The Philadelphia Eagles announced an initial wave of roster cuts ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. TE Cary Angeline, DE JaQuan Bailey, RB Elijah Holyfield, WR Marken Michel, and LB Rashad Smith have all been waived.
The deadline for teams to finalize their initial 53-man rosters is Tuesday, August 31 at 4:00 PM ET. These moves bring the Eagles’ roster down to 75 players, meaning they still have 22 more spots to clear before Tuesday’s deadline.
None of the above names is particularly surprising. There will no doubt be a few surprises in the next 48 hours, especially with some expected roster maneuvering for injured players (Tyree Jackson could be kept on the initial active roster and then placed on injured reserve in order to allow him to potentially return later in the season, for example). But none of these players had much of a shot at cracking the initial 53.
TE Cary Angeline
Angeline was a recent addition in the wake of other injuries at the position, but he was never a real candidate for the final roster. He is, however, a strong possibility for the practice squad.
DE JaQuan Bailey
Bailey was an undrafted free agent at a position of depth for the Eagles. Realistically, he needed multiple injuries to have a chance at making the roster. He is another name to watch for the practice squad.
RB Elijah Holyfield
Another deep position for the Eagles. Holyfield has been around for the last two seasons and put some good tape out there in the Eagles’ preseason finale. If another team doesn’t claim him as a depth running back, he could rejoin the practice squad, as well.
WR Marken Michel
Remember Marken Michel? He was a fan-favorite back in 2019 and has been on and off the Eagles’ and Panthers’ practice squads the last two seasons.
LB Rashad Smith
Smith was added by the Eagles last fall but has never really stood out in any way. He’s a possible practice squad candidate, but that will likely depend on the other decisions the Eagles make at the linebacker position in the coming days.
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Mike Maher is the editor and publisher of The Birds Blitz and Juiced Ball Era. Follow him on Twitter @mikeMaher and @TheBirdsBlitz and check out his Eagles news archive for all of his latest stories about the Eagles and the NFL.
Image credit: Betp / CC-BY-SA-3.0
