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• Free agent LB Leonard signs with Eagles

  Shaquille Leonard has found a new home.

  The free agent linebacker agreed to a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday.

  The 28-year-old had also met with the Dallas Cowboys, but ultimately decided to join the reigning NFC champions.

  The Eagles, who visit the Cowboys on Sunday, suddenly need to shore up their defence after surrendering 456 yards in yesterday's 42-19 drubbing by the San Francisco 49ers in the highly anticipated NFC championship game rematch.

  Since Week 11, Philadelphia is 31st in rushing defence, permitting an average of 162.3 yards per game on the ground after boasting the league's top-ranked rushing defence prior to its Week 10 bye, yielding 66.3 rushing yards per game.

  The hope is Leonard, who was surprisingly waived by the Indianapolis Colts on November 21, can recapture the play that made him one of the top defenders in the league.

  Leonard was voted to the AP All-Pro team as a rookie in 2018, then again in 2020 and 2021, but his injuries limited him to just three games last season and his production has dropped significantly.

  After spending his first six seasons in Indianapolis, he was then cut by the Colts last month after complaining about his lack of playing time.

  He had started the first nine games of the season for Indianapolis, registering 65 tackles with two going for loss.

  In 70 career games, Leonard has 15 sacks, 12 interceptions, 17 forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries.

   

• Belichick backed to get the Patriots back to their best

  Bill Belichick is still the right coach for the New England Patriots despite their struggles this season.

  That is the view of Duron Harmon, who played for the Patriots between 2013 and 2019, winning three Super Bowl rings in that time.

  All of those triumphs came under Belichick's guidance, with the 71-year-old having been head coach of the Patriots since 2000.

  His 24th straight season in charge has proved a dismal one, with the Patriots sinking to a 2-10 record.

  New England have lost their last five games including their 6-0 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 13.

  Their displays have cast doubt over the future of veteran coach Belichick, but Harmon – who is on the practice roster at the Cleveland Browns – does not think making a change is the right solution.

  "I just think it's timing," he told Stats Perform. "How many organisations do you know that are this successful for this long? That's life.

  "You look at all the great organisations, the [Chicago] Bulls when they had their run, then eventually, you've got to go through [hard times]. 

  "That's just a part of sports that happens because when you're at the top, everybody's gunning for you. Everybody's trying to figure out how to get better.

  "They're taking from you, they're taking coaches from you. They're taking players from you. That's sports, it's life.

  "We've come where it's time for the Patriots to be on the other side for a little bit. I think if there is one person that can reverse it and turn it the other way, it's the man that's right there, and that's Bill Belichick – he's done it before.

  "If he has the, I don't want to say patience, but if he wants to go through that again, I think he's the man to do it."

  Harmon also believes Belichick would choose to stay on with the Patriots, rather than end his tenure on a low ebb.

  He added: "Besides Tom Brady, he's the most competitive person I know. People don't realise, Bill is a competitor. He loves to win, but he hates to lose even more. And you can kind of just see it in his demeanour.

  "Losing is not a part of his nature and I can't see him just going out like this.

  "I think this would be the motivation. He does everything there. He's the coach, he's the front office. It's all on him."

• Pittsburgh Steelers QB Pickett to have surgery

  Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett will reportedly miss two-to-four weeks with a right ankle injury he sustained in Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals.

  According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pickett will undergo surgery Monday and will be evaluated further following the procedure, leaving open the possibility he could be sidelined for a period longer than his initial timetable. 

  Pickett was injured on a scramble attempt near the goal line during the second quarter of Pittsburgh's 24-10 loss to the Cardinals. The second-year pro was ruled out at half-time and had his right foot in a walking boot while on the sidelines during the second half.

  Veteran Mitch Trubisky replaced Pickett and will start the Steelers' game against the New England Patriots on Thursday.

  Trubisky began last season as Pittsburgh's No. 1 quarterback before being displaced by the then-rookie Pickett after four games. The former Chicago Bears' first-round pick went 2-3 in five overall starts in 2022 while compiling 1,252 passing yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions over seven total games.

  Pickett completed seven of 10 passes for 70 yards before exiting to extend his franchise-record streak of pass attempts without an interception to 218, the longest streak of any quarterback this season as well. The 2022 first-round pick has not thrown an interception in eight consecutive starts to help put the Steelers in position for a playoff spot in the AFC.

  At 7-5, Pittsburgh is one of four teams currently tied in the race for the conference's three wild card spots. The Steelers trail the first-place Baltimore Ravens by two games in the AFC North with five left to play.

  For the season, Pickett has thrown for 2,070 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 62 per cent of his pass attempts in 12 starts.