Philadelphia Eagles: Can Willie Henry finally put it all together in 2021?

The Philadelphia Eagles really like pass rushers.

Whether they play inside or out, nose tackle, or 3-4 outside linebacker, if a player can put pressure on an opposing quarterback and disrupt a game plan around the line of scrimmage, there will always be a place on the Eagles for their services.

Need proof? Well, look no further than the 2020 NFL offseason.

Despite having already signed a promising defensive tackle to play alongside Fletcher Cox in ex-Jaguars/Broncos tackle Malik Jackson the offseason prior, Howie Roseman went out of his way to sign Javon Hargrave to the largest contract ever handed out to a nose tackle in NFL history, even if he was technically expected to play tackle in Jim Schwartz’s scheme.

And now, despite their lack of funds and a solid, defensive line-focused 2021 NFL Draft, the Eagles have kept their signing streak intact by handing out a new contract to 27-year-old ex-Baltimore Ravens/San Francisco 49ers lineman Willie Henry. But who is Henry, and what chance does he have to make the Philadelphia Eagles’ roster? Let’s take a look and attempt to figure it out.

The Philadelphia Eagles are loading up for an interesting camp battle at DT.

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In 2016, Willie Henry was in pretty high demand.

A three-year contributor who racked up 22 starts in 35 games at the University of Michigan, Henry amassed 85 tackles and 9.5 sacks as the Wolverines’ premier defensive tackle.

While he surely could have returned to Ann Arbor for his senior season, the bright lights and generational wealth of the NFL came calling, and Henry left his final year of eligibility on the table to chase his dream at the game’s highest level.

And frankly, that was the correct call.

Henry was selected 132nd overall by then-Baltimore Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome, in the hopes of further fortifying one of the league’s premier defensive lines. With two of the team’s starting defensive linemen – Brandon Williams and Timmy Jernigan – rapidly approaching the end of their respective rookie-scale contracts, Henry looked like a legit candidate to become a fixture of the Ravens’ defensive line for years to come, especially considering Lawrence Guy, the lone veteran of the group, was set to hit free agency at the end of the 2016 season… until he got hurt.

That’s right; Henry is one of those players who always seems to be in play for a potential role regardless of his team due to his potential, performances, and college pedigree but just can’t seem to stay on the field long enough to cash in on that goodwill. He missed his entire rookie season due to a November trip to IR, missed all but three games during his third season due to the effects of an offseason hernia surgery, and was out of the league entirely for the 2019 season as he attempted to get his body right.

Henry did ultimately earn a second chance with San Francisco in 2020 but was waived due to a “non-football illness” and ultimately split his season between the practice squads of the 49ers and the Texans, ultimately earning four defensive snaps in one regular season appearance.

So, with that all in mind, what should fans expect from Henry this season? Does he have a legitimate chance to make the Philadelphia Eagles’ roster, or is he just set to snack on preseason snaps to take some slack off of players like Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave?

That, I guess, depends on where Henry is from a health standpoint.

With Cox and Hargrave locked into the starting lineup and 2021 draftees Marlon Tuipulotu and Milton Williams expected to play substantial roles against the run and pass respectively as rotational players, at best, Henry is looking to enter camp competing for a fifth defensive tackle spot alongside 2020 UDFA Raequan Williams and long-term depth piece Hassan Ridgeway.

Despite being the oldest of the trio, Henry has appeared in 30 fewer games than Ridgeway as a pro and doesn’t have his new teammates’ experience playing under new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon during their shared tenure in Indianapolis. What Henry does bring to the table, however, is 18 games of experience playing defensive end in a 3-4 scheme, which could come in handy if Gannon does, in fact, opt to add some multiplicity to his defensive fronts this fall.

Could we see snaps where Henry and Cox line up on the inside shoulders of opposing guards, with Hargrave positioned perfectly over opposing centers? The Vikings have at times played a quasi-3-4 look with Anthony Barr playing the role of a pass rusher opposite speed rusher Danielle Hunter, and that look has been fairly productive. With players like Ryan Kerrigan and Patrick Johnson having experience playing 3-4 outside linebacker and Genard Avery expected to fill a rush linebacker role in 2021, there’s a world where Henry becomes a deceptively valuable subpackage player for a team looking to confuse opposing QBs before the snap.

… if he can stay healthy.

Again, if Henry suffers yet another injury and can’t prove his worth this summer, it’s hard to imagine yet another team taking a chance on a veteran defensive lineman who hasn’t appeared in more than four games since 2017. If he can remain healthy, however, things just might get interesting.

Next. 3 players due for an increased role in 2021. dark

Normally, teams don’t think too hard about their fifth defensive tackles, if they even opt to keep five at all. They usually fill the role with a young player, oftentimes an undrafted free agent, and hope that such a player can develop into a player a la Cedric Thorton a few years ago. Willie Henry isn’t that. At 27-years-old with a well-documented injury history, Henry isn’t going to suddenly become the second coming of Aaron Donald. What he can do, however, is play like a college defensive tackle good enough to get drafted in the fourth round and play almost 600 defensive snaps for a very good Baltimore Ravens squad. If that player shows up to camp, we could be looking at a very interesting battle for DT5.

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