Brett Toth received his military waiver to play in the NFL, reportedly signing a three-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles Friday. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Toth was seeking the waiver from senior Army leadership in order to sign with the Eagles.
A recent decision by President Donald Trump allowed Toth's NFL dreams to come true. This past June, Trump ordered the Defense Department to give academy graduates a path to defer their two-year service obligations if they have a chance to play pro sports. One player has already signed under the arrangement, as former Air Force long snapper Austin Cutting signed with the Minnesota Vikings this summer.
Toth served one season in active duty and was the first Army player to participate in the Senior Bowl. According to Draft Analyst, the 6-foot-5, 304-pound Toth dominated in practices against the best pass rushers in practice.
"He was one of the few offensive linemen who found a way to stop Harrison Phillips of Stanford -- who has run roughshod over opponents -- and Oklahoma's Ogbonnia Okoronkwo -- who has been one of the best speed rushers on the field -- as well as anyone else who dared line up against him," Tripoldi wrote, via Draft Analyst. "He's a patient, fundamentally sound blocker who finds a way to get the job done. Toth is a nasty, nasty run blocker."
The Eagles have plenty of tackles on their roster, but may find room for Toth since they went through great lengths to get him. Philadelphia has Jason Peters as the starter at left tackle and Lane Johnson as the starter at right tackle, with 2019 first-round pick Andre Dillard as the heir apparent to Peters at left tackle.
The Eagles also have former rugby player Jordan Mailata at right tackle and right guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who can swing over to tackle if needed (Vaitai played his first three seasons at tackle). The Eagles could also look to move Toth inside at offensive guard or at center.
Toth could be viewed as a developmental project by Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, arguably one of the best position coaches in the league. He'll get two preseason games to showcase his skill set to the Eagles.