Ahead of Thursday's home preseason finale against the Ravens, the Eagles agreed to terms on a deal with Arizona to acquire safety Rudy Ford in exchange for defensive tackle Bruce Hector.
The 6-0, 204-pound Ford adds depth and special teams experience to a safety group that has been fortified with veterans this offseason. The 24-year-old Ford played 23 games (one start) in his first two NFL seasons, after being selected by the Cardinals in the sixth-round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
In 13 games last season, Ford posted four tackles on defense and another 13 on special teams. He played 62 snaps on defense and 286 on special teams. He played in 10 games as a rookie, with all snaps coming on special teams.
Hector played well in Training Camp and early in the preseason for the Eagles, but is part of one of the deepest position groups on the team with Fletcher Cox, Malik Jackson, Tim Jernigan, Hassan Ridgeway, and Treyvon Hester among others. The Eagles get an early jump on working toward the 53-man roster by seeing Ford in camp for the final week of the preseason.
A three-year starter at Auburn, Ford had 275 tackles in 52 career games (34 starts). A native of Big Cove, Alabama, Ford led the Tigers in tackles in back-to-back seasons from 2014-15.
