Eagles Take Alshon Jeffery Off PUP List
While Alshon Jeffery is not expected to make his 2018 debut in Week 1, the Eagles took a step toward getting their top wide receiver in games shortly after.
Jeffery passed a physical Friday and is now off the Eagles’ PUP list, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Jeffery staying on the PUP to start the regular season would have meant he’d have to sit out six weeks. Eagles doctors don’t believe he’ll need that long to finish up his recovery from shoulder surgery.
The Eagles are expected to get Jeffery back by Week 3. He’s been out all offseason because of a February procedure to repair a torn rotator cuff, one the seventh-year wideout said he played through last season.
With the Eagles last season, Jeffery averaged just 49.3 yards per game — his lowest figure since his rookie year. But he signed a long-term extension with Philadelphia and is a vital part of the defending Super Bowl champions’ passing attack. And now nearly recovered from the shoulder issue, the 28-year-old target may have a clearer path toward future 1,000-yard seasons.
Eagles Release QB Christian Hackenberg
The Eagles have released Christian Hackenberg, according to Matt Lombardo of NJ.com (Twitter links). The former Jets draft bust hooked on with the Eagles in August, but faced long odds of making the team. Fellow quarterback Joe Callahan has also been cut, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter).
The Eagles still have some level of uncertainty at quarterback between Carson Wentz‘s ACL recovery and Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles‘ minor neck injury. Still, one of those two QBs should be ready for the opener and the Eagles remain high on third-stringer Nate Sudfeld. Callahan drew solid reviews this summer, but the numbers crunch was ultimately too much for him to overcome.
The Jets selected Hackenberg with the 51st overall pick in the 2016 draft, but he never saw the field during two regular season campaigns. New York traded the 23-year-old to the Raiders in May, but he lasted less than month on Oakland’s roster. He met with the Patriots and other clubs had interest, so Hackenberg could be a practice squad candidate for another team.
The Eagles have also released tight end Gannon Sinclair as they work their way down to a 53-man roster.
Former Eagles TE Brent Celek Retires
Brent Celek is calling it a career. The veteran tight end has informed the Eagles that he’ll be retiring, reports NFL.com’s Michael Silver. Celek will release a statement on the team’s website tomorrow.
We heard earlier this month that the 33-year-old was considering retirement, with Celek suggesting that he’d either stay with the Eagles or hang up his cleats.
“I think I’m leaning more toward retirement,” Celek said. “I’ve had a few offers, but none of them are worth leaving a city that I have been in for eleven years where I won the Super Bowl in my final year. It wouldn’t feel right to put another uniform on.”
Celek finished the 2017 season with a career-low 130 receiving yards, but he still managed to appear in all 16 games for the Eagles. In fact, the durable tight end only missed a single regular season game throughout his career. With former backup Trey Burton out of the picture, the Eagles presumably would have welcomed Celek back for a 12th season with the organization. Instead, they’ll roll forward with Zach Ertz, rookie Dallas Goedert, and Richard Rodgers as their tight ends.
There’s no denying Celek’s impact on the Eagles offense throughout his 11-year career. His best season came back in 2009, when he finished with 76 receptions for 971 yards and eight touchdowns. The 2007 fifth-round pick will finish his career with the fourth-most receptions in franchise history (398), and he’s also towards the top of the list in receiving yards (4,998, eighth) and receiving touchdowns (31, 11th).
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/28/18
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: RB Darius Victor
Buffalo Bills
- Released: S L.J. McCray
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: CB Darius Hillary
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: OL Kyle Bosch, OL Matthew Diaz
- Waived: WR Ricky Jeune, OL Dustin Stanton
Houston Texans
- Released: WR Chris Thompson
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Released from IR: S Don Carey
Los Angeles Chargers
- Claimed off waivers (Texans): DT Marcus Hardison
- Waived/injured: OL Zachary Crabtree
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: RB Larry Rose
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: TE Anthony Denham
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: RB Ja’Quan Gardner
- Waived: S Chanceller James
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: LB Deontae Skinner
Alshon Jeffery To Return By Week 3?
While it’s uncertain when Carson Wentz will be ready to return for the Eagles, his top wide receiver’s timetable is becoming clearer.
Alshon Jeffery is not expected to make it back by the time the defending Super Bowl champions begin their title-defense campaign, with Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com reporting (via Twitter) the seventh-year wideout is set to miss at least the first two games of the season. However, optimism exists around a Week 3 return for Jeffery, the duo adds.
Jeffery’s been shelved throughout the offseason because of shoulder surgery. He played last season with a torn rotator cuff. The Eagles plan to activate Jeffery from the PUP list this weekend, and it looks like he’ll avoid the Reserve/PUP list to start the regular season. A Reserve/PUP distinction would mean the Eagles would have to operate without their No. 1 wideout for the first six regular-season weeks.
Doug Pederson said Tuesday no Jeffery decision will be made until next week, per Jeff McLane of Philly.com (on Twitter), but it looks like the Eagles have a late-September Jeffery re-emergence tentatively scheduled. However, it’s not certain that will happen. Jeffery has not practiced in 2018.
Jeffery can return to practice once being activated from the PUP list, but Eagles doctors believe it’s best for Jeffery to miss at least the first two games of the season as he finishes up a recovery from February surgery, Schefter and Mortensen report. The 28-year-old target’s caught passes on a side practice field steadily, and Eagles medical personnel have advised team brass Jeffery’s “significant” progress should allow him to avoid the Reserve/PUP list, the ESPN duo adds.
The Eagles signed Jeffery to a four-year extension late last season. His Philadelphia debut (789 receiving yards, nine touchdowns) was not as successful as some of his top Bears seasons, but the 6-foot-3 pass-catcher still caught three playoff TDs and was a vital presence during the Nick Foles-led Super Bowl march. Philly returns Zach Ertz and Nelson Agholor as key receiving presences from its Super Bowl run and added Mike Wallace and Dallas Goedert to the mix. The Eagles added Markus Wheaton and Kamar Aiken as well, but neither is a lock to made the 53-man roster. They might pursue an outside upgrade via the trade market or waiver wire, Philly.com’s Zach Berman tweets.
Jeffery’s injury looks set to delay his 2018 debut, and it’s possible Wentz will be on the sideline with him when the Eagles host the Falcons to kick off this season.
Josh Adams Unlikely To Pass Through Waivers?
- Meanwhile, Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com took a look at key decisions the Eagles will have to make on cutdown day. He thinks there “is reason to think” rookie running back Josh Adams won’t make it through waivers to the team’s practice squad if they cut him. Adams has impressed and been electric at times this preseason, and Shorr-Parks thinks teams might put in a claim on him as he received “plenty of interest” as an undrafted free agent.
More Minor NFL Transactions: 8/27/18
More minor transactions from today:
Houston Texans
- Waived: Marcus Hardison
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: Anthony Mahoungou
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/27/18
NFL teams are making roster moves in advance of Saturday’s 53-man deadline. We’ll keep track of the minor moves here:
Detroit Lions
- Released: CB Josh Okonye
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: LB Brandon Chubb
- Waived: RB Tion Green
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: C Jacob Judd
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: CB Jarell Carter
New England Patriots
- Signed RB Kenneth Farrow, WR K.J. Maye, RB Khalfani Muhammad
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: S Ironhead Gallon
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: RB Lenard Tillery
Eagles Release Corey Nelson
The Eagles have released linebacker Corey Nelson, as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports (via Twitter). The moves does not come as much of a surprise, as we learned a few days ago that Philadelphia was expected to cut the Oklahoma product, which puts the team on track to pick up a sixth-round compensatory pick in the 2019 draft.
[RELATED: Carson Wentz Still Not Cleared For Contact]
Nelson spent the first four years of his career with the Broncos, who selected him in the seventh round of the 2014 draft. He mostly served as a special teams ace in Denver, although he did start six games during the 2016 campaign. As McLane tweets, the Eagles signed Nelson as a free agent this offseason with the purported intention of having him compete for the starting weak-side linebacker job. However, he was never really given time with the first-team defense, and he did not stand out during the reps he did get, which generally came with the third-string unit.
The Eagles will save about $1MM in cap space by releasing Nelson, though they will also take on $600K in dead money (the amount of Nelson’s signing bonus). Mike Klis of 9News tweets that he would not be surprised if the Broncos are interested in bringing Nelson back into the fold, while Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com suggests that the Dolphins could also be a fit (Twitter link).
The Eagles signed Jaboree Williams to take Nelson’s place on the 90-man roster.
Carson Wentz Not Cleared For Contact; Latest on Alshon Jeffery
Despite being cleared for 11-on-11 drills last weekend, Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz has still not been cleared for contact, as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports (via Twitter). We are less than 11 days away from the team’s September 6 opener against the Falcons, and as Zack Rosenblatt of NJ.com notes, head coach Doug Pederson has previously indicated that he would like Wentz to practice for a full week after being cleared for contact before he plays in an actual game.
Which means, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com observes (via Twitter), time is getting short if Wentz is to be under center on Week 1. Pederson, meanwhile, declined to say when Wentz might be cleared. He said simply, “[w]hen they clear him, he’ll be cleared.”
Recovery from torn ACLs typically takes nine to 12 months, and September 10 will mark nine months from the time of Wentz’s ACL tear. He has consistently maintained that it will be a close call as to whether he will be ready to go for the start of the regular season, and the fact that he has still not been cleared for contact casts his chances into deeper doubt. Of course, reigning Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles will serve as the team’s signal-caller until Wentz is ready (though after Foles’ atrocious preseason, Eagles fans may not be entirely comfortable with that prospect).
And, while Wentz’s recovery has dominated headlines when it comes to injured Eagles, McLane notes in a separate tweet that Pederson also did not have an update on wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, who is still on the PUP list. If Jeffery remains on PUP when the season starts, he will be forced to miss at least the first six weeks of the season.