Eagles Kick The Tires On Three DTs

PHILADELPHIA - Ostensibly, the Philadelphia Eagles don’t have a glaring need at defensive tackle, but that didn’t stop the reigning Super Bowl champions from working out three players at the position on the eve of training camp.

The Eagles kicked the tires on Texas-San Antonio product Joe Evans, former Colorado hybrid end/tackle Leonard Payne, and recent UFL player Jacob Sykes.

Evans is a 323-pound potential backup nose tackle who went undrafted in April and signed with Indianapolis for a cup of coffee in the spring.

Evans played in 45 career college games (32 starts), first at LSU (2019-2021) before finishing at UTSA (2022-24), compiling 69 tackles (28 solo), 10.0 tackles for loss, and 5.0 sacks. 

In 2024, Evans started five games and posted five tackles (one solo), 1.5 tackles for loss, and 1.0 sack before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

Payne (6-3, 301) played four seasons at Fresno State (2018-22) before spending his final collegiate season at Colorado in 2023.

He had 10 tackles, 3.0 sacks, a forced fumble, and a blocked kick over 12 games and 12 starts during his final season. Payne went undrafted in 2024 and had signed a futures deal with the Green Bay Packers in January before being released in the spring.

Sykes (6-3, 277) went the Ivy League route at Harvard before finishing at UCLA and going undrafted in 2023 before signing with the Seattle Seahawks. Most recently, Sykes spent time with the San Antonio Brahmas of the UFL.

The IDL on the current Eagles’ 90-man roster are second-team All-Pro Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo, rookie Ty Robinson, Thomas Booker, Byron Young, and Gabe Hall. 

The tryouts could be building up the dossier on available options in case of injury down the road.