Harold hoping fourth team is the charm in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA >> Hard to believe that two teams didn’t think enough of a guy who sacked Tom Brady twice last year to keep him around.
But that’s the story Eli Harold stuck to Sunday after his first practice with the Eagles.
“First off,” Harold said with a grin, “it’s nice to feel wanted.”
Harold (6-3, 255) didn’t feel the love in Buffalo, the Bills shipping the five-year veteran to the Eagles for undrafted rookie offensive tackle Ryan Bates, the product of Archbishop Wood and Penn State. Harold was working on a oneyear contract with the Bills.
The previous year in Detroit was a living nightmare. Harold notched three sacks in the first three games, putting Jimmy Garoppolo on his back and later sending Brady to the canvas twice in a 26-10 rout of the New England Patriots at Ford Field. The 3-4 outside linebacker played sparingly the rest of the way, sitting out three games and finishing with four sacks.
“I really don’t like talking about the past but I’ll touch on it a little bit,” Harold said. “Just the opportunity wasn’t there. A guy got hurt and my playing time went up and then when I had my daughter, my daughter was born the fourth week, fifth week of the year, and after that it just fell off. I was still doing everything I could. I was doing my best. I’d talk to the coaches and they said nothing was wrong and I was doing everything I was supposed to do.
“I don’t know what happened. I guess they were telling me one thing but saying another thing in meetings or whatever. But I went to work every day, tried to be better and that’s all I can do.”
The 49ers traded Harold to Detroit for a seventh-round draft pick last August, adding another difficult dimension to welcoming his child into the world. Settled now, Harold can focus on playing defensive end again. The last time he played it regularly was at the University of Virginia.
“I’m just getting used to having my hand in the dirt and learning all the nuances of playing defensive end,” Harold said. “It’s my first time playing it in the NFL. I love it. that’s my natural position. No matter what, going forward is always better than dropping into coverage a lot. So, I’m excited.”
With Derek Barnett (shoulder) and Daeshon Hall (shoulder) not participating fully, Joe Ostman (knee) on injured reserve and Vinny Curry (illness) sitting out Sunday, there was no shortage of snaps to go around for Harold, newly acquired defensive end Kasim Edeball and Josh Sweat.
Sweat struggled the most, although he had the misfortune of lining up opposite Jason Peters.
“He’s just working hard to be consistent, working hard to prove that he can fill a role if we ask him,” defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said.
Harold had been on the Eagles’ radar, according to Schwartz, who appreciates the long arms and big first step. Add the experience and it’s a lot to work with.
“Our scouts liked him a couple years ago,” Schwartz said. “He has had a little bit of production. He played sort of a hybrid role last year for Detroit but we are a little bit different. We’ll put his hand in the ground and let him come. He’s big, he’s strong and we will add him to the mix and see where it turns out. He does have a little bit of experience. It’s a little bit different than a rookie coming in. We should get him up to speed pretty quickly.”
The Eagles are Harold’s fourth team in three seasons, unusual for a third-round draft pick. That cup of coffee in Buffalo isn’t something he wants to top the resume with, either.
“You just control what you can control because at the end of the day, it could be your last play each time you step on the field,” Harold said. “I just try to let my play talk and do everything I can do to better myself and help the team that I am on at the current time.”
The Eagles, who have lofty goals this season, can always find a use for a guy who can sack Brady.