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The Philadelphia Eagles have agreed to terms with free agent right guard Brandon Brooks on a five-year contract worth up to $40 million, according to a report from NFL insider Ian Rapoport.
The 26-year-old Brooks is a big blocker. He measures in at 6-5, 343 pounds. In four seasons with the Houston Texans, Brooks started 44 games in 50 career appearances. He's only missed a total of four games in the past three seasons.
Brooks is a player we discussed earlier this offseason. Here's what we wrote at the time:
Brooks ranked 7th out of all guards in 2013, 8th in 2014, and 34th in 2015. He could come in right away and give the Eagles a good starter at right guard between Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson.
Offensive line was (and still is) obviously a big need for the Eagles, who have neglected the position in recent years. The Birds needed two new starting guards so Brooks an immediate answer to one of those two spots. The team could look to address the other guard spot with another free agent or in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Here's what our friends over at Texans site Battle Red Blog had to say about Brooks.
Brooks came to Houston in 2012 as a raw, overweight third round prospect who was not even invited to the NFL Combine. Just a few short seasons later, he has blossomed into one of the league’s best (though certainly underappreciated) right guards. Powerful in the run game and sturdy as a pass protector, one could argue that Brooks has been the second best offensive lineman on the team since taking over the starting role permanently in 2013. Considering how important it is to stymie interior rushers in today’s pass-centric offenses, Brooks’ stabilizing presence next to Derek Newton has proven to be invaluable to every single one of the gaggle of quarterbacks that have lined up under center in Houston in the last two seasons.