Philadelphia Eagles wise to add Javon Hargrave over Byron Jones

The Eagles started the offseason with a signing that many weren’t expecting, but was still the right move.

The Philadelphia Eagles entered the offseason with glaring holes in the secondary and at receiver. To the surprise of many, their first acquisition was signing nose tackle Javon Hargrave, formerly of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The deal is worth $39 million with $26 million guaranteed over three years, and it makes Hargrave the highest-paid nose tackle in the NFL.

Just because it wasn’t the “splash” signing that many were expecting, that doesn’t mean it didn’t cause waves in the NFL ocean. Here’s something that will make you smile if you’re a “Birds” fan. It appears Hargrave isn’t a fan of the Dallas Cowboys.

Check out this little nugget from 2013.

While Hargrave spent his time in Pittsburgh as a 3-4 nose tackle, or “zero-technique”, he should transition to his natural position as a 4-3 defensive tackle in the three-technique. It will certainly help that he’ll be lined up next to Fletcher Cox.

In addition to Cox and Hargrave, last offseason’s acquisition Malik Jackson is in the mix. He’s returning from injury. There’s also the underrated yet ascending Hassan Ridgeway. News of him being re-signed came just hours before we learned of the Hargrave acquisition. Collectively, they form a strong unit at the interior of the Eagles’ defensive line.

Cox is an all-world talent while Hargrave is an absolute stud. They, along with Jackson and Ridgeway, should take up at least three blockers between them. That frees up the outside pass rushers who are already here (Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, and Josh Sweat) along with any other pass rushers the Eagles could potentially add this offseason. Philly’s pass rush should benefit greatly from the Hargrave singing.

While many fans were hoping the Eagles would pluck cornerback Byron Jones from the hated Cowboys, seeing him wind up with the type of purse he did should make those who were in favor of his acquisition feel better about him joining the Miami Dolphins. While that may seem like disappointing news to some, the truth is all of this happened for a good reason.

Philly couldn’t afford to gamble and miss on Jones with that kind of price tag. While corners are important, the Eagles won a Super Bowl in 2017 off of the strength of their pass rush and with Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills as their starters on the outside.

There could be some fear involved. No one wants to relive what happened with Nnamdi Asomugha and Byron Maxwell (among others). The offseason is far from over, and while it’s always full of surprises, the Eagles fans can rest easy knowing that they started off this year’s version on the right foot.