Eagles Could Soon Be Making a Change at Linebacker

Jordan might have just gone from getting a pink slip to a starting spot.

It’s no secret the Philadelphia Eagles bolstered their secondary and defensive line with signings like Nnamdi Asomugha, Cullen Jenkins, and Jason Babin. However, the linebacking corps was, per usual, largely ignored other than the drafting of Casey Matthews in the fourth round.

As it stands, the starting three linebackers are Moise Fokou at WILL, Casey Matthews at MIKE, and Jamar Chaney at SAM. But news that came out Tuesday could mean a change to the starting trio.

The Eagles announced Tuesday afternoon they have re-signed linebacker Akeem Jordan to a two-year deal, which could mean they’re looking at him to have an increased role in the defense.

Jordan is currently listed as the backup WILL behind Fokou, but that could change very quickly if Fokou doesn’t produce early. Jordan has a lot of starting experience and has shown in the past he can be a playmaker. Given his starting experience and what we’ve seen from him in the past, I’m inclined to believe he is not only a better option than Fokou right now, but still has a higher ceiling.

While Jordan likely fits best at WILL, if he’s inserted into the starting lineup I would like to see him playing SAM with Chaney kicked back to MIKE and Matthews at WILL, which is where he’s best suited to play in the NFL.

Matthews has not shown an ability to take on blocks and make plays in the middle of the defense, and would probably play much better in space and away from traffic. If he’s allowed to simply read and react, he could be a pretty decent contributor in his rookie season instead of the liability he appears to be in the middle.

Don’t hold your breath on that substantial a shift coming any time soon, but we could see Jordan in the starting lineup sooner rather than later.