Following a down stretch against the run — one coming without first-round run-stuffer Jordan Davis — the Eagles made some adjustments. They added interior defensive linemen Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh in a two-day span.
Despite Suh sporting a better resume in terms of stats and accolades, the Eagles gave he and Joseph the same terms to sign. Both deals include a $750K base salary for the rest of the season, with escalators that could bump up the prices to $2.5MM, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (Twitter links).
Each contract contains $250K in per-game roster bonuses, per Yates, and Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio details playing-time bumps available to Suh (and presumably available to Joseph). Suh can earn $62.5K for each game in which he plays at least 30% of the Eagles’ defensive snaps. He can collect an additional $31K per each game in which he plays 35% of the Eagles’ snaps, providing a loose indication of the team’s plans for the 12-year veteran.
Should Suh see action on at least 30% of the Eagles’ regular-season defensive snaps, he will collect $125K for each Eagles playoff win. If Suh cannot hit that regular-season snap threshold, Florio adds he will receive $125K for each Philly playoff win in which he plays at least 30% of the team’s defensive snaps.
Both Suh and Joseph displayed tremendous durability during their previous tours of duty. Both 2010 draftees — Suh second overall, Joseph 46th overall — have played at least 170 games (Suh 191, Joseph 171). Suh has never missed a game due to injury. Both reside in the top 30 all time in terms of starts by a defensive tackle.
The Eagles added these two to a D-line that now has Davis and Marlon Tuipulotu on IR. Joseph and Suh will join a healthy group that houses Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave and Milton Williams inside. The Eagles will ask the newcomers to help a run defense that, thanks to the Texans’ 168 rushing yards in Week 9 and the Commanders’ 149 on Monday, has slipped to 20th in Davis’ absence.
Easy escalators to achieve for Suh.. just because it’s taken this long to sign doesn’t mean he’s washed up. He waited until a playoff bound team and Super Bowl contender to need his service. It’s not necessarily fair to the guys who have been there from the start but he’s no question an upgrade.
Joseph is better than Suh at this point but both are roster improvements.
Howie is a mad genius.
Looks like the Eagles are taking a page from the Rams, i.e., damn the torpedoes, we are all in for this year…
I mean, sorta? But he still has two first round picks in this draft, two second round picks in next year’s draft, and isn’t giving up anything other than some money for Suh and Joseph. To me that’s worth it.
Horrible start for the Eagles today. Once again they are beating themselves.