The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys are battling for the top spot in the NFC East, but they also were battling for the signature of Shaquille Leonard over the past week. The Eagles have had a leg up on the Cowboys all season long, and they managed to come out on top in their pursuit of Leonard as well, as they beat out Dallas by signing the former Indianapolis Colts star linebacker to a one-year contract.

From 2018-2021, Leonard had turned himself into one of the top defensive players in the NFL, but his progress stalled in 2022 when he played in only three games due to a series of injuries. Leonard played in nine games for the Colts this season, but his role was reduced, and he made it clear on several occassions he wasn't happy about that, which ultimately led to Indianapolis releasing him.

Both the Eagles and Cowboys had a need for reinforcements at linebacker, but Philly ended up beating their divisional rival in another way with this signing. Nakobe Dean and Shaun Bradley are both on injured reserve, and Zach Cunningham missed their Week 13 blowout loss at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers with a hamstring injury. So with that in mind, Leonard should immediately find his way into a big role with his new squad.

Leonard will immediately face off against the Cowboys in Week 14, as these two squads will meet up on Sunday Night Football in a game that could have some huge playoff ramifications. Philadelphia will do everything they can to get Leonard up to speed for this big game, and they will be hoping he has a big game against Dallas to further rub salt in their wounds.