According to St. Paul Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson, the Eagles are not only bringing in former Dallas Cowboys running back JaQuan Hardy for a workout Monday, but are planning to sign him per a league source.
The Eagles beat the Minnesota Vikings to the punch, who had also shown interest in bringing Hardy, 24, to work out.
Hardy went undrafted following the 2021 NFL Draft before catching on with the Cowboys, who placed him on their practice squad last August. He earned a roster spot late in the season, appearing in three total games.
He had four rushing attempts for 29 yards (7.3 Y/A), with 22 of those yards coming on a touchdown run. Fans who watched this past season’s meaningless 51-22 finale slog may recall Hardy dicing up Andre Chachere. I guess if you can beat them, join them?
His numbers are obviously way too small of a sample size to take away anything substantial, but it was a good performance nonetheless.
Most of Hardy’s playing time came on special teams, where he had 54 snaps versus eight total offensive snaps. The 5’10”, 225 lb Hardy was waived by Dallas earlier this month.
Hardy Faces An Uphill Battle For A Roster Spot
Hardy definitely has his work cut out for him if he wants to crack the roster. Miles Sanders, Kenny Gainwell, and Boston Scott are all firmly lodged in as the team’s top three RBs, with plenty of expectations in tow.
That would put Hardy in competition with Jason Huntley and UDFA signee Kennedy Brooks for the RB4 spot, assuming the Eagles do carry a fourth back when the season begins.
Still, it’s noteworthy that Hardy’s garnered a number of teams’ interest so shortly after his release. At the very least, he’ll be able to provide Philadelphia with some intel on their divisional rival.
