Ndamukong Suh lingered available as a free agent for so long it was fair to wonder about his playing future, but a team with a need and Super Bowl aspirations came calling.
Even at 35 years old and not in his prime anymore, former Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh should have been signed well before now. With the rumor mill drying up the further into the season we’ve gotten, it became fair to wonder if he would sit out the season or possibly decide to retire.
On Thursday, things moved quickly. Soon after Jay Glazer of Fox Sports was first to report the Philadelphia Eagles have been talking to Suh, and even after signing veteran defensive tackle Linval Joseph, Glazer and others reported the two sides had agreed to a one-year deal.
Suh seemingly confirmed the news on Twitter, with a bald eagle emoji.
The Eagles were the last undefeated team in the NFL before a Week 10 Monday Night Football loss to the Washington Commanders. Run defense has been exposed as a major weakness for Philadelphia since rookie defensive tackle Jordan Davis went on IR. In the loss to Washington, the Commanders used sheer volume (49 rushing attempts, for 152 yards) to dominate time of possession.
Ndamukong Suh finally found a fit in pursuit of another Super Bowl ring
Suh played in a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams in 2018, and he won one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. At this point in his career, playing for a team that can win a championship is an easily identified priority. Rumors attaching him to the Las Vegas Raiders and Cleveland Browns, or any visions Lions’ fans had about him possibly returning to Detroit, ran contrary to that notion.
It was just a matter of finding a fit, or having one emerge at some point. Suh was clearly willing to wait for the latter, if it ever came his way this season.
The Eagles had a clear need for a big body (or two, as it were) on the interior defensive line to help their struggling run defense, and they have a Super Bowl opportunity to seize in a fairly thin NFC. So it’s a good fit for Suh, and the Eagles look to have a deep defensive line again.