The Eagles continued to add quality depth pieces for competition as they claimed safety Blake Countess off waivers from the Los Angeles Rams on Friday.
If the name sounds familiar, Countess was a sixth-round pick of the Eagles in 2016 out of Auburn.
The 5-10, 191-pound Countess signed with the Rams shortly after being released at the end of his rookie Training Camp. In three seasons, Countess played in 37 games (4 starts) and amassed 39 tackles, two interceptions, and one sack on defense.
This past season, Countess led the Rams with five special teams tackles and was also the primary kickoff returner averaging 24.6 yards per return. Countess has scored two touchdowns in his NFL career, both off blocked punts. His first one came against the Eagles in 2017. In Week 3 of the 2018 campaign, Countess earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for recovering a blocked punt in the end zone against the Chargers.
A graduate transfer at Auburn, Countess posted 71 tackles in his senior season. In three years at Michigan, Countess started 30 games and was a two-time All-Big Ten selection.
Earlier on Friday, the Eagles signed free agent linebacker Zach Brown, who started 12 games last season for Washington and has been a productive and dependable player in his first seven NFL seasons.
The Eagles have made a number of moves at safety this offseason. First, Rodney McLeod's contract was reworked for the 2019 season. Veteran Andrew Sendejo, a former starter for the Vikings, was signed in free agency. Earlier this week, Godwin Igwebuike was claimed off waivers. Now, add Countess to the mix that includes Malcolm Jenkins, Tre Sullivan, and Deiondre' Hall.
