By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor
The Eagles have signed the first player of their offseason.
While many fans may have forgotten that he was with the team in 2018, the Eagles have re-signed Paul Worrilow. The signing is official, according to a report from Delaware Online. Worrilow played high school football at Concord High School and college football at Delaware.
Worrilow was expected to be the primary back-up to Jordan Hicks in 2018 while continuing his expertise on special teams. That never happened as the veteran linebacker tore his ACL on the first day of voluntary practices.
It is hard to imagine the deal is more than a veteran minimum deal, so it is a good signing bringing back a player who knows the system and can contribute at a low cost. It has been over seven and a half months since his injury, so Worrilow should be ready to play at the start of the season.
In four seasons with the Falcons and one with the Detroit Lions, the linebacker started 52 games. He accrued 413 tackles, four sacks, four fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles, two interceptions and 11 defensed passes. He has not started more than 10 games since the 2015 season.
The Eagles now have Nigel Bradham, Kamu Grugier-Hill, Nathan Gerry, Bj Bello, Asantay Brown former CFL-player Alex Singleton and Worrilow under contract in 2019. Of that group, only Bradham and KGH are likely guaranteed a spot as the rest will be fighting for their spots.
Worrilow may get the chance to start this season depending on what the Eagles decide to do with Jordan Hicks this offseason. Should Hicks not return, Gerry and Worrilow would be the favorites to win the starting position (unless the Eagles draft a linebacker high).
While it may not be a huge move, the wheels are now turning for the Eagles and we may see the team re-sign more players prior to the start of free agency.