The Eagles have re-signed center Julian Vandervelde, releasing veteran offensive lineman Wade Smith to make room on the 53-man roster, the team announced today (Twitter link). It had been expected for some time that Philadelphia would attempt to bring back Vandervelde when the team was permitted to re-sign him.
Vandervelde, 27, was a fifth-round draft pick by the Eagles in 2011. After playing his college ball at Iowa, he was active for 16 games over three seasons with the Birds; he rarely played, however, as he saw just nine offensive snaps in 2013. Expected to make the squad again in 2014, Vandervelde suffered a back injury and was waived with an injury settlement in late August as Philadelphia trimmed its roster to 75 players.
Players cut with injury settlements aren’t allowed to return to their former teams until six weeks have passed, plus the length of the settlement. Vandervelde has been a free agent for exactly seven weeks, which suggests that his original settlement with the Eagles was only for one week.
Smith, meanwhile, was signed as insurance after the Eagles’ sustained several early-season injuries to their offensive line, but he didn’t see the field much, playing just 18 offensive snaps in Week 3 against Washington. As a vested veteran, Smith won’t have to pass through waivers, and is immediately free to sign with any team.