The Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles are ready to battle it out in Week 14 during Sunday Night Football. But they've already done some off-field fighting leading up to key NFC East war.
This week, three-time First-Team All-Pro linebacker Shaquille Leonard was choosing between both of these franchises, as the rivals were interested in signing him. Leonard ultimately chose the Eagles, which isn't a major deal for the game but it's at least a free agency win for Philly.
Many have taken Leonard's decision the wrong way, though. Since reports indicated the former Colts star wanted to sign with a contender, many have made it seem as if Leonard thought the Eagles had a much better chance of winning a Super Bowl.
The reality is different from that though and the real reason why Leonard picked Philly is highly likely to be obvious when these two teams face each other on Sunday. It also likely isn't the reason the linebacker himself tried to lay out.
According to Shaq, it was more about the people. Specifically, a familiar face he knew well.
"(Head coach Nick Sirianni) and I were together in Indy," Leonard told reporters. "Nick was a great coach, a great competitor. We had a bond when we were in Indy."
While there's no doubt Sirianni's presence in Philly might've been a determining factor in his decision, common sense and understanding of how the NFL works suggests the much more obvious reason: Playing time.
Sure, Leonard has a chance at winning a Super Bowl. But at only 28 years old and with no long-term job secured, it's clear he needs to put some film up for the upcoming offseason. The Eagles were much likelier of giving him a starting role than the Cowboys were.
Heck, the Eagles are so thin at LB right now that they just waived Christian Elliss, who started for them just last weekend! It's a very volatile room and on Sunday, Leonard might prove that by playing a significant portion of the game. The veteran LB smartly tries to downplay it though:
"I’m not going to say they need me," Leonard said. "I feel like their defense was playing well. I feel like the linebackers were playing well. I have a lot of respect for their linebackers, so it wasn’t that. It was more so I wanted to go somewhere that would fit me and the coach knew as a person and as a player. That’s why I came here.”
The Cowboys are thin at LB but it was highly unlikely Leonard would bench Damone Clark or Markquese Bell, who have exceeded expectations in an important season following Leighton Vander Esch's season-ending injury.
On Sunday Night, the Cowboys could make sure to benefit of his being on the field, as he's been "unplayable" against the pass per A to Z Sports Colts insider Destin Adams.
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