Philadelphia Eagles: 3 veteran defensive tackles to fill out the depth chart

If his market is light, signing Sheldon Richardson could prove (the) right (decision).

Sheldon Richardson is one of the more polarizing players in this year’s free agent class.

To some, he remains one of the better rotational defensive tackles you’ll find in the NFL; a player with schematic versatility who is good enough to start somewhere as either a 4-3 defensive tackle or a 3-4 defensive end. And to others? Well, they’ll tell you his Approximate Value numbers have gotten worse with each passing season since he left the New York Jets in 2016, and he’ll now be lucky to land anything more than an incentive ladened, prove-it deal later this week.

Personally, I feel like Richardson falls somewhere in the middle, with his game not quite on the level of franchise building block but certainly not a replacement-level player who could be moved on from without feeling the loss. If some defensive lineman-needy team wants to bet on Richardson’s past and give him a long-term contract with an inside track to the starting lineup, then the Philadelphia Eagles should look elsewhere, but if his market is light, and March turns into April or maybe even May, I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing Richardson suit up in midnight green, especially with Flecther Cox’s future up in the air, and Jonathan Gannon’s belief in a defensive tackle rotation.

Worst case scenario, Richardson either plays really well or really poorly, and he’s a member of another team in 2023. Best case scenario? He pairs up with Javon Hargrave for the next few years for a much lower cap hit than Cox.