The Eagles have made a very subtle, yet interesting roster move of sorts. In a recent article by Eagles Insider Dave Spadaro, he noted that defensive tackle, Taylor Hart will be competing on the other side of the football next season.
A fifth-round draft pick in 2014 from Oregon, Taylor Hart
has not distinguished himself much at all in three NFL seasons as a defensive tackle, playing in a total of 15 games, 14 of them in 2015, with the Eagles and San Francisco. When Hart comes back to the NovaCare Complex in the spring, he will try to make a name for himself as – an offensive tackle. The Eagles gave Hart some work late in the season on the scout team at offensive tackle and liked what they saw, enough that they’re going to see what he’s got in 2017 on that side of the football.”
As mentioned in a report earlier this week, the Eagles want to continue to build from the ball outward, solidifying the trenches and ensuring that the Offensive line has enough depth and talent for Wentz to thrive.
At 6’6, Hart could bring a lot of athleticism to the O-Line depth. At his pro day, Hart managed 23 reps at 225 on the Bench press and ran a 4.85 40-yard dash. It’s not the first time that he’s played the position either. Hart actually earned first-team all-state honors at Tualatin high school as an offensive tackle.
Hart was released by the Eagles prior to the start of the 2016 season and picked up by former Head Coach, Chip Kelly, in San Francisco. Kelly also coached Hart at Oregon so knew him and his playing style very well. However in his second shot under Kelly, Hart still failed to make an impact. The DT went on to play in just 1.7% of snaps before being waived in late October. He did however pick up 2 tackles against the Cardinals.
The Eagles resigned Hart after the Niners let him go..but although Philadelphia is familiar territory for Hart, playing on the opposite side of the ball at the NFL level won’t be.
It will be interesting to see how Hart develops during the offseason and whether he adds any more size to his already impressive frame. Hart will have a lot of competition if he is to make it on to the final 53-man roster, but the former Second-Team All-Pac-12 is no stranger to overcoming the odds. This will certainly be one of the more intriguing and under-the-radar storylines to follow as Pederson prepares the Eagles for their second season under his tutelage.
