After the NFL Draft came and went, some fans were left a little disgruntled that the team didn’t address the linebacker position. Howie Roseman aimed to reassure those fans in the conference that followed, telling reporters that the ‘window for talent acquisition isn’t closed’. It turns out Roseman had a plan all along.
It was announced this morning that the Eagles have signed former Redskins linebacker, Zach Brown: Pro Football Focus’s third-ranked linebacker in 2018. He was one of only three off-ball linebackers with a run-defense grade, tackling grade, and coverage grade above 80. The other two were Luke Kuechly and Bobby Wagner.
That season was particularly explosive for Brown, who amassed 96 tackles, just one year after leading the entire league in that category before missing the last three games due to injury.
A former second-round pick, Brown and the Redskins couldn’t come to a deal, leaving Washington with no choice but to release him into free agency.
Brown is still 29-years old, in the prime of his career and has tallied 223 tackles in the last two years with Washington. He’s widely considered one of the best coverage linebackers in the NFL and has blazing speed to match.
The Eagles lost Jordan Hicks to free agency offseason, but may have just signed the player Hicks’ ceiling could realistically have been compared to if he’s able to stay healthy.
The details of the contract are still a mystery at this point, but we all know that Howie Roseman loves one-year deals. But all of the doubts surrounding the linebacker position have now been calmed with another outstanding signing.
Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports
