PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles made a flurry of roster moves Wednesday afternoon, signing veteran defensive tackle Linval Joseph and placing Dallas Goedert and Marlon Tuipulotu on injured reserve.
Joseph, 34, played for the Los Angeles Chargers last season and figures to take Tuipulotu’s role as the short-term replacement for Jordan Davis at the heart of the Eagles’ defense. The 6-foot-4, 329-pound lineman is a capable nose tackle who can plug multiple gaps, something the Eagles defense has missed significantly since the rookie Davis went on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain.
Goedert and Tuipulotu will miss at least four games after being placed on IR. Goedert suffered a shoulder injury in the Eagles’ 32-21 loss to the Washington Commanders on Monday night and, while the injury shouldn’t sideline the tight end for the rest of the season, he is expected to miss extended time.
With their newfound roster space, the Eagles activated tight end Tyree Jackson off the practice squad Wednesday. Jackson flashed potential as an undrafted rookie in 2021, but a torn ACL suffered in Week 18 last season sidelined him going into this season. Now that he has returned to the fold, he figures to challenge reserve tight ends Jack Stoll and Grant Calcaterra for playing time in Goedert’s absence.
Tuipulotu’s injury was not disclosed in the team’s announcement. The 23-year-old has been a part of the defensive-tackle rotation all season, but he got his first career start against Washington as defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon tries to find a way to shore up the Eagles’ run defense without Davis anchoring things. Tuipulotu played into the fourth quarter of Monday night’s game without an obvious injury.
Davis will miss at least the next two games with the ankle sprain he suffered against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 30. During this stretch, Joseph figures to be the newest attempt to fix a run defense that has surrendered 154 yards per game over the last three games. It’s worth mentioning that the Eagles face three of the league’s best running backs in the next three weeks: the Colts’ Jonathan Taylor, the Packers’ Aaron Jones, and Titans star Derrick Henry.
The Eagles also signed safety Marquise Blair to the practice squad and opened the 21-day practice window for injured edge rusher Janarius Robinson on Wednesday.
