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Eagles Weighing Reunion With Athletic Rookie LB
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- Eagles Weighing Reunion With Athletic Rookie LB
The Philadelphia Eagles hosted rookie linebacker Deontae for a visit on Friday. Getty
The Philadelphia Eagles hosted rookie linebacker Deontae for a visit on Friday. Getty
The Philadelphia Eagles will be without linebacker Zack Baun in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Rams. With that in mind, the Eagles appear to be contemplating adding additional linebacker depth before the matchup.
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According to the NFL transaction wire, the Eagles visited with undrafted rookie linebacker Deontae Lawson. The Alabama product spent the 2026 offseason with the Eagles after he signed with the team as a priority free agent following the 2026 NFL Draft.
NFL.com's Lance Zierlein liked Lawson as a late Day 3 selection. The analyst commended the linebacker for his athleticism and quality traits.
"Lawson is twitchy and covers ground quickly when scraping to the football or knifing inside to disrupt as a run blitzer. His quick flow and pursuit is countered by a lack of play recognition/patience that can place him in the wrong place at the wrong time," wrote Zierlein. "He's much better at slipping blocks than he is at taking them on. He has the reactive agility to become an above-average open-field finisher, but his wrap-and-drive fundamentals run hot and cold.
"Lawson's athleticism shows up in man coverage and when expanding his zone influence. He projects as a run-and-chase Will linebacker with three-down potential but a limited ceiling."
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Lawson played five seasons at Alabama. He registered at least 50 combined tackles in each of his final four campaigns. He also had 19 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 16 pass defenses, three forced fumbles and an interception in 52 games.
Eagles Host LB Dontae Lawson for Visit
GettyThe Philadelphia Eagles hosted rookie linebacker Deontae Lawson for a visit on Friday.
The Eagles might be considering a reunion with Lawson with Baun out with a concussion. The veteran linebacker should be back for Week 5, but there could be value in bringing back Lawson even if it's for a short period.
According to Pro Football Focus , Lawson struggled in his first two NFL preseason games this past August. However, he played really well in the preseason finale. Overall, Lawson posted a great PFF run defense grade and average to below average grades in tackling, pass rush and coverage.
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During his final season at Alabama last year, he had a career-high 89 combined tackles, including 4.5 for loss. Lawson also registered 1.5 sacks, four pass defenses, two force fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
The Eagles waived Lawson at the NFL roster deadline on August 30. He hasn't signed with a new club since then.
Philadelphia appears set to start Jihaad Campbell and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. with Baun out in Week 4. The Eagles also have linebacker Small Mondon Jr. on their active roster.
On their practice squad, the Eagles have linebacker Anfernee Orji . Philadelphia just signed Orji to their practice squad Thursday.
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The Eagles will host the Rams in Week 4 on Sunday. Both teams have been a little disappointing to begin the 2026 campaign. The Rams are trying to avoid a 1-3 start while the Eagles are aiming to bounce back from an embarrassing loss to the Chicago Bears .
Kickoff is set for 1 pm ET.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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