Philadelphia Eagles: DT Hassan Ridgeway should be on the way out

Defensive tackle depth was an underrated need for the Philadelphia Eagles heading into this year’s offseason, and they appropriately addressed it during this past weekend’s NFL Draft.

They selected athletic freak Milton Williams in the third round, and run-stuffing nose tackle Marlon Tuipulotu in the sixth round. Both players fill specific needs for the Eagles moving forward, and both players should be able to crack the 53-man roster by the time Week 1 rolls around.

However, with two new high-upside defensive tackles now in the building, that means some bodies have to leave.

The Eagles current defensive tackle group looks like this at the moment (Williams and Tuipulotu haven’t signed their rookie deals yet):

• Fletcher Cox
• Javon Hargrave
• Hassan Ridgeway
• T.Y. McGill
• Raequan Williams

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Cox and Hargrave are obviously both locks to make the roster as the Eagles starting defensive tackles, and someone like T.Y. McGill (28 year old journeyman) is almost guaranteed to be released.

Raequan Williams – one of the Eagles’ UDFAs from last offseason – could be a surprise roster candidate should the team opt to carry five defensive tackles into Week 1, as opposed to just four.

Hassan Ridgeway’s time with the Philadelphia Eagles could be coming to an end this summer.

When it comes to Hassan Ridgeway, I’m struggling to see a serious pathway onto the roster for him moving forward. He’s battled injury the past two seasons, and he’s set to turn 27 years old in November. With three younger, higher potential players in Williams, Tuipulotu, and Raequan now on the roster, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where the Eagles view Ridgeway as the better longterm building piece.

There was some conversation earlier in the offseason that Nick Sirianni and Jonathan Gannon could prioritize keeping someone like Ridgeway around due to their shared time in Indianapolis. Ridgeway played his first three NFL seasons with the Colts, before being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2019.

While that may have been the case prior to the draft, the additions of Williams and Tuipulotu this past weekend likely altered the Eagles overall throughout process.

Maybe Ridgeway comes in and has a stellar camp for the Eagles this summer, beating out the likes of Tuipulto for the DT4 job, but ultimately speaking, it feels like the oft-injured veteran’s time in Philly is coming to an end this offseason.