Destiny

Vaeao

Vaeao spent time with the Eagles and Jets last season, making three starts. He’ll likely be waived with an injury settlement. The Panthers signed LS Andrew DePaola in a corresponding move.

Vaeao made six appearances for the Eagles last season before being waived/injured. A former UDFA, his best season was his rookie year of 2016. He will fight for a deep reserve role along the Panthers’ defensive line.

Vaeao’s injury is unclear. He drew some preseason hype as a potential starter but ended up playing a modest 157 snaps through six games. He had been ineffective. Vaeao will revert to injured reserve once he clears waivers.

There was whispered scuttlebutt early in the process that Vaeao (6’4, 298) could rise as high as the middle rounds, but that did not come to pass in Chicago. He impressed with his athleticism at the Cougs’ Pro Day, where Destiny’s destiny turned out to be a 35.5-inch vertical jump that would have ranked No. 2 among defensive tackles in Indianapolis. Vaeao’s athletic upside should provide him a shot at landing on the 53-man roster, with fellow UDFAs Connor Wujciak (Boston College) and Aziz Shittu (Stanford) and former fifth-rounder Taylor Hart his primary competition.

A former UDFA, Vaeao has never started an NFL game, playing 268 snaps as a rookie and 242 for last year’s Super Bowl champs. Haloti Ngata was signed in March as a presumed starter, but he’s had a quiet summer at 34 years old. Vaeao may start, but the Eagles rotate up front as much as anyone.