Two weeks after the Indianapolis Colts surprisingly waived him, former All-Pro and Pro Bowl linebacker Shaq Leonard is headed to Pennsylvania.
Just not to the team many Steelers fans hoped he’d land with.
Leonard, according to multiple reports, is signing with the Philadelphia Eagles Monday. Leonard visited the Dallas Cowboys and Eagles last week following the Colts waiving him.
According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, Leonard is signing a one-year deal with the Eagles.
Prior to being waived, Leonard played 454 snaps for the Colts, grading out at a 60.3 from Pro Football Focus, including a 64.3 against the run and a 56.4 in coverage. He’s a three-time first-team All-Pro and a two-time second-team All-Pro linebacker. He’s also earned four trips to the Pro Bowl in his career and led the NFL in tackles in 2018 and forced fumbles in 2021.
Leonard previously signed a five-year, $99.25 million contract extension, including a $52.5 million guaranteed, with the Colts in August 2021, making him the highest-paid off-ball linebacker in the NFL at the time. He went unclaimed in the waiver process due to his lofty price tag, but cleared waivers and was free to sign with any team.
There was speculation that it could have made sense to bring in Leonard to Pittsburgh. That statement rings more true by the week as the Steelers have now lost all three of their core inside linebackers — Kwon Alexander and Cole Holcomb for the season, and more recently Elandon Roberts. Roberts’ injury timetable is unclear at the moment, but he followed a similar path to Cam Heyward in Week One. He injured his groin, tried to come back out onto the field, and immediately realized he couldn’t continue playing before being ruled out.
Leonard would have been a welcome addition to the room to give both a veteran presence and a high-pedigree player. Instead, the Steelers will be relying on two players who retired over the last year to help fill in for Roberts. Myles Jack and Blake Martinez figure to be a part of the plans at ILB going forward.
