The Eagles cut LB Zach Brown yesterday in a slightly surprising move. The former Redskins LB ranked third in team tackles through six weeks but the comments about Kirk Cousins prior to the loss to Minnesota may have been the straw that broke a controversial Camel’s back.
The Eagles had a spare roster spot so it was assumed help would be brought in. They didn’t have to look far. Preseason standout Alex Singleton is now on the active roster heading into week 7.
After going undrafted in 2015, the 6’2, 232 lbs, linebacker bounced around NFL practice squads before landing in Calgary, where in three seasons he recorded 311 tackles, 4 sacks, one interception, and forced six fumbles.
Named a CFL All-Star in both of his last two seasons, he was also given the CFL’s ‘Most Outstanding Defensive player’ in 2017, leading the league in tackles one year later.
Why is this important for the Eagles, especially now?
The CFL field being wide than an NFL field means that off-ball linebackers naturally have further to travel and with the nature of players being able to motion before the snap, the reliance on that sideline-to-sideline speed is even more important. He’s not as fast as KGH, but hits like a freight train and reads the game exceptionally quickly, as evidenced in both Grey Cup appearances.
The other area KGH, of course, stands out is on special teams…an area where Singleton has 29 tackles in 2 years. After a preseason that flashed even more production in this area, this will be Singleton’s calling early on, while T.J Edwards helps Gerry and KGH negate the loss of Brown, having played a significant amount of snaps in recent weeks.
Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
