Philadelphia Eagles sign OT Will Beatty to a one-year contract

The Philadelphia Eagles have added some more veteran depth on the offensive line.

Another day, another new face in the Philadelphia Eagles locker room. The team has announced that they will be signing veteran offensive tackle Will Beatty to a one-year contract. Beatty is a former second-round pick who was drafted by the New York Giants in 2009. He did not return with the Giants after playing in just six games in 2016.

The 32-year old tackle becomes the second veteran that the Eagles have signed right after the bye week. Clearly, the Eagles are in need of depth after their star offensive tackle, Jason Peters suffered a season-ending injury a couple weeks back. Beatty becomes the player they will call on in case of an emergency.

The signing:

Beatty’s role:

Beatty hasn’t started in the NFL since the 2014 season.  He spent his entire 2015 season on the injured reserve and only played in six games in 2016. Experience wise, Beatty is good to have around. Although they have veteran starters like Lane Johnson, Brandon Brooks, and Jason Kelce, they still have some young guys who could use the leadership.

Eagles second-year veteran Halapoulivaati Vaitai will most likely get the majority of the snaps at left tackle. He had a solid game against the Denver Broncos two weeks back where he allowed zero pressure to get in on Carson Wentz. Even though he did a solid job, the Eagles still needed to make sure that they have solid depth up front in case of an emergency.

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Having a guy like Beatty around is good for the chemistry. He won a Super Bowl with the Giants back in the 2011-2012 season. It is becoming a trend for the Eagles to sign veterans with a Super Bowl victory under their belt. It is doubtful that Beatty will get plenty of playing time, but he is definitely going to be a security blanket for the tackle position.