It’s going to be a hectic 24 hours for the Philadelphia Eagles as they attempt to trim their roster down to the 53 who will suit up in midnight green for the upcoming NFL season. There’s undoubtedly going to be a lot of surprises so here’s your one-stop shop to everything that takes place. Be sure to keep checking back here for the latest updates.
The latest moves:
It’s been a big afternoon for the Eagles and with only nine players left to waive, here’s a quick rundown of all we know so far.
The Eagles have released two cornerbacks in C.J Smith and Jomal Wiltz according to Eliot Shorr-Parks. Smith spent a second offseason with the Eagles and was once again a bubble player after an impressive preseason. If not for the acquisition of Ronald Darby, Smith may have been kept around.
The NJ.Com guys have been on a roll today, with Matt Lombardo stating that the team will be cutting both Dallas Thomas and Aaron Neary. The cutting of Thomas goes hand in hand with the Eagles decision to hand Chance Warmack a one-year extension. The former Titans guard has had a relatively strong offseason but often struggled in pass protection. Jeff Stoutland spoke highly of his former pupil however, with the Eagles later deciding his strength and versatility offer enough to keep him around.
The other move of note so far has been the cutting of Byron Marshall. The former Oregon Duck arguably outshined Donnel Pumphrey in a similar role this preseason, but the Eagles may decide to bring him back on the practice squad after he flashed during his regular season experience last year.
The moves keep on coming:
The next two dominoes to fall have reportedly been announced. NJ.Com’s tandem of Eliot Shorr-Parks and Matt Lombardo have reported that both Taylor Hart and UDFA punter Cameron Johnston have been released.
The #Eagles have cut Cameron Johnston, per source.
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) September 2, 2017
Cameron Johnston and Taylor Hart released by the #Eagles, source says.
— Matt Lombardo ? (@MattLombardoNFL) September 2, 2017
While there was a legitimate competition between Cam Johnston and Donnie Jones, the decision to cut Taylor Hart is interesting. The Eagles are VERY light on tackle depth, with UDFA Dillon Gordon and Big V being the two likely backups behind Johnson and Peters. We’ll explore this situation once it’s all official, but tackle could be an area of need sooner rather than later.
Eagles cut Josh Andrews:
The first of seventeen cuts has been made official according to the agent of Josh Andrews. As Tessler noted, Andrews spent two years with the Eagles Josh Andrews signed with the Eagles as a rookie free agent in 2014 and went on to play in 13 games a season later. The Oregon State alumni made the 53-man roster, but after being shopped during the early days of September last year, was able to stick around as a depth player once again.
The Philadelphia Eagles are releasing C/G Josh Andrews who has been on their roster the past 2 seasons… Just came back from a broken hand.
— Brett Tessler (@TesslerSports) September 2, 2017
The Eagles also cut ties with Tyler Orlosky, meaning that Stefen Wisniewski will be the man lining up behind Jason Kelce. The team clearly feel comfortable with Chance Warmack and the rest of their guard depth. One down sixteen to go.
Winter is coming:
When it rains, it pours. As news of the first wave of Eagles roster cuts began to trickle in, the team followed up with an announcement that sixteen names have been released.
LB Don Cherry
DT Winston Craig
WR Rashard Davis
TE Anthony Denham
QB Dane Evans
LB Carlos Fields
DE Jake Metz
C Tyler Orlosky
T Victor Salako
LB Christian Tago
DT Gabe Wright
TE Adam Zaruba
The Eagles have also carved into their linebacker depth slightly, not only releasing the two “placeholders” who were signed after the team cut two cornerbacks, but also cutting Don Cherry. The load gets lighter at running back, as the Eagles need to decide just how many guys they want to keep around. Knowing that Najee Goode, Kamu Grugier-Hill and even Joe Walker can all add something on special teams only makes that decision tougher.
The most interesting move comes in the way of Aaron Grymes. After captaining the team last night, Grymes led the team in tackles and worked out of the slot. The cutting of Ron Brooks pushed Patrick Robinson into a position of strength, but it was the arrival and immediate impact of Dexter McDougle against his old team that ensured a sense of comfort in cutting the former CFL standout. It will likely be Robinson and McDougle named as your slot cornerbacks as the roster is trimmed down ahead of tomorrow’s deadline, leaving Aaron Grymes searching for a new home once again after a strong offseason.
Cutting Anthony Denham and Adam Zaruba leaves four tight ends on the roster. Ertz, Celek, Burton and Brown…is that how the position will stay? Pederson was excited to see what the group could produce against the Jets, but with two names now gone, the hard decision now comes into play.
Surprisingly, the Eagles also cut Gabe Wright, who was having a relatively strong preseason. The return of Beau Allen may have had something to do with it, but it now begs the question as to who will partner Vaeao this season? Will it be Beau Allen once again, or will it be Elijah Qualls stepping up to the plate after a dominant month in live-game scenarios? Could Justin Hamilton be an outside shot to steal a spot? All will be answered soon.
Additionally, Sidney Jones was officially placed on the reserve/Non-Football Injury list. This means that the second round pick will be kept sidelined for at least the first six games of the season.
There have been a couple of other roster moves that aren’t noted here however. Along with Dane Evans, Matt McGloin was also waived, and Paul Turner was released with injury settlement. You can follow along with every cut and roster move here with our LIVE tracker.
Now that the mostly unsurprising cuts are out of the way, the Eagles still have 17 more cuts to make…and this is where the pressure really turns up a notch. Stay tuned to Philly Sports Network for the latest news and analysis over the next 24 hours on all things roster moves.
And then there were two:
The Eagles have also reportedly cut two quarterbacks. Both Matt McGloin and Dane Evans have been waived by the team, leaving just Nick Foles and Carson Wentz as the two quarterbacks who will suit up on gameday.
Whether or not the Eagles will bring back Evans as a developmental quarterback will be interesting after he flashed his gunslinging ability and confidence against the Jets last night. The former Tulsa QB has definitely turned some heads along the way and shouldn’t have trouble finding a new team if unclaimed. The Eagles bought Evans in after he tried out during rookie minicamp.
As for McGloin, the former Raider led the NFL in passing attempts and finished second in completion percentage for the preseason. Yeah, it’s not as glamorous as it sounds. The Matt Mcgloin show may have been enough for the Eagles to gauge their offensive line, but not much else. Checkdowns and errant back-shoulder throws harmed the Offense more than it helped, making it difficult to evaluate those on the bubble.
McGloin has ties with QB Coach John DeFilippo and of course Derek Carr from a development standpoint, but if he’s given Wentz all the tutelage he needs, there isn’t much else he will be able to provide throughout the regular season.
https://twitter.com/caplannfl/status/903727656000258048
Tyler Orlosky is the next domino to fall:
The second player to be reportedly waived by the Eagles is Tyler Orlosky. Considered the prize of the Eagles UDFA class, Orlosky came in behind Kelce and Wisniewski to compete for the backup center role. The former teammate of Wendell Smallwood and Rasul Douglas failed to standout however. It will be interesting to see of a lineman who was so highly graded going into the draft will be re-signed on the practice squad.
Eagles cut Tyler Orlosky
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) September 1, 2017
Paul Turner reaches injury settlement:
The first domino to fall is wide receiver Paul Turner. Last year’s preseason hero who led the NFL in rushing went on to play in five games for the Eagles last year in place of the injured Jordan Matthews and backing up slot duties. With a flurry of new talent added through the draft and free agency, Turner was sent tumbling to the bottom of the depth chart and didn’t register a single preseason catch as injuries set him back.
Moves begin for #Eagles: WR Paul Turner reached an injury settlement, source said. He’s free. Scapula injury should be ready in a few weeks.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 1, 2017
Turner is now a free agent after reaching an injury settlement with the team according to Ian Rapoport. With one less wide receiver in the slot, attention will now turn to Greg Ward Jr and Bryce Treggs who are both listed behind Agholor on the depth chart.
Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
