The Philadelphia Eagles Could Look Into DeAndre Levy

The Philadelphia Eagles recently lost their stud linebacker, Jordan Hicks to an Achilles tear. His presence will be impossible to match, but looking into DeAndre Levy wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Jordan Hicks has been nothing short of spectacular since the Philadelphia Eagles drafted him in the third-round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Getting his hands on the ball 27 times in just 28 of the games that he started, he’s been absolutely dominant.

At one point, many fans, myself included, hated the selection of Hicks. Drafted in the third-round, he was a talented linebacker joining an already stacked lineup. Surrounded by veterans like DeMeco Ryans, Mychal Kendricks, and Kiko Alonso, his playing time looked like it would be minimal. However, he burst onto the scene and became a starter early on. Though his rookie season came to a halt due to a pectoral injury, the Eagles knew they found a young stud in Hicks.

Unfortunately, that’s been the story of his career. A talented player who can’t stay healthy. Having had two seasons cut-short, his career has been plagued by injuries. Most recently, he ruptured his Achilles and will miss the remainder of the 2017 season. Just like that, the Eagles are suddenly lacking depth at the linebacker position.

The Argument for DeAndre Levy:

Now, with a roster spot open, the Eagles may be looking to bring in some veteran help. Former Detroit Lions linebacker, DeAndre Levy might just be the guy.

Since getting drafted in the third-round of the 2009 NFL Draft, Levy has been a great linebacker. His stats went along with that claim as well. Racking up over five tackles per start, and getting his hands on the ball in over 60 percent of the games he’s played.

The Issues:

Much like Hicks, however, Levy’s last two years have been plagued by injuries. He tore his meniscus over 13 months ago and hasn’t seen the field since. Only playing in 6 games, getting on the field has been his biggest struggle.

Now, it doesn’t seem like a great idea to replace an injury-plagued linebacker with another, does it? No, not necessarily. In most cases, this is a bad idea. It could be a total waste of cap space if he gets hurt. However, the situation with Levy is different.

The Familiarity:

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Levy, as you know, is a former Detroit Lion. Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz also comes from the Lions organization. So, it just so happens that Schwartz has some history with the veteran linebacker, and has coached him for five years. It’s Plain and simple, Levy knows the scheme.

In those five years under Schwartz, he racked up some pretty good stats. He got his hands on the ball at least three times and made at least 50 tackles per season. In addition, during his 2013 campaign, he got his hands on the ball a whopping 21 times. A feat that is especially impressive for a linebacker. That was the final season he played under Schwartz.

He’s shown he can be extremely successful in Schwartz’s scheme. So there’s no debate about whether or not he’s good enough. The only question is, can he stay healthy?

Well, considering his injury was a torn meniscus, and a typical recovery for that type of injury is three months, he should be good to go. He’s had over nine months to recover, and it’d be shocking to hear that he is still hurt.

However, there’s still one question remaining regarding injuries. Many people get injured following an injury, and Levy is labeled as an injury-prone player. This could very easily lead to yet another injury for him.

Why He’ll be Fine:

However, Levy’s snap count would be relatively low. Considering Mychal Kendricks, who was the third linebacker on the depth chart last season, only played 27-percent of snaps, it’s safe to assume Levy will have a lighter workload. At the end of the day, that’s all the Eagles need. Someone who can help contribute as the third linebacker when Philly isn’t running nickel defense. Levy could definitely be that guy.

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The Eagles currently have enough cap space to afford a free agent veteran like Levy who would come cheap. Now It remains to be seen if they’ll actually pull the trigger on the former-stud linebacker or not. But if they do happen to actually sign him, the Eagles could end up with a great signing almost halfway through the season.

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