The Eagles have made an official announcement regarding the status of Safety Chris Maragos.
#Eagles place S Chris Maragos (knee) on Injured Reserve, promote LB Nate Gerry to active roster & signed WR Rashard Davis to practice squad. pic.twitter.com/HPhEiQ93zd
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 19, 2017
The special teams captain has been placed on Injured Reserve after sustaining a knee injury against the Panthers. Losing Maragos is going to be a huge blow to Fipp’s unit. Leading the team in special teams tackles (5), the veteran has long been a reliable performer on special teams and more recently stepped up to the plate in wake of a complete lack of safety depth. Maragos performed admirably while McLeod and Graham watched on.
In his place, the Eagles have elevated their lone rookie to not make the final 53, Nate Gerry. The former Nebraska star was drafted as a safety but eventually moved to linebacker during training camp, however he failed to make the roster at a position flooded with players natural at the position. With Maragos out, it will be interesting to see if Gerry sits as a special teams contributor, or could one day step up back into his natural role at safety. It’s worth noting that Jordan Hicks sustained an injury in TNF and the Eagles reportedly worked out three linebackers just after. Gerry seems like the natural fit to kill two birds with one stone.
That of Cours leaves a spot on the practice squad, one to be filled by a familiar face; WR Rashard Davis, 2016’s CAA Special Teams Player of the Year. Davis set the JMU and CAA single-season record for punt return touchdowns last year, returning 15 punts for a school record 426 yards. Alongside this, he recorded 530 receiving yards and 3 scores.
At 5’8, 172 lbs, Davis is a smaller receiver than most, but brings impressive quickness to the table having ran a 4.38 40-yard dash. He’s very reminiscent of a Paul Turner type receiver.
The Eagles attended his pro-day prior to the NFL Draft and of course signed him during the offseason. During preseason, Davis returned a kick for 23-yards and four punts for a combined total of 12 yards. It’s safe to say they have their due diligence. Kenjon Barner came straight into the return game after signing with the Eagles and after losing Donnel Pumphrey and Darren Sproles, Davis may be seen as an insurance policy.. The speed of Davis alone brings a lot of intrigue, and his 13.8 yards per reception average also shows just how productive he can be in the open field.
Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
