Earlier this week, we took a crack at predicting what the Eagles roster will look like on Saturday with our Eagles 53-man roster projection piece. With cutdown day coming on Saturday, the cuts have already begun. And interestingly enough, the first three reported cuts are all wide receivers. We’ll post the roster moves below in this Eagles roster tracker as they come in (the cuts, the players reportedly making the team, the waiver claims, the trades, and any other news or rumors) and give some quick takes on what it means.
Here we go.
Eagles Roster Tracker
CUT: WR Deontay Burnett
Take: This one is a bit of an early surprise. Deontay Burnett was, by all accounts, having an outstanding training camp. But this is a numbers game. It’s possible that, by cutting him early, the Eagles are hoping he gets a little bit lost in the numbers game and they are able to sneak him onto the practice squad. Wide receiver is a long-term need for the Eagles, so I’m sure they would like to keep him around and see if he can develop.
Does this mean Alshon Jeffery will start the season on the active roster? It might. It might not. Does this make Quez Watkins a lock to make the 53-man roster? Maybe. We’ll know more in the next 24-48 hours.
This also means that our 53-man projection was literally proven incorrect as of one of the first cuts. The curve ball here could be what the team does with Alshon Jeffery. If they leave Jeffery on PUP, he has to miss the first six weeks. If they move him to injured reserve, he only has to miss three weeks BUT has to be activated and be on the 53-man roster as of 4 pm on Saturday. They can IR him after then, which would open up a roster spot, possibly for Burnett? Stay tuned.
CUT: WR Manasseh Bailey
Take: While not in the same realm as Burnett’s, Manasseh Bailey reportedly had a very solid camp. Bailey was an undrafted free agent out of Morgan State, and he never had a real shot at making the roster. Still, it sounds like he impressed. Did he impress enough to be a candidate for the practice squad?
CUT: WR Marcus Green
Take: Like Bailey, Marcus Green never had much of a shot at cracking the 53-man roster due to the numbers at the position. He spent most of 2019 on the team’s practice squad but is unlikely to return.
CUT: OL Luke Juriga
Take: Luke Juriga is an undrafted free agent that the Eagles really liked and gave a decent signing bonus too in April, so it isn’t surprising to hear that they would like to keep him on the practice squad. We had him on the roster bubble as an eventual practice squad candidate in our 53-man roster projection earlier this week. It’s likely he clears waivers and heads to the PS.
CUT: Arnold, Fulgham, Good-Jones, Holyfield, Killins, Riley, Swoopes, Warren
Take: Of course the Eagles announce a dozen cuts 30 seconds after I publish the initial edition of this tracker. I’ll go through them below, minus Burnett, Bailey, Green, and Juriga since we already discussed them above.
- RB—Elijah Holyfield, Adrian Killins, Michael Warren.
- We projected the Eagles to keep only three running backs, at least to start, so this meshes with that prediction. Holyfield seems like a perfectly cromulent backup running back, and Killins has flashed at times but is teeny tiny and is likely to clear waivers and make it onto the practice squad. I had high hopes for Warren, but it doesn’t sound like he was overly impressive in training camp.
- OL—Julian Good-Jones.
- We didn’t hear his name much in training camp, and we might never hear it again.
- WR—Deontay Burnett, Marcus Green, Manasseh Bailey, Travis Fulgham.
- We talked about everyone but Fulgham above, and Fulgham has only been with the team for two weeks. He has reportedly looked pretty decent in training camp, but he just hasn’t been around long enough to have a realistic shot at sticking on the roster. He has an outside shot at a practice squad spot but will probably be a low priority for the team.
- TE—Tyone Swoopes.
- Fun name, but another late arrival who didn’t have much of a chance.
- DB—Elijah Riley, Grayland Arnold.
- The Eagles are reportedly very high on their crop on undrafted free agent defensive backs. Arnold is a name we have seen a few times in training camp notes, and Riley has reportedly impressed, as well. Both are definite practice squad candidates. Worth noting: Michael Jacquet isn’t on the list of cuts.
Injured Reserve: OT Andre Dillard
Take: We knew this one was coming. Dillard injured his biceps last week and is done for the season.
IN: CB Craig James
Take: Early on Friday morning, NFL insider Tom Pelissero tweeted out that the Eagles and cornerback Craig James had agreed to a one-year extension. The special teams standout and hero from last year’s win over the Packers (he deflected the Aaron Rodgers pass at the goal line that was eventually intercepted by linebacker Nigel Bradham) has made the team. This isn’t a good sign for the likes of Sidney Jones and/or Rasul Douglas.
CUT: CB Trevor Williams
Take: Trevor Williams has bounced on and off the roster this Summer, and he doesn’t make the cut heading into Saturday. He has been in the league for four years now and started 15 games for the Chargers in 2017. Doesn’t sound like he made much of an impression in training camp.
CUT: DT T.Y. McGill
Take: Another player we didn’t hear a lot about after he arrived, and McGill would have needed a number of injuries to stick around.
Bonus Take: Dave Zangaro is killing it with the roster cutdown news these last couple of days. He’s first on everything!
Friday Afternoon Update
Let’s take a quick break and catch our breath here. By my count, this brings the Eagles roster down to 63 active players, not including Alshon Jeffery or Brandon Brooks. Brooks is almost definitely headed to injured reserve but could potentially return late in the season. Jeffery is a candidate to stay on PUP, but that would mean he has to miss the first six weeks of the season. There are differing reports on whether or not he could be ready before then.
I took to Twitter early Friday afternoon to take a look at where the roster currently is and speculate about some upcoming moves. A thread:
With about 10 spots left, how are you feeling about the roster? Reach out on Twitter and we’ll chat about our thoughts.
CUT: DB Michael Jacquet, DE Matt Leo, TE Caleb Wilson
Take: We had already heard about the McGill and Williams cuts, and they are now joined by Michael Jacquet, Matt Leo, and Caleb Wilson. It is interesting that Jacquet wasn’t included in the initial round of cuts, especially since fellow UDFA DBs Grayland Arnold and Elijah Riley were on that list. But he’s now cut nonetheless and is a strong candidate for a practice squad spot. Matt Leo was a roster exemption as an international player, but he was waived anyway. Shrug.
UPDATE: Burnett and others clear waivers
Take: Not very surprising, but this is good news for the Eagles. Burnett is pretty much a lock for the practice squad at this point, as long as he wants to come back and doesn’t find a job at the 23rd hour. We can probably say the same for Luke Juriga, Grayland Arnold, Adrian Killins, and Elijah Holyfield.
TRADE RUMBLINGS
Take: Cornerbacks Rasul Douglas and Sidney Jones are both being floated in trade talks, according to this report from NFL insider Albert Breer. Will the Eagles be able to get anything for them considering the rest of the league knows they are likely to cut at least one of them? At best, the Eagles are likely to get a conditional third-day draft pick or a swap for another player likely to be cut.
A Visit: OT Cordy Glenn
Take: Amidst the roster cutdown madness, the Eagles are also reportedly kicking the tires on OT Cordy Glenn. Bleeding Green Nation wrote about Glenn recently:
Glenn turns 31 in September and has 95 starts in 97 games played. The veteran left tackle most recently made five starts in six games with the Cincinnati Bengals last season. PFF had him graded 36th out of 89 tackles. Could be worth checking in.
Glenn probably isn’t the answer at left tackle, and it would be a stretch to think he could sign this weekend and be ready to play in Week 1. But as a depth lineman/swing tackle, there are worse options. He hasn’t signed with the Eagles yet, but it’s possible they make that move on Saturday.
Saturday Morning
By my count, this brings the roster down to 61 active players, not including Alshon Jeffery. Today is going to be a busy day.
CUT: DT Anthony Rush
Take: Rush is massive, but his skill set is limited. The Eagles like him, and he got on the field a bit last year, but he doesn’t make the cut here because of the numbers (and because he doesn’t offer much in terms of rushing the passer).
CUT: DT Raequan Williams
Take: Williams is a UDFA DT the team likes and will likely try to bring back to the practice squad.
CUT: CB Sidney Jones
Take: This is the big cut of the day so far, but that doesn’t mean it’s a surprise. A former second-round pick who would have probably gone in the first round if not for an Achilles injury he suffered during his pro day. Even after redshirting his first season, Jones just simply hasn’t panned out with the Eagles. They reportedly tried to trade him but didn’t find any takers.
CUT: DE Shareef Miller
Take: Another notable cut that isn’t necessarily a surprise. After being drafted in the fourth round last season, Miller never saw the field. He reportedly looked better in training camp this offseason, but not good enough to avoid the numbers crunch. I would imagine the team would like to keep him on the practice squad if he makes it through waivers.
CUT: CB Rasul Douglas
Take: The only real surprising thing about this move is that the Eagles moved on from both Sidney Jones and Douglas. While both have disappointed, it was assumed that the team would hold onto at least one of them. Apparently not.
CUT: DE Joe Ostman
Take: This one is a bit of a surprise just because every report out of training camp mentioned how dominant Ostman was. I guess Howie and the Eagles are hanging onto DE Genard Avery, for whatever reason. Hopefully, this at least means that Casey Toohill is sticking around, too.
CUT: OG Sua Opeta
Take: Not much to offer on this one more than what Zangaro said above. Opeta is someone the team likes at least as a reserve/depth lineman.
RUMOR: The Eagles are still trying to trade Alshon Jeffery
Take: Yawn. It is no secret that Alshon Jeffery is available, and it is also no secret that no one seems to be interested. Jeffery has reported been available for almost a year now, but trading him has proved difficult because of his contract situation and his injury. Plus, there’s that story about Jeffery being the anonymous source who criticized Carson Wentz to Josina Anderson. My guess is that they will once again not find any takers for Jeffery and his contract.
Thomas R. Petersen, who is a great follow, speculated that this could mean they are confident Jalen Reagor will be back soon:
The moves above bring the roster down to 56 players. That means they only have three moves left to make, though it’s likely some tinkering will continue throughout the weekend with waiver claims or trades.
CUT: TE Noah Togiai, OT Prince Tega Wanogho, (OG Brandon Brooks to PUP)
Take: The Noah Togiai move is a surprise. I think the consensus was that he had earned a spot on the roster. It’s possible that he clears waivers and either heads to the practice squad or back to the active roster after the dust settles over the weekend.
That’s It
And that is all of the cuts. The Eagles are now down to 53 players on their active roster. However, Howie Roseman spoke to the media on Saturday afternoon and already admitted that more moves are coming over the weekend. Expect a few players to land on injured reserve, opening up roster spots for other players.
Likeliest IR candidates:
- Will Parks
- Genard Avery
- Jalen Reagor (less likely, but still possible)
