The 4PM deadline has passed and the Eagles have officially announced their last roster moves to finalize the 53 who will shape up your 2017 Philadelphia Eagles for now.
To begin with, the team waived/injured DE Alex McCalister and S Tre Sullivan. The Eagles also released Dallas Thomas.
In terms of waiving, the Eagles sent 14 players to the wire in the hopes of retaining some to the practice squad.
C/G Josh Andrews
TE Billy Brown
LB Nathan Gerry
T Dillon Gordon
G Darrell Greene
DT Justin Hamilton
T Taylor Hart
P Cameron Johnston
RB Byron Marshall
C Aaron Neary
CB C.J. Smith
WR Bryce Treggs
WR Greg Ward
CB Jomal Wiltz
Let’s start with the big news:
The Eagles have waived linebacker Nate Gerry. The former Nebraska Safety was selected in the fifth round by the Eagles but with an abundance of depth at the position, it made life difficult for Gerry’s transition inside. The move still comes as a slight surprise after he had a relatively strong offseason.
Along the offensive line, the Eagles may find themselves in a slight predicament. After releasing Taylor Hart and Dillon Gordon, the team are now left with JUST Halapoulivaati Vaitai as a backup tackle. This won’t do. A team that has built from the ball out in recent years know the value of depth at this position and after trading away Tobin and Barbre, the team need to simply bring in some depth as soon as possible.
Three big surprises come in the way of Billy Brown, C.J Smith and Bryce Treggs. Brown has long been in the conversation of whether or not the Eagles should keep four tight ends on the roster, but ultimately the team played a risky card in the hopes that he passes through waivers.
For Smith, it’s another offseason of almost but not quite. The NDSU product 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.
Arguably the biggest surprise is Bryce Treggs. The former Cal receiver seemed to attack preseason with a new light and after a stunning opening preseason game display, was thought to have improved his chances of sticking to the roster. Treggs was the backup to Nelson Agholor in the slot, but that position belongs to him no longer.
On the flip-side of these cuts it means that the Eagles currently have FIVE running backs on the roster after keeping both Pumphrey and Clement. Shelton Gibson sticks around after a tumultuous first offseason with the team, and Beau Allen makes the defensive tackle depth for now.
The Eagles also just announced that they have signed Dexter McDougle to a one-year extension, solidifying his position behind Patrick Robinson in the slot after an impressive preseason debut.
We will have more detailed analysis in the days to come including a full roster breakdown and a note on each player that has been released.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
