Latu, a former third-round draft pick by San Francisco who spent much of last season on Cleveland’s practice squad, was signed to a reserve/future contract in late January during the run to Super Bowl LIX – remember, Howie Roseman and the personnel department must keep one eye on the current season and another on the future at all times – and then worked his way onto the practice squad in an unassuming, do-the-dirty-work kind of way in the spring and summer.
Latu was a pass catcher (56 receptions) and a touchdown maker (12 of them) in his time at the University of Alabama, but he earned notice with the Eagles as a rugged in-line blocker and a physical young man who held promise on special teams. Latu was waived when the 53-man roster was established and then added to the Eagles’ practice squad when the rest of the league passed on him.
In Weeks 2 (Kansas City) and 3 (Los Angeles), Latu bumped up to the active roster for gameday and helped the offense with a total of 11 snaps in those games and aided the special teams in coverage. Late last week, Latu moved from the practice squad to the 53-man roster and, as we saw early against the Buccaneers, made his impact immediately, and also played eight snaps on offense, the fullback position included.
What does Latu do for the Eagles? Well, he’s listed as a tight end, but he’s playing fullback and he’s lining up in multiple spots and he delivers in the blocking game. On special teams, he is a huge part of what coordinator Michael Clay wants – he blocked the punt, he plays well in coverage, and he, again, can block.
Latu has found his niche – from practice squad to contributor on gamedays.
“He is a physical dude. It’s exciting – physical plays that show up on tape and that show during the game, that brings a lot of energy to your team, and I think that he’s done a nice job,” Head Coach Nick Sirianni said last week of Latu. “Even back to preseason games, he did a really good job on special teams, and you could see that physicality. You see it in practice; you see it in the game. We love the physicality he plays with. Strong, big dude that loves to play physical. There’s always room for guys that play with that physicality on a football team. I always love those guys that play like that, and he’s doing a nice job.”