Claimed DE Joe Kruger

[Beerman]

@FieldYates: Source: Browns claim 2 OG's waived by Eagles - Karim Barton & Donald Hawkins. Chargers claim former Eagle DE Joe Kruger (brother of Paul).

Never heard of him.

@UTgehlken: Chargers have claimed DE Joe Kruger off waivers. Recently cut by Eagles. 2013 seventh-round pick from Utah. 6-6, 290.

Probably a practice body + someone has to play D line on Thursday.

[Formula 21]

The final piece.


LOL

[UtahBolt]

I know of Joe. He is one of three Kruger brothers that played defense at the University of Utah. Joe, Paul (yes that Paul Kruger) and Dave, all who have at least some NFL experience. Everyone at Utah was shocked when he left early for the draft and thought he still had some room to grow. That was evident when he was only a seventh round pick. It seems he benefited from the success of Star and maybe some of the name recognition as Paul became well-known player on the Super Bowl champs and big FA that year. I believe he got hurt in camp last year and missed all of last season and to be honest I did not even know he was still in an NFL camp! I would guess just camp depth...I bet Weddle and Tenny are glad to see him though.

[richpjr]

I bet Weddle and Tenny are glad to see him though.

We already have two Yutes!

[Formula 21]

Why would Tenny be glad to see him? They're competing for the same job.

[Formula 21]

Prospects Presented By
DE
Joe Kruger
Utah Pac-12
Photo of Joe Kruger
Drafted By: Eagles

Round 7
Pick 6
Overall 212

Combine Results
Grade
73.0 ?

4.83 SEC
24 REPS
34.0 INCH
117.0 INCH
7.17 SEC
4.46 SEC

Draft Analysis:

"Kruger is a tall, long-armed player who started just 14 games in the past three years. He probably would have benefited from staying in school longer for some extra seasoning." -- Gil Brandt

6'6" Height
34 3/8" Arm Length
269LBS. Weight
10" Hands

Overview

Joe is the youngest of three Kruger brothers. Paul plays linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens and Dave just finished his Utah career as a four-year starting defensive tackle. His father played football for Oregon State and his brother-in-law, Tony Bergstrom, was an all-Pac-12 offensive lineman for the Utes in 2011, was a third-round draft pick of the Oakland Raiders. In high school, Kruger lettered all four years in both football and basketball. In his senior football season, he had 51 tackles and led the state with 15 sacks.



As a true freshman, Kruger saw action in all 13 games, but mainly as a special teams player. He earned Academic All-MWC honors. In 2011, Kruger played in 13 games, and logged seven starts. He had 35 tackles (five for loss), and three sacks. In his junior year, Kruger had 30 tackles (eight for loss), one interception (which he returned for a touchdown), and six sacks. He was an All-Pac 12 honorable mention.
Analysis
Strengths
Very impressive size. Athletic. Long arms. Plays with power, capable of bull rushing offensive lineman back into the quarterback. Extends his arms and can keep offensive lineman off his frame. Good first step, comes off the ball well. Plays with a firm base. Flows to the football well, and is an effort player. Possesses the ability to redirect.
Weaknesses
Plays with a high pad level too often. Pops upright off the snap and will give up leverage. Needs to add more weight. Struggles to bend as a pass rusher. Lacks counter moves, will get stuck on his block. Inconsistent hand placement.
NFL Comparison
Jared Odrick
Bottom Line
Kruger has an great frame, and is highly athletic and powerful. His technique is raw, and he needs to work on improving his pad level, but he has plenty of upside as a 34 defensive end. Kruger will likely be selected within the first 100 picks.

Actually, I'm impressed with his measureables. 4.83 speed, 6-6, 34 1/2" arms, live legs, good genes. I think you PS the guy for next year.

[Beerman]

Or this year with our current injury rate at D line.

[Formula 21]

DE Joe Kruger: The Eighth Draft Pick

Posted May 15, 2014

By Alex Smith

The 2014 NFL Draft started one week ago today, and over the course of three days, the Eagles selected seven talented young players to help build a championship-caliber roster. In a way, though, the Eagles will add an eighth draft pick this year with the return of defensive end Joe Kruger.

Kruger was drafted by the Eagles in the seventh round of the 2013 draft. After a successful Training Camp with the team, Kruger suffered a shoulder injury in the Eagles' final preseason game against the New York Jets. That injury would land Kruger on injured reserve, ending his rookie season before it even had a chance to take off.

Ten months later, Kruger feels fully recovered, and he's ready to prove himself on the field.

"The shoulder is feeling good," Kruger said. "I haven't had any problems with it in a while, and I'm just feeling good. That's all I'm focused on is getting on the field this year, and there's really no other option for me. I've just got to do it. I need to perform in camp and I need to get out there. I'm not the kind of guy that likes to sit back and watch. I'm used to being out there on the field and playing well.

"I feel like I had a good camp last year. I know I could have done some things better, but I'm focused and I'm definitely going to play with a chip on my shoulder."

The phrase "chip on my shoulder" will take on more than one meaning in Kruger's case. As the 6-foot-6 defender gets back onto the NovaCare Complex practice fields for conditioning and OTAs, head coach Chip Kelly and the rest of the Eagles coaching staff will surely be watching Kruger every step of the way to see how he's progressed.

One thing is for certain: the Kruger that the coaching staff sees this year is very different than the player they saw on the field last season. Kruger, not able to play or practice in 2013, packed on the pounds as he watched from the sidelines… but in a good way.

"I've gained about 20 pounds, so I'm up to 290 pounds and I'm just ready to play," Kruger explained. "It was definitely frustrating sitting back and watching and wanting to be out there, but I think it was good (to have more time to learn the defense). I was at 269 pounds playing the four technique, so I needed to put on some weight and I did that. I've learned the scheme and I've gotten to know everyone and I just feel a lot more comfortable than I did last year. It was frustrating, but at the same time it's been good, so I'm just excited to get back out there and use this new weight."

At Utah, Kruger recorded 9.0 sacks in 38 career games, often using his speed and quickness to his advantage. Despite increasing his weight, Kruger believes he can be as effective as ever at getting to the quarterback.

"I feel just as fast as I was at 269 pounds, and I'm excited to get out there and practice and just see what I can do," Kruger said. "I feel like pass-rushing is one of my strengths. I think I'm pretty fast for how big I am, and I feel like I can definitely help out this year in the pass rush.

"I think (the added weight) will make me better. I've been running and we've been conditioning and I feel really good. I think it will help me be more powerful and it will be a real positive for me."

The Eagles boast one of the youngest defensive lines in the NFL, with no member being older than 25 years old. Kruger is the youngest member of the group, and, in fact, is younger than all but two of the Eagles' 2014 draft picks (Jaylen Watkins and Jordan Matthews).

Kruger, who turns 22 in the beginning of June, believes that having such a young group around him has been a huge benefit in the early stages of his career, and it will continue to help him as he learns the ropes in the NFL.

"It's a great group of guys," Kruger explained. "We all work really hard. We all have a great connection with each other and a great friendship. I'm glad I came here, because these guys really treat you well and they brought me in as one of their brothers. I'm thankful for that and I'm thankful that I'm on this team."

It looks to me like he just got caught up in a numbers game and the Eagles were trying to sneak him through the 1st round of cuts.

[Formula 21]

Davis said recently released defensive lineman Joe Kruger was a "hard decision," but the 2013 seventh-round pick could not beat out the other two-gap defensive ends.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/...Mb8AGxPDMJj.99

Looks like he was a misfit for their system The Bolts are now a one gap system.

[Beerman]

Can we make one decent DE from all these scrubs?

[ArtistFormerlyKnownAsBKR]

If Don Johnson is worth a damn. Last year Coach D molded a bunch of scrubs and castoffs into a pretty good line. Should be interesting.

[UtahBolt]

Why would Tenny be glad to see him? They're competing for the same job.

Yeah but they are friends...