Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Eagles have signed former Army ranger Alejandro Villanueva to a rookie free agent contract.

The 6-foot-9, 277-pound defensive lineman spent the last four years as an active member of the U.S. Army. He served three tours in Afghanistan and last played football as a wide receiver at Army in 2009.

The Eagles scouted Villanueva at a super regional combine in Detroit last month and signed him Monday.

Villanueva was recently promoted to captain. The 25-year-old has earned many honors for his service, including the Bronze Star Medal for Valor, among others.

Villanueva began his career playing the defensive line, moved to left tackle and finished at wideout his senior year. He grew up in Spain and didn’t play football until his family moved to Belgium.

___

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.