Four Eagles rookies amongst inactives for season opener

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The Eagles are just over an hour away from kicking off a brand new campaign filled with hope and promise. Of course only 46 of the 53 players on the roster are active on gameday, meaning that the Eagles had to make some interesting decisions given their completely clean bill of health.

To begin with, three rookies are inactive. Rasul Douglas, Shelton Gibson, Donnel Pumphrey and Elijah Qualls are all inactive for the season opener, which along with the injured Sidney Jones means that Derek Barnett and Mack Hollins will be the only Eagles rookies in action today.

Elsewhere, the decision to keep McDougle sidelined comes as little surprise due to only arriving in Philadelphia prior to the team’s fourth preseason game. That does mean however that with Douglas sidelined too, the Birds will have just three full time corners in Ronald Darby, Jalen Mills, and Patrick Robinson. The versatility of Jaylen Watkins is therefore important once again.

Corey Clement is ACTIVE and will likely see time fielding kicks along with Wendell Smallwood. The UDFA gets his first taste of NFL action before the fourth round pick out of San Diego State.

It will be interesting to see how this pans out, but the Eagles for now seem confident in allowing the youth to develop. And one more thing, in case you forgot. IT’S FOOTBALL SEASON.

 

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports