Eagles Sign Veteran LB L.J. Fort

PHILADELPHIA (973espn.com) - After losing Jordan Hicks to Arizona in free agency, the Eagles have added a veteran journeyman linebacker to the mix agreeing to a three-year deal with L.J. Fort.

Fort, 29, originally an undrafted free agent out of Nothern Iowa in 2012, has stints in a half-dozen cities but finally found a home in Pittsburgh in 2015. He finished up in Western Pennsylvania with his best season in 2018, finishing with 48 tackles and a fumble recovery which was taken back for a touchdown.

Typically a reserve and special teamer, Fort has only started three games in his career but has been effective when forced into action, ranking No. 19 out of 96 linebackers by ProFootballFocus.com last season. The sample size was small, though, with Fort playing in just under 30 percent of Pittsburgh's defensive snaps.

According to NBC Sports Philadelphia Fort signed a three-year deal and got $875,000 to sign with base salaries of $1.025 million in 2019 and $1.5 million in 2020 and 2021. The first year is guaranteed so Fort essentially got $1.9M for moving to Philadelphia.

-John McMullen covers the Eagles and the NFL for 973espn.com. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen