Ranking All 90 Players On The Eagles Roster: No. 89 -- Alabama LB Roster Long Shot

Deontae Lawson was signed as a UDFA this spring

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

One spot has been ranked amongst the players on the Philadelphia Eagles' 90-man roster. 89 more to go.

With the summer heating up and training camp approaching, all 90 players on the Eagles roster are going to be individually ranked by Eagles on SI. These rankings are determined by position on the depth chart, roster chances, and talent relative to their position -- and all of this is subjective.

90 players are battling for 70 roster spots, 53 on the active roster and 17 on the practice squad. This training camp will be an opportunity to showcase their talents -- not just to the Eagles for 31 other teams.

Who comes in at No. 89 in the rankings of the Eagles' 90-man roster? Deontae Lawson.

Previous rankings: No. 90 -- Samori Toure

Background

Lawson is a notable undrafted free agent because he was a captain at the University of Alabama, but there's more to the football story. A four-star recruit from Mobile Christian High School in Mobile, Alabama, Lawson was the No. 29 overall player in the 247Sports recruting rankings in the class of 2021.

The two linebackers ahead of Lawson? Barrett Carter and current Philadelphia Eagles teammate Smeal Mondon (who was drafted in the fifth round by the Eagles last year).

Lawson also played running back and wide receiver at Mobile Christian, but linebacker was his best position heading into Alabama. He was a member of the All-American Bowl team and chose Alabama over Georgia Tech and Texas A&M.

Becoming a starter at middle linebacker for the Crimson Tide in 2023, Lawson became a team captain in 2024 and was a third-team All-SEC selection.A torn ACL in his right knee significantly hurt Lawson's plans to enter the NFL draft as he had to rehab and return to Alabama last season.

One of only 16 players to be named a two-time team captain in program history, Lawson rebounded to earn a second team All-SEC selection. He wore a knee brace throughout last season and finished with 283 tackles in his Alabama career.

Why did Lawson go undrafted?

The knee injury didn't help, but the projection regarding Lawson was his limited ceiling as a linebacker. Durability questions also played a role in his draft stock, even though Lawson is fast to the football. He played on special teams as well, so there was no definition of "taking a play off."

The speed to go from side to side isn't there for the NFL, and Lawson never grew into his frame as a linebacker. He also wore a boot on his left foot last year in addition to his knee brace, raising the durability concerns.

Lawson has the drive to make the NFL work, but do the skills translate?

Where Lawson stands on the depth chart

The Eagles are pretty set at off-ball linebacker, which will make a 53-man roster spot extremely difficult for Lawson. Zack Baun, Jihaad Campbell, and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. have roster spots on lock as the top three linebackers on the depth chart. Smael Mondon will need to battle for his spot, but he's the No. 4 linebacker.

Chance Campbell is ahead of Lawson on the depth chart at this stage, and both were on the third team in minicamp. While Lawson is a UDFA, this is a reminder the Eagles only gave him $10,000 in guarantees -- and that was from a signing bonus.

Lawson is essentially with the Eagles to show the injuries are past him. If they are, he'll have a shot at the practice squad for 2026.