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Former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker L.J. Fort has a new NFL home. The Baltimore Ravens signed the 29-year-old free agent on Monday morning, according to an official announcement from the team.
The Eagles released Fort — who originally signed a three-year deal worth $1.9 million guaranteed — on Friday in order to make room on the 53-man roster to re-sign veteran cornerback Orlando Scandrick. Philadelphia needed more depth in the secondary with Ronald Darby, Sidney Jones, and Avonte Maddox all dealing with various injuries.
Another reason for cutting Fort was that the Eagles picked up a projected 2020 fourth-round compensatory pick. Fort wasn’t worth keeping on the roster at the expense of a future draft pick considering he logged zero defensive snaps and 75 special teams snaps in his first four games with the Eagles.
The Ravens are the eighth team Fort has signed with since entering the league as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2012. Fort will likely serve as a backup linebacker and special teams contributor for Baltimore.
Fort is the second Eagles linebacker to sign with the Ravens after being cut by Philly this year. Paul Worrilow was the first but he had to step away from the game just one day after signing his new deal. The Ravens must’ve liked what they saw when they came to Philly for joint training camp practices and a preseason game back in August.