Eagles sign former Bengals draft pick

The Philadelphia Eagles have added a defensive tackle to their roster ahead of free agency, signing former Cincinnati Bengals draft pick, Renell Wren, per his agent Kenny Zuckerman.

Wren was drafted in 2019, in the fourth round, and played in 11 games his rookie season. He notched eight total tackles that season and saw two starts, and also got snaps at various positions along the line. Since then, however, he hasn’t had much production, suffering a hip injury during practice in Dec. 2019 which landed him on IR, and then a significant quad injury during training camp in 2020 which kept him out for the entire season.

The DT worked his way back from the injury but ended up on the Bengals practice squad in 2021, instead of their active roster. He was called up and played in just one game during Cincinnati’s surprising Super Bowl run.

Michael Kist wrote about Wren back in 2019 for Bleeding Green Nation:

“Arizona State’s Renell Wren takes care of his gap, which is nice, but that’s about it. Too many plays he’s in position to make go right around him. There’s still enough there to like as a reliable run defender, if you’re into that kind of thing. I kind of am, but mainly in the Day 3 range.”

It’s no secret that Howie Roseman likes to build depth up front on both offense and defense, and signing Wren will do just that. Currently, the Eagles have three defensive tackles heading into their second year with the team (Milton Williams, Marlon Tuipulotu, Marvin Wilson), along with veterans Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave. Hassan Ridgeway is an unrestricted free agent, and isn’t guaranteed to be back in Philly next season.