The Philadelphia Eagles re-signed defensive tackle Derek Landri to a one year contract this week. Landri is entering his sixth NFL season, and played in 12 games with the Eagles last year and played well, recording 43 tackles, two sacks and a blocked field. He also led the team with eight tackles for a loss.
Landri was drafted in the fifth round by Jacksonville and was with the Jaguars from 2007 to 2009, and then with the Panthers in 2009 and 2010 before landing with the Eagles last season. It’s been a rough road, as he was actually released by the Eagles in final roster cut last season, but then re-signed with the team in October following an injury to Antonio Dixon.
He made the most of the playing time once he got on the field, and although Landri was an unrestricted free agent this year, he made returning to the Eagles his first priority. “[I’m] happy to be back as an Eagle,” Landri said. “It took a little while, but happy to have it done.”
Clearly, the Eagles were his first choice. “This is the best organization I’ve been around,” Landri said. “Talking to guys from around the NFL about other organizations, those other [teams] don’t hold a candle.”
He would have preferred a long term deal, but he’ll take what he could get at this point. “To get another year to play for them is what I wanted, and what I got. To get an opportunity to play with them long term, I guess I’ll have to prove myself to them,” Landri said.
Landri indicated that they did have a multi-year contract on the table, but fate got in the way. “We had a long term deal done,” Landri said, but the injury to left tackle Jason Peters changed everything. The Eagles needed to replace Peters, a five-time Pro Bowl tackle, and left tackles don’t come cheaply. The Eagles signed offensive tackle Demetress Bell to a five-year deal to pick up the slack for the injured Peters. As a result, the Eagles withdrew their previous offer and only offered a one-year contract, but they managed to pick up Landri anyway.
He takes it all in stride. Asked about his role, and how much playing time he was expecting this season after his strong performance last year, he simply said, “I’m a ball player, I go play football.”
