Shaq to the rescue? | Sports Daily Newsletter

Shaquille Leonard is on board to join the Eagles and coach Nick Sirianni is sure glad to have him.

As we know, Howie Roseman is the master of in-season moves, often finding just the right player to fill an urgent need. And linebacker is certainly an urgent need for the Eagles after the thumping they absorbed from the 49ers on Sunday.

“We still have confidence from the tape that he can play,” Sirianni says of Leonard, a three-time All-Pro who agreed to a one-year contract on Monday. “He’s been a high-level player in this league for a very long time.”

Perhaps we should temper our expectations, though. Remember that Leonard was waived by the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 21. Also, he has undergone back surgery twice and played in only three games last season.

Can Leonard make plays like he used to? That’s not the question, Marcus Hayes writes. Can he make more plays than the linebackers the Eagles have? It would be hard not to.

— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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❓ How confident are you about the Eagles’ chances against the Cowboys? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

From the winter meetings in Nashville: The Phillies have added another year on the contract of manager Rob Thomson, who has a .568 winning percentage (155-118) since taking over in June 2022.

“I just wanted to make sure Topper wanted to add a year to his contract,” said Dave Dombrowski, the Phillies’ president of baseball operations. “We were very happy with the job that he did. Well deserved. That’s why we did it.”

Extending Thomson brings the Phillies closer to the continuity that Dombrowski and Jim Leyland achieved all those years, not insignificant for an organization that has been through two front-office regime changes and five managers since 2013.

The Phillies are “exploring” at the winter meetings, and that could lead to bullpen and outfield additions.

Leonard might not have gone to the Cowboys, but the Eagles will have adjustments to make on offense against elite defenses heading into Dallas after their red-zone struggles reemerged against the 49ers. The running game was limited, and it doesn’t help that Jalen Hurts hasn’t been used as a runner as consistently this season. Jason Kelce, for one, knows the Eagles just aren’t good enough right now when measured by a high standard.

Getting your teeth kicked in has a way of providing that wake-up call. Even the Dom DiSandro sideline incident that made the stadium come alive didn’t lead to any momentum. So the Eagles, who very well might see Deebo Samuel and the 49ers down the road, had better make fixes. Adding a linebacker will count as a start.

Next: The Eagles visit the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at 8:20 p.m. (NBC10).

Kelly Oubre Jr. has been cleared to return for the Sixers on Wednesday night after he missed 11 games recovering from a broken rib. In his first comments since he was sidelined, Oubre had little to say about the reported hit-and-run accident on Nov. 11: “I won’t be speaking in any detail about that.”

Next: The Sixers visit the Washington Wizards on Wednesday at 7 p.m. (NBCSP).

Sean Couturier waited over 600 days to return to the ice this season following a pair of back surgeries.

On Monday, he again proved he’s been worth the wait, scoring the overtime winner in a 2-1 win over the rival Pittsburgh Penguins. It marked the second straight game that Couturier was the hero against the Pens, following his shootout winner on Saturday. Couturier now has two OT winners and a shootout winner this season.

After starting the year 0-9-2 when the opponent scored first, the Flyers have logged back-to-back comeback wins.

Flyers prospect Cutter Gauthier is on Team USA’s preliminary roster for the World Junior Championship.

Next: The Flyers visit the Arizona Coyotes at 9 p.m. Thursday (NBCSP).

A few weeks ago it seemed as if Alejandro Bedoya’s tenure here was coming to an end. Now, it appears he could stay following a public campaign from manager Jim Curtin and several of Bedoya’s Union teammates.

On Monday, sporting director Ernst Tanner revealed that the Union are in talks with the 36-year-old Bedoya about retaining the captain, a decision that will be a popular one among players and fans alike.

The Union also announced the rest of their offseason moves, including updates on Julián Carranza, Kai Wagner, and Joe Bendik.

Who was the only Sixer to wear No. 13 after Wilt Chamberlain’s departure? First with the correct response here will be featured in the newsletter.

A) Dave Wohl

B) Clint Richardson

C) Henry Bibby

D) World B. Free

We asked you: How can the Eagles defense get back in gear? Among your responses:

It seems too late in the year. For the future, they need to sign competent linebackers. Nakobe Dean can’t stay healthy and while Cunningham and Morrow have played decently in general, the middle of the field is always wide open for a good QB or running back to make huge gains. — Robert G.

No matter the condition of your defense, you win games by outscoring the opposition. ‘Nuff said. — John B.

I’m not sure the defense can ever actually get in gear with the linebackers and defensive backs they have. The middle of the field is ALWAYS open and the opposing teams are usually able to exploit that area. It was just a matter of time until this weakness would catch up to them like it did yesterday. The Eagles never seem to value the play of their linebackers and I just don’t understand that. Hopefully Desai will run some tackling drills for his linebackers and defensive backs this week. They could sure use the work after all the missed tackles yesterday! — Bill R.

Stop playing zone coverage. — Joseph S.

Outcoached, out-motivated, outplayed, and humiliated before almost 70,000 at the game and millions watching all over the U.S. and around the world. The Eagles looked like a tired, hurting, and worn-out bunch of guys who gave it all they had to win those 10 games and now had nothing left. A total of 46 rushing yards. I live in hope for a rebound, but heading on the road to face a fired up Cowboy’s team and then Seattle, I am not sure if they can. — Everett S.

What an ugly loss. But we all knew it was coming. There was no defense yesterday and it was awful to watch. It all starts with the defensive coordinator. He must do better so the Birds can do better. Whatever he was doing yesterday wasn’t working and he just kept doing it. They must learn from their mistakes and fix what needs fixing, which right now is a lot, or their playoff hopes will dwindle away. They are a better team than we saw yesterday. — Kathy T.

I was born, raised, and have lived most of my life in Centre County, Pa. As both an Eagles and Steelers fan, I can honestly say that Penn State’s current linebacker group is better than the Eagles and Steelers. Both teams have no speed or athleticism at LB. The years of the Birds ignoring the LB position were exposed yesterday and will be tough to fix. — Matthew F.

Adapt or Die: Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson has been a bit of a lightning rod among fans this season. As his first year in the gig begins to wind down, how is Johnson really doing? Does he deserve to be the target of so much criticism? What do Jalen Hurts, Nick Sirianni, and other football experts think? Listen here.

Listen to all episodes here or wherever you get your podcasts.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Josh Tolentino, Marcus Hayes, David Murphy, Olivia Reiner, EJ Smith, Gustav Elvin, Jackie Spiegel, Keith Pompey, Alex Coffey, Scott Lauber, Jeff Neiburg, Gabriela Carroll, Jonathan Tannenwald, and Lochlahn March.

Wow, that was a pretty newsy Monday. Maria will be at the newsletter controls on Wednesday morning. See you soon. — Jim

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