After a weekend of tough calls and roster-shaping decisions, the Eagles roster now stands at 53. The team would make 12 moves on Saturday following on from last night’s initial announcement (which you can read more on below).
Firstly, CB Jalen Mills was placed on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list. This is a separate designation to the final 53.
Veteran guard Stefen Wisniewski was released which is a real shame. The Super Bowl 52 starter has tumbled down the depth chart while a long-term deal has evaded him and after a tough offseason transitioning to center, the Eagles have opted to cut ties.
The next ten players were all waived, meaning it is possible that the Eagles try to bring them back on the practice squad. However, there’s also the chance of another team pipping them to the post.
RB Josh Adams
TE Alex Ellis
DT Treyvon Hester
G Sua Opeta
TE Joshua Perkins
RB Boston Scott
RB Wendell Smallwood
QB Clayton Thorson
T Brett Toth
WR Greg Ward
There are a few major takeaways here.
Firstly, Mack Hollins makes the roster over Greg Ward Jr, which is probably going to cause a lot of discussion. The Eagles seem intent on trying over and over with draft choices until it no longer works (Cc: Donnel Pumphrey & Wendell Smallwood) and prioritize that investment over the production of an undrafted free agent. Ward Jr. has tried and failed to make the team on three occasions now but showed so much promise this offseason while Hollins was working his way back from injury. The UNC product does bring special teams value and size to the table, and maybe that was enough to swing a tricky decision.
Another shock cut was DT Treyvon Hester, who enjoyed a great Summer. The Eagles seem like they’ll be keeping just four defensive tackles, which may or may not come back to haunt them. Only time will tell.
In positive news, UDFA LB T.J Edwards made the roster. The man blew UP on Thursday night after really dialing into his comfort zone as the preseason progressed. It’s always nice to see someone deserving of a roster spot really reap the rewards of their hard work, and Edwards did all he could to steal the show.
Tight end is now interesting. The Eagles will carry just two tight ends into the regular season…as things stand. Both Perkins and Ellis were waived and are practice squad candidates, but Goedert sat the preseason out after picking up a knock and if him or Ertz were to go down with injury, it would be a travesty. I’d like to assume there will be some late roster movement here.
At running back, Boston Scott, Josh Adams, and Wendell Smallwood were all waived, with the last two perhaps suffering the hardest blows. The duo have been key offensive cogs during their time as Eagles, but limited ceilings and a competitive depth chart made life very difficult.
At Safety, I predicted earlier today that Rudy Ford would make the roster and he has. The veteran with 422 special teams snaps to his name will join a stacked group behind Cyprien and Sendejo.
The Clayton Thorson era has unsurprisingly come to an end in Philadelphia, but there is a chance he lands back on the practice squad.
Mandatory Photo Credit: Ryan Kang via AP
What cuts were you most shocked by? Let us know below!
