The Eagles announced Monday that Villanueva, who spent the past four years in the US Army and served three tours of Afghanistan, had been signed as a free agent defensive end.
The 6-foot-9 (2.05m), 277-pound (125kg) soldier’s awards included the Bronze Star Medal for valor for moving forward under enemy fire to pull wounded soldiers from isolated positions.
The Eagles watched Villanueva perform at a regional tryout camp last month in Detroit.
Villanueva, 25, was born in Mississippi but grew up in Spain and played rugby before his family moved to Belgium, where his father Ignacio worked for NATO.
Villanueva played high school basketball and gridiron for two years and played American football for Army when he attended the US Military Academy, serving as an offensive and defensive lineman as well as a receiver in 2009, when he led the Black Knights with 34 catches, 522 yards and five touchdowns.
“I see this as a win-win situation,” Villanueva told the NFL in a posting on its website. “Obviously, I’m trying to get to a team and contribute. But if I can’t, then I can’t wait to get back to the Army and serve in the same manner that I have.”
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