Eagles signing veteran defensive tackle

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The Eagles are signing veteran defensive tackle Linval Joseph.

Joseph, 34, was a 2nd-round pick of the Giants back in 2010 and has spent time with the Giants, Vikings and most recently the Chargers in 2020 and 2021. 

His best years were with the Vikings, when Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon was on Mike Zimmer’s staff. Joseph and Gannon were together in Minnesota from 2014 until 2017, when Gannon was the Vikings’ assistant defensive backs coach before joining Frank Reich’s Colts staff as d-backs coach in 2018.

The Eagles, 8-1 and with the NFL’s No. 3 defense, have been leaky against the run, in particular since losing rookie 1st-round pick Jordan Davis with an ankle injury. Davis has missed two games and will miss at least two more before being eligible to return.

After allowing 144 yards to the Steelers, 168 to the Texans and 152 to the Commanders, the Eagles have now allowed 140 rushing yards in three straight games for the first time in 16 years. They’re ranked 20th with 125 rushing yards allowed per game and 25th with 4.7 rushing yards allowed per carry. They’ve allowed 320 rushing yards in two games with Davis.

And over the next several weeks, they’re scheduled to face the Colts’ Jonathan Taylor, the Packers’ Aaron Jones, the Titans Derrick Henry, the Giants’ Saquon Barkley, the Bears’ Justin Fields and Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott of the Cowboys.

Joseph, a 6-foot-4, 330-pounder, has started 162 games and played in 171 games in his 13 NFL seasons. He made the Pro Bowl in 2016 and 2017 with the Vikings. He started 28 of a possible 33 games with the Chargers the last two years.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted that Joseph believes he’s in good enough shape to play immediately “and could make his Eagles’ debut Sunday vs. the Colts.

To make room for Joseph on the 53-man roster, the Eagles placed second-year defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu on Injured Reserve, so he'll be out at least until the Bears game in Chicago on Dec. 18.

Joseph joins veteran starters Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave and backup Milton Williams in the Eagles’ defensive tackle rotation with Davis and Tuipulotu out. Practice squad interior lineman Marvin Wilson was a game-day elevation for the Texans game.

Joseph is the third significant defensive player Howie Roseman has added since the end of training camp. The Eagles acquired safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson from the Saints on Aug. 30, and he leads the NFL with six interceptions, and on Oct. 26, the Eagles acquired defensive end Robert Quinn from the Bears, although he has yet to show the form that got him 18 ½ sacks last year.

Tuipulotu, the Eagles' 6th-round pick last year from USC, has one sack, 16 tackles, two quarterback hurries and one tackle for loss in the Eagles' nine games. He's played an average of 26 snaps per game, which is 38 percent of the Eagles' defensive snaps.

The Eagles also officially placed Dallas Goedert on Injured Reserve, so he’ll miss at least four games, and activated tight end Tyree Jackson from the PUP list on the final day of his 21-day practice window. They also signed safety Marquise Blair – the Seahawks’ 2nd-round pick in 2019 to the practice squad and opened the 21-day practice window for defensive end Janarius Robinson.

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