The Philadelphia Eagles will try to clinch the No. 1 seed again for the upcoming NFC playoffs when they face the New York Giants in Week 18 on Sunday. They could soon get back some crucial reinforcements on defense as well.
Both Gardner-Johnson and Quinn are relatively new members of the Eagles. The former was acquired by Philadelphia in a late-August trade with the New Orleans Saints, while the latter landed with the NFC East squad in a trade with the Chicago Bears in October.
Gardner-Johnson was having a huge debut season with the Eagles before being placed on injured reserve with a lacerated kidney he suffered in Week 12 against the Green Bay Packers. The safety was leading the NFL in interceptions with six at the time of his injury and is still tied with three other players for the league lead.
Now in his fourth NFL season, Gardner-Johnson’s 55 solo tackles and six interceptions are already career highs despite the five missed games. The 25-year-old Florida product played in three postseason games with the Saints across the 2019 and 2020 campaigns, so he should be able to help the Philadelphia secondary with his big-game experience.
Quinn is in his 12th pro season and has split his 12 games this year between the Bears (seven games) and Eagles (five). The three-time Pro Bowl defensive end has just 10 combined tackles in his 12 contests (seven starts) but has recorded five quarterback hits, including two with his new team.
The 2011 first-round pick is past his prime but still adds solid depth to the team’s pass rush that also includes 2021 Pro Bowler Josh Sweat, who was injured in Week 17 against the Saints.
