As the second wave of free agency gets into full swing, the Eagles appear committed to their strategy of pursuing those who once flourished under their new coaching staff. According to Mark Eckel of NJ.com, one of those players is former 2nd overall pick Nick Fairley. The Auburn product played his first three seasons under Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz when he was the head coach of the Detroit Lions. Eckel has information hinting at a possible reunion.
Nick Fairley, one of the bigger name free agents still available, has drawn some interest from the Eagles according to a source familiar with both the team and the player.
According to the source, who wished to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to speak on the subject, there are three or four teams with serious interest in the 6-5, 291-pound defensive tackle. One of those teams is the Eagles. The New Orleans Saints and Jets could also be in the mix.
Benjamin Allbright also mentioned the Eagles as a potential suitor for Fairley.
@RRone2210 It's down to Eagles, Jets and Saints.
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) March 14, 2016
Fairley has played five NFL seasons since being drafted a pick after college teammate Cam Newton in the 2011 NFL Draft. He enjoyed two particularly successful seasons under Schwartz (2012, 2013), but has underwhelmed for the most part in terms of the big picture view of his career. He has 14.0 career sacks and only 1.5 over his last two seasons, one of which came with the Rams in 2015. The Eagles could look at Fairley as a buy-low rotational defensive lineman option who could possibly recapture some of his early-season success under Schwartz.
The Eagles are relatively thin on the defensive line with the departures of Cedric Thornton and Brandon Bair. Fairley was a dominant, disruptive prospect coming out of Auburn who could inject some talent to the interior of that group. If and when anything further happens with the two sides, we'll be sure to update as necessary.
Somers Price is a contributor for Eagledelphia.com and can be followed on Twitter @somersprice
