Like a kid trying to catch up with their advent calendar, the Eagles made five moves on the eve of Christmas.
CB Ronald Darby placed on IR
RB Jay Ajayi waived
TE Richard Rodgers re-signed
WR Deontay Burnett promoted
WR River Cracaft signed to practice squad
Ronald Darby
A disappointing season comes to a disappointing end. Darby ends his season on IR, which unfortunately has become par for the course during his tenure with the Eagles. It seems unlikely that the young corner will return next year given that he’s a pending free agent and has only played in 31 of a possible 53 games since his arrival in 2017.
Darby’s form this season was predictable. He’s struggled with tackling throughout his career and this is a scheme that demands corners attack what’s in front of them.
Rausl Douglas will be the man stepping up in his place, but it’s down to him and Sidney Jones to try and make an impression before the season comes to a close and a secondary shuffle begins.
Jay Ajayi
We reported on this yesterday, but this move is due to the likely return of Jordan Howard.
Jay Ajayi didn’t do very much during his second tenure as an Eagle. He had 10 carries for 30 yards and looked a significantly different back to the one that barrelled his way through a playoff run two years ago. With Boston Scott in the fold and proving to be the perfect Darren Sproles replacement, there’s no need to keep Ajayi around.
Richard Rodgers
The return of the former Packers TE comes as a Zach Ertz insurance policy. Mike Groh said it’s too soon to consider game-planning with/without their star tight end, who suffered a rib injury on Sunday, but this is probably a sign of things to come.
Rodgers was almost a lock to become the team’s TE3 until injuries ripped that chance away this offseason. However, he has evolved into a reliable blocker on top of his 1,173 career receiving yards and if he can make an impact during the third time of asking, that production wouldn’t go amiss.
Deontay Burnett
It’s interesting that the Eagles opted to promote the former UDFA over Marken Michel, but Burnett does carry a lot of intrigue. The second-year player eventually caught on with the Jets last year and caught 10 passes, averaging 14.3 per reception. At 6’0, 186 lbs, he was likely called up in the event that Arcega-Whiteside was less than 100% after picking up a knock.
River Cracaft
Best. Name. Ever.
The 6’0, 195 lbs, receiver has spent most of his time with the Broncos so far after going undrafted in 2017. He amassed one reception for 44 yards and returned three kickoffs in that span.
Also, Merry Christmas!
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
