Eagles Add LB Goode, Release Acho

The Eagles made another roster move this afternoon, claiming linebacker Najee Goode off waivers from the Bucs and releasing Emmanuel Acho.

Goode (6-0, 244) was a fifth-round pick by Tampa in 2012. He was active for three games as a rookie, but only played three defensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. He ran a 4.64 at the Combine and had a 35-inch vertical leap. You can see how those numbers stacked up to other linebackers right here.

Goode started at middle linebacker in the Bucs’ preseason finale and had a pick-six.

The West Virginia product had 87 tackles (14 for loss), five sacks and an interception as a senior. He earned All-Big East first-team honors in 2011 and played all three linebacker positions for the Mountaineers.

Here’s a snippet from NFL.com on Goode as a draft prospect:

Goode is a bit of a tweener in that he bounced from inside to outside linebacker in his career at West Virginia. NFL teams will face the same dilemma West Virginia did when deciding where to play him. He played outside for much of his career, serving as the flow tackler for a defense that featured classmate Bruce Irvin at outside linebacker. Goode had a solid year working from the inside and can clash with top offensive linemen. He has 3-4 and 4-3 base defense versatility as well, which makes him a late-round prospect.

Acho had an excellent preseason, and Chip Kelly raved about his smarts after the finale against the Jets. Also of note is that the Eagles decided to keep Casey Matthews instead of Acho. Matthews has not shown anything on the defensive side of the ball, but did have 14 special-teams tackles last year, second on the team to only Akeem Jordan.

Overall, the Eagles have five inside linebackers on the roster: Goode, Matthews, undrafted free agent Jake Knott, along with starters DeMeco Ryans and Mychal Kendricks.

Follow Sheil Kapadia on Twitter and e-mail him at skapadia@phillymag.com.
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