Eagles news: Slay returns, Shaq Leonard claims no. 53 jersey as Elliss finds a new home

Let's be honest. Even if you stopped paying attention to the Indianapolis Colts after Frank Reich left, you have to admit something. Shaquille Leonard didn't look like himself if he wasn't wearing the number 53 Philadelphia Eagles jersey.

During his first practice session with the Birds on Thursday, he rocked the number 50, but again, it looked strange. Fast forward one day to Friday, and Shaq changes his number as a former Bird finds a new home.

Buckle up everyone. We have much to discuss. We even have some Darius Slay news.

Eagles news: Christian Elliss finds a new home, and Shaq Leonard claims the number 53 jersey.

Following a Wednesday afternoon walkthrough, the Eagles moved their Thursday practice indoors. On Friday, they were outside again. The early portions of the latter two sessions were open to the media. It appears Shaq Leonard has his groove back.

Leonard's 53 jersey was made available as recently waived Eagles linebacker Christian Elliss never cleared waivers. Six teams put in a request for his services according to Field Yates. The New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, and Miami Dolphins expressed interest. He landed in New England.

While jersey numbers won't help Leonard make a tackle, we're hoping this has a similar feel to Michael Jordan's return to the Chicago Bulls and M.J.'s decision to ditch the number 45 jersey for his classic number 23 ensemble.

Hey, we can dream, can't we?

More Eagles news: Darius Slay returns to practice.

Here's something else that should place a smile on your face. After missing a pair of practices, Darius Slay returned for Philly's Friday session. It's good to see him back on the field.

Slay and former Eagle linebacker Seth Joyner shared a bit of back-and-forth via social media after Seth criticized the performance of the Eagles defense during Week 13's loss. Let's hope that, rather than continue meaningless wars on X, Slay brings his A-game in Week 14.

A win versus the Dallas Cowboys might hinge on him doing so. Philly, despite being in ownership of a 10-2 record, is in a must-win situation on Sunday Night Football.

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