3 Questions following Philadelphia Eagles signing of Javon Hargrave

2. Is there really a difference between playing nose tackle and defensive tackle?

Remember that time the New York Yankees signed one of the game’s best shortstops (Alex Rodriguez) when they already had Derek Jeter? We all knew Jeter wasn’t switching positions, nor did we believe that he should.

“A-Rod”, as we thought he might, made the move to playing third base. He struggled a little in the beginning at times, and there were quite a few people who asked the same question. “What’s the problem? He only moved a few feet to his right.”

To be honest, anyone who has ever played baseball knows that playing the positions of shortstop and third base takes two different mindsets. The same can be said for football. Most defensive tackles can’t always slide a few feet to one side or the other and be ends. Some wide receivers and some corners can’t be slot guys, and ladies and gentlemen, nose tackles in the 3-4 scheme and defensive tackles in the 4-3 scheme aren’t always the same breed of guys.

For the first time since entering the NFL in 2016, Javon Hargrave won’t be with the Pittsburgh Steelers or playing in their 3-4 defensive scheme. He’ll be working with Jim Schwartz in the 4-3. In his first four seasons as a nose tackle, he racked up 168 tackles and 14.5 sacks. No, a nose tackle isn’t defensive tackle, but everyone’s pretty confident that a guy this smart and talented can figure it out.