Transfer Target On A Prolific Star…

Why, following the Colts’ release, Shaquille Leonard signed with the Eagles rather than the Cowboys

The Eagles are coming off just their second loss of the season — a 42-19 defeat at the hands of the 49ers — but reinforcements are on the way to aid Philadelphia’s defense.

Who might that reinforcement be? It’s former Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard.

The Colts were where Leonard began more than half of his career after selecting him in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. With 163 tackles as a rookie and three All-Pro selections in his first four years, the South Carolina State product quickly established himself as one of the NFL’s most dynamic linebackers.

However, Leonard has dealt with injuries in recent seasons that sapped him of some of his athletic ability. That allowed Zaire Franklin and E.J. Speed to overtake him on the Indianapolis depth chart and the Colts ultimately released him after their bye as a result.

That made Leonard a prominent in-season free agent, one who would have plenty of upside in the right situation. He made visits to Philadelphia and Dallas before ultimately choosing the Eagles as his next team.

But why did Leonard go with the Eagles over the Cowboys? Here’s what to know about his free agency decision, which comes just ahead of Dallas and Philadelphia’s Week 14 showdown.

Shaquille Leonard signed a contract with the Eagles; why?

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Eagles were “always the preferred spot” for Leonard. It makes sense when breaking down Philadelphia’s roster construction.

While the Eagles returned most of the roster that went to a Super Bowl last season, they endured a key loss at linebacker, where T.J. Edwards defected to sign a big-money deal with the Bears. The expectation was that Nakobe Dean would take over for him in his second year with the team, but he has struggled to stay healthy.

As such, the Eagles have been relying mostly on Zach Cunningham and Nicholas Morrow to man the position. Both have been solid, but the Eagles don’t have proven depth beyond them. Thus, it makes sense for them to add the experienced Leonard in the hopes that he can rekindle his career in Philadelphia.

From Leonard’s standpoint, joining the Eagles is ideal for two reasons. First, he has an easy path to earning playing time because of the team’s lack of linebacker depth. Second, he gets to play for a legitimate Super Bowl contender, something that he never did during his five-plus seasons in Indianapolis.

So, this marriage looks like a sensible one on the surface.

Why didn’t Shaquille Leonard sign with the Cowboys?

After visiting both teams, Leonard’s decision to choose the Eagles over the Cowboys is unclear. The Cowboys are a contender, just like the Eagles, and they too struggle with depth at the position.

At linebacker, the Cowboys are heavily depending on Damone Clark and Markquese Bell due to Leighton Vander Esch’s season-ending injury. As the team’s third linebacker, they recently added Rashaan Evans to the roster, so they are almost as thin as the Eagles at the position.

Perhaps Leonard prefers his fit in Sean Desei’s scheme in Philadelphia compared to Dan Quinn’s in Dallas. Or maybe he sees more of a future with the Eagles because Clark, Bell and DeMarvion Overshown (who is recovering from a torn ACL) are all young talents.

Either way, the Cowboys will now have to deal with the blow of not just being scorned by Leonard, but seeing him go to their division rival as well.