It might have seemed smooth on the field, when veteran defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Linval Joseph played a lot, and effectively, just a few days after signing.
But those contributions from in-season acquisitions are what championship teams desperately need.
For the Eagles, they had just a few days to get Joseph and Suh up to speed. And there was plenty that went into it.
“It’s a grind for everybody involved,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said, beginning with long hours studying with defensive line coach Tracy Rocker.
TROUBLE AHEAD OR NO?After 2 difficult games, are Eagles in trouble, or showing signs of a championship team?
TRUST IN JALEN:‘4th-and-anything, I want the ball in his hands.’ How Jalen Hurts saved Eagles – and some TVs
“(Rocker) did a great job getting them the necessary materials and then teaching them where they could understand it … and those guys worked their butts off to get it done. That’s why they’re true professionals. That’s why they’ve done it at a very high level in this league for a long time.”
Joseph played 40% of the snaps Sunday in the Eagles’ 17-16 win over the Colts, while Suh played 26%. Together, they held the Colts to 99 yards rushing, after the Eagles had given up an average of 160 yards rushing in the previous two games.
Suh and Joseph combined for 7 tackles and they shared a sack on Colts quarterback Matt Ryan.
“At the end of the day, it’s just learning the terminology,” Joseph said. “It’s just going out there, getting off the ball and playing hard.”
But that doesn’t always work out that way. Here, then, is a ranking of the top 10 Eagles’ in-season acquisitions, whether it’s via free agent signing, trade, or practice-squad promotion, since 2017:
10. Golden Tate, WR, 2018
The only reason Tate made the list is because he had the game-winning touchdown catch for the Eagles in their 16-15 win over the Bears in the wildcard round of the 2018 playoffs. But Tate, acquired at the trade deadline from the Detroit Lions in exchange for a third-round pick, was mostly a disappointment with the Eagles. Tate had 30 catches for 278 yards in 8 games with the Eagles. The Eagles didn’t re-sign Tate after the season.
9. Travis Fulgham, WR, 2020
Fulgham was probably one of the biggest enigmas in Eagles’ history. Fulgham was released twice in the summer before the Eagles signed him to the practice squad. He was elevated to the roster on Oct. 2 after injuries decimated the wide receiver corps. Fulgham went on to have 29 catches for 435 yards in his first five games. That put Fulgham on pace for 93 catches for 1,392 yards over a 16-game season.
Just as suddenly, Fulgham disappeared, with just 9 catches for 104 yards over the final 8 games. He didn’t even make the roster the next season.
8. Ndamukong Suh, DT, 2022
Suh only played 17 snaps Sunday against the Colts, mainly because he only had one day of practice with the Eagles after not playing for anybody for the first 11 weeks of the season. But Suh worked in with Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave and Milton Williams, showing that he can still wreck the game from the inside. He’ll only get better as he acclimates to his new surroundings.
7. Jordan Howard, RB, 2021
The Eagles were desperate when they promoted Howard, a veteran, from their practice squad. Miles Sanders had just sprained his ankle as the Eagles fell to 2-5 with a loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. Howard made an immediate impact, and finished with 406 yards in seven games, averaging 4.7 yards per carry. Howard’s presence enabled the Eagles to switch to a run-based offense, even with Sanders on IR. They finished 7-3 and made the playoffs, in large part because of Howard.
6. Linval Joseph, DT, 2022
The Eagles were reeling after Jordan Davis, their best run stopper, went on IR after hurting his ankle against the Steelers on Oct. 30. The Eagles tried getting by without Davis, but the next two opponents ran the ball at will. Joseph, at 335 pounds, is a pure nose tackle, who has made his NFL career on stopping the run. Joseph was certainly effective in his first game.
“He’s a big, violent man and he’s played a lot of football,” defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon said. “And he knows how to play blocks.”
5. Boston Scott, RB, 2019
Scott has been a sparkplug ever since the Eagles activated him off the practice squad midway through the 2019 season. Scott often saved his best for the Giants. He had 128 and 138 yards from scrimmage in the two games against the Giants that season. Scott kept it going in 2020 and 2021 as well, especially when Sanders was hurt. Scott rushed for 374 yards in 2020 and 373 yards last season. He has 84 yards rushing this season.
4. Marcus Epps, S, 2019
When Epps was signed off waivers from the Vikings in Nov. 2019, it was seen purely as a depth move. But Epps has gradually worked his way up the depth chart as veterans like Malcolm Jenkins and then Rodney McLeod eventually moved on. Epps is starting for the first time this season after working his way into a rotation last season with McLeod and Anthony Harris. Epps has played every snap this season.
3. Greg Ward, WR, 2019
If there was a reward for perseverance, Ward would win hands down. He spent 2-plus seasons on the Eagles’ practice squad before finally getting his chance late in the 2019 season. He took advantage. The Eagles needed to win all of their last four games to make the playoffs. In one of those games, Ward scored the game-winning touchdown against Washington late in the fourth quarter. He was the Eagles’ most dependable receiver in 2020, leading the team with 53 catches. Ward only had 7 catches in 2021, but 3 of them went for touchdowns. He is back on the practice squad this season.
2. Jake Elliott, K, 2017
Chances are, there’s no Super Bowl if Elliott, signed in September after an injury to kicker Caleb Sturgis, doesn’t hit the game-winning 61-yard field goal to beat the Giants in Week 3. That saved the Eagles from a 1-2 start. Elliott has never missed a field goal in the postseason, hitting all 11 of his attempts. That included three clutch field goals in the Super Bowl. Last season, Elliott made a franchise-record 90.9% of his field goals and was selected to his first Pro Bowl. He’s 7-for-9 so far this season.
1. Jay Ajayi, RB, 2017
It took a lot for Ajayi to fit in with the Eagles, sharing carries with LeGarrette Blount after serving as the Miami Dolphins lead back. The Eagles gave up a fourth-round pick to get him. Ajayi did it seamlessly. He never had more than 15 carries in a game, nor did he top 100 yards in a game. Yet Ajayi ran for 408 yards and averaged 5.8 yards per carry. He was just as effective in the playoffs, carrying the ball 42 times for 180 yards in three games.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
