Matt Leo Hired As Defensive Coach
The Eagles announced today the hiring of Matt Leo as a defensive and football operations assistant.
Leo, who retired from the NFL before the start of training camp, was at every training camp practice this season in spite of his retirement. Leo joined the Eagles on the defensive line in 2020 through the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program but never played a regular season snap.
The International Player Pathway Program is the same program that brought Tackle Jordan Mailata to the team. Leo was the first player brought into the team through this program.
According to Eagles Insider Dave Spadaro and PhiladelphiaEagles.com Writer Chris McPherson, Leo was a plumber for several years before he submitted a workout tape to Arizona Western Community College. After a few years, he wound up going to Iowa State on a Division I scholarship in 2016, playing his first snap with them in 2017 at 26 years old.
Despite not playing a regular season snap, Leo was a presence in the locker room during all of Nick Sirianni’s career as head coach. Given Sirianni’s focus on connecting, the rapport the two built will enable Leo to continue to offer insights in a new way.
