq Leonard this week. Will He Reinvigorate the Eagles’ Suspicious Defense?

To say the least, the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense is in disarray right now. Following the Eagles’ humiliating 42-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, pundits and analysts have raised a slew of new questions about the team this week. It’s worth noting that the Eagles are still 10-2 and have played three top-tier teams in the last three weeks. Everyone knew going in that the Eagles would struggle to run the table during this stretch. However, it’s difficult to draw any positives from that performance, particularly defensively. The Eagles defense played well for the first two drives but was completely destroyed by the 49ers offense for the rest of the game. As a result, the Eagles signed Shaq Leonard, a former Indianapolis Colts All-Pro linebacker. Will he have enough of an impact to keep the Eagles’ defense together?

Will Shaq Leonard be able to help the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense?
The Performances of Shaq Leonard

This week, the Eagles signed Shaq Leonard to a one-year contract, reuniting him with Head Coach Nick Sirianni. The Indianapolis Colts’ decision to release someone many considered one of their team leaders came as a bit of a surprise. However, Leonard has a lengthy injury history and has not performed to his previous levels this season, according to some. The truth is that Leonard is probably past his physical prime due to wear and tear and is simply a slower player than he was a few years ago.

His playing time with the Colts decreased throughout the season until his release, which made sense for the team. Leonard has not only lost a step, but he has also never been considered a cover linebacker, a situation that has only gotten worse this season. At this point in his career, he’ll rely on his experience and knowledge of the game to read plays and fight his way through the trenches to make plays in the running game.

The Fit: Shaq Leonard’s Defense Role

Having said that, Leonard is an immediate upgrade for the Eagles’ depleted linebacker corps. Despite what Nick Sirianni said about Leonard being a depth piece, he should be a starter right away. The linebackers were simply not good enough against the 49ers without Nakobe Dean or Zach Cunningham. It’s one thing to struggle against Kyle Shanahan’s passing offense, but even in the run game, the absence of Dean and Cunningham was noticeable. Too often, the linebackers were unable to fill the gaps, and even when they did, they were unable to bring down McCaffrey.

The Eagles’ defensive line, no matter how good it is, will not be able to stop everyone’s run game on their own. They will rely on their linebackers to make plays and exploit the lack of push generated by even the best offensive lines, such as the 49ers’. Leonard should be able to come in right away and make a huge difference in cleaning up those kinds of plays.

What It All Means

Overall, this signing will not solve the Eagles’ defensive problems. Sean Desai, the defensive coordinator, must establish a team identity, which should be his top priority. Switching up the game plan week to week, whether as a cover two team, a man-to-man team, or a cover three-zone team, is too much of a feast-or-famine affair for such a talented team. With Leonard on board, the Eagles’ linebackers will not be among the best in the league, but they will be adequate.

Furthermore, Shaq Leonard has the opportunity to provide valuable leadership to the plethora of young players in the Eagles defense. It’s a good signing for the Eagles, and it puts them in a better position than they would have been without him. The Eagles’ defense will be tested this Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys, a team that Shaq Leonard rejected.