Hoping to add more defensive line depth to the roster, the Philadelphia Eagles acquired Eli Harold from the Buffalo Bills, for undrafted free agent tackle Ryan Bates. Harold has nine sacks in his career along with 25 starts. With Harold not being a household name for Eagles fans, here are four things to know about the team’s newest pass rusher.
1. Harold played for Chip Kelly in San Francisco in 2016
Harold was drafted by Kelly and the 49ers in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft after a successful college career at Virginia. Harold was ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the state of Virginia, the No. 5 defensive end nationally and the No. 50 overall prospect by Rivals, and the No. 15 defensive end in the nation by ESPN. Coming out of college, Harold was compared to Olivier Vernon.
2. Harold could end up being a high-value acquisition
Harold, a former third-round pick spent 2018 with the Lions and then signed with the Bills as a free agent this offseason. An explosive outside linebacker and edge-setter, the Eagles could have acquired another skilled pass rusher while only having to use an undrafted free agent tackle as compensation.
3. Harold could also still get cut
The Eagles are still stacked at defensive end with Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, Vinny Curry, and Josh Sweat. Fourth-round pick Shareef Miller showed his talent on Thursday night and the Birds just signed veteran DE, Kasim Edebali.
