Eagles Bringing Back Hassan Ridgeway

The defensive tackle was set to become a free agent, but the team locked him down about an hour before the period began. He brings solid depth up front

The Eagles are bringing back defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway on a one-year contract, agreeing to terms with the fifth-year player on Monday morning.

The three-day window for teams to negotiate with free agents and make trades began at noon on Monday, with the start of the new league year set for 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

The Eagles struck their deal with Ridgeway prior to the noon, so they could make the move official, and the team did.

Ridgeway’s first season in Philly ended after seven games last year when he suffered an ankle injury that landed him on Injured Reserve. He had just begun coming into his own with his new team, collecting six tackles and two sacks in the three games prior to his getting hurt.

Still just 25, Ridgeway gives the Eagles another piece for their defensive tackle rotation with Fletcher Cox, and Malik Jackson and potentially Anthony Rush and Bruce Hector.

It is a move that makes plenty of sense for the Eagles, who acquired Ridgeway from the Colts for a seventh-round draft pick last year.

Nobody knows how Jackson will play after missing all last season LisFranc injury suffered in the season opener.

General manager Howie Roseman said in January that losing Jackson was a critical loss for the team.

Jackson is 30 and Cox 29, so bringing back Ridgeway makes that unit a bit younger.

While Ridgeway doesn’t possess the same skill set as either Jackson or Cox, he figures to be a valuable part of the rotation used by defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.

Ridgeway is a former fourth-round draft pick of the Colts out of the University of Texas in 2016.

Bringing him back does not mean the Eagles won’t continue to look at ways to bolster their defensive line, perhaps spending one of their 10 picks in April’s draft on one.

It does probably mean, however, that Timmy Jernigan will not return to the Eagles.