Larry Henry Jr
The Philadelphia Eagles have suffered a few key injuries of late and Nick Sirianni reinforced his defensive line with a veteran acquisition.
Linval Joseph joined the Eagles on a one-year deal Wednesday, the team announced. The former 2010 second round draft pick will fill the spot left by Marlon Tuipulotu, who was placed on injured reserve.
“We felt really good about Marlon, and so the things that he was doing, the camp that he had, the games that he played in, everything, we felt really good about him, and obviously we are in a scenario with him being out, too, on IR,” Sirianni said in a press conference Wednesday.
“So, we had an opportunity to add a good player that we played against last year and who made things very difficult for us last year in that Chargers game. There are a lot of guys here that have had opportunities to be around him. Coach Gannon [Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Gannon], Coach Rallis [Linebackers Coach Nick Rallis], [Vice President of Sports Medicine/Head Athletic Trainer] Tom Hunkele. I mean, there have been a lot of guys who have had experience with him, and we think he’s the right type of guy for the locker room. We think he’s still a heck of a football player and he’s going to be able to help us.”
Joseph brings 12-years of NFL experience to Jonathan Gannon’s defense after past stops with the Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, and New York Giants. The 34-year-old started 14 games for the Chargers last season, posting 57 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and two quarterback hits.
At 6-foot-4 and 329 pounds, Joseph should help reinforce an Eagles run defense which has allowed 150 yards or more in back-to-back games against the Houston Texans and Washington Commanders. 2022 first round draft pick Jordan Davis has also been sidelined since late-October, causing some shuffling on the defensive line.
The Eagles will next head on the road for a Sunday showdown with the Indianapolis Colts.
You can follow Larry Henry on Twitter (@lhenry019) and e-mail him at [email protected].
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