Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC East
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC East teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Cowboys, Giants, Eagles, and Redskins are noted below.
Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s NFC East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Dallas Cowboys
- Acquired:
- LB Jayrone Elliott (story)
- Claimed:
- DT Brian Price
- Cut:
- LB Mark Nzeocha
- DL Cedric Thornton (story)
- Signed to practice squad:
- G Nate Theaker
- T Dan Skipper
- DT Lewis Neal
- DT Richard Ash
- WR Lance Lenoir
- WR Brian Brown
- TE Blake Jarwin
- T Kadeem Edwards
- S Jameill Showers
- CB Marquez White
New York Giants
- Signed to practice squad:
- T Adam Bisnowaty
- DE Jordan Williams
- WR Marquis Bundy
- OL Jon Halapio
- LB Curtis Grant
- CB Donte Deayon
- CB Tim Scott
- S Ryan Murphy
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed to practice squad:
- C Josh Andrews
- TE Billy Brown
- LB Nate Gerry
- T Dillon Gordon
- DT Justin Hamilton
- RB Byron Marshall
- CB C.J. Smith
- QB Nate Sudfeld
- WR Bryce Treggs
- WR Greg Ward
Washington Redskins
- Claimed:
- OL T.J. Clemmings (story)
- Placed on exempt/left squad list:
- S Su’a Cravens (story)
- Signed to practice squad:
- DL Brandon Banks
- WR Robert Davis
- TE Manasseh Garner
- WR Maurice Harris
- G Kyle Kalis
- LB Pete Robertson
- S Fish Smithson
Eagles, CB Dexter McDougle Agree To Extension
More than 1,100 players are getting bad news from teams today, but Dexter McDougle has reason to smile. The cornerback has agreed to a one-year extension with the Eagles that will take him through the 2018 season, the team announced.
[RELATED: Eagles Reach 53-Man Max]
The Eagles acquired McDougle from the Jets less than a week ago by sending safety Terrence Brooks to New York. They didn’t have much of a need for Brooks, but McDougle has a place on the roster – perhaps for the next two years.
The Eagles beefed up their cornerback group by acquiring Ronald Darby from Buffalo last month and McDougle will be there in support of him and Jalen Mills. Rookie Rasul Douglas and free agent Patrick Robinson also figure to see snaps. Rookie Sidney Jones has been placed on the NFL list with his Achilles injury, so it will be a little while before we see him make his debut.
C.J. Smith was handed his walking papers on Saturday and will not be among the corners on the 53-man roster to start the year.
Eagles Reach 53-Man Limit
The Eagles dropped 17 players from the roster on Saturday in order to make the 53-man max:
- OL Josh Andrews
- TE Billy Brown
- LB Nate Gerry
- OL Dillon Gordon
- OG Darrell Greene
- DT Justin Hamilton
- OT Taylor Hart
- P Cameron Johnston
- RB Byron Marshall
- DE Alex McCalister (waived/injured)
- C Aaron Neary
- CB C.J. Smith
- S Tre Sullivan (waived/injured)
- OG Dallas Thomas
- WR Bryce Treggs
- WR Greg Ward
- CB Jomal Wiltz
Gerry was a fifth-round pick of the Eagles, so it’s a surprise to see that he did not make the cut. Then again, he had the tough task of converting from safety to linebacker this offseason, so the transition could take a little longer. He could be a candidate for the Eagles’ practice squad.
Eagles Extend Chance Warmack
The Eagles signed Chance Warmack in March but have seen enough from the veteran lineman to extend the arrangement past 2017.
Warmack signed a one-year extension through 2018 on Saturday, the team announced. The fifth-year player figures to join Stefen Wisniewski as experienced depth on Philly’s front.
A former Titans first-round pick, Warmack signed a one-year, $1.51MM deal with the Eagles at free agency’s outset. He did so after suffering a hand injury that shelved him for all but two games in 2016. The former well-regarded Alabama prospect’s Eagles agreement profiled as a value-re-establishing pact, but it looks like both sides have enjoyed the arrangement they’ll see fit to continue it.
Although Isaac Seumalo may well open the season as the Eagles’ starting left guard, Warmack profiles as quality insurance and an option in case the second-year player falters. Warmack has started in each of the 48 games he’s played.
Eagles Place Sidney Jones On Reserve/NFI List, Trim Roster
The Eagles have placed rookie cornerback Sidney Jones on the reserve/NFI list, per a team announcement. Consequently, Jones won’t be eligible to practice or play during the first six weeks of the season.
Although Jones suffered a torn Achilles during his pro day in March, the Eagles still used a second-round pick on the former Washington standout. Jones looked like a first-rounder in the making after a stellar three-year Huskies career that saw him intercept eight passes. When the Eagles signed Jones, they inserted language in his contract that will pay him his full 2017 base salary even if he spends the season on the NFI list.
Along with the Jones transaction, the Eagles announced that they’ve waived 14 players to bring their roster to 70:
- LB Don Cherry
- DT Winston Craig
- WR Rashard Davis
- TE Anthony Denham
- QB Dane Evans
- LB Carlos Fields
- CB Aaron Grymes
- DE Jake Metz
- C Tyler Orlosky
- T Victor Salako
- LB Christian Tago
- WR Paul Turner (injury settlement)
- DT Gabe Wright
- TE Adam Zaruba
Eagles Cut QB Matt McGloin
The Eagles lost some moxy on Friday. Quarterback Matt McGloin has been let go, as Matt Lombardo of NJ.com tweets.
McGloin‘s one-year deal with the Eagles was worth just $800K, but he didn’t have a place on the roster with Carson Wentz and Nick Foles ahead of him. The quarterback’s deal included no guaranteed money, so he won’t linger on the cap.
Last year, the Eagles kept 2 QBs on the roster with one on the practice squad. That could be the game plan once again this year.
Eagles, DE Steven Means Agree To Extension
The 53-man roster deadline is coming at the end of the week, but defensive end Steven Means won’t have to sweat it out. Means has inked a one-year extension with the Eagles that will keep under contract through the 2018 season. 
Means came to Philly in December 2015 when he was signed off of Houston’s practice squad. He made his on-field debut for the Eagles in 2016, tallying three tackles and one sack in eight games.
After a strong offseason, Means could be seeing an increased role, though he’ll likely spend the bulk of his time on special teams. The latest roster projection from Roster Resource has Means as the No. 5 defensive end behind starters Derek Barnett and Brandon Graham and supporters Chris Long and Vinny Curry.
Were Eagles In On Joe Haden?
Despite earlier reports to the contrary, an Eagles source tells Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) that the team was not in on Joe Haden. The Eagles, the source claims, are content with their young cornerbacks.
It’s quite possible that the Eagles were interested in Haden but were not among the finalists for him, making this all a matter of semantics. In any case, the Eagles were unwilling to approach, match, or exceed the $7MM guarantee that Haden secured in his new three-year deal with the Steelers.
The Eagles will be starting a pair of 23-year-old corners in Jalen Mills and the newly-acquired Ronald Darby. Behind them, they have only one player outside of his 20s in veteran Patrick Robinson. Eventually, rookie Sidney Jones could join the active roster and provide help, but that doesn’t help to boost the group’s experience level.
Latest On Joe Haden
Before the Browns released cornerback Joe Haden on Wednesday, they were attempting to trade him for a fourth-round pick that could have become a third-rounder based on playing time, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports (Twitter links). The Browns were also willing to eat $4MM of Haden’s salary, but they were still unable to find a taker for the two-time Pro Bowler.
Now that Haden’s on the open market won’t cost a team draft-pick compensation to acquire, interest is pouring in for the 28-year-old. Twelve to 13 clubs are in on Haden, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com writes, and La Canfora adds that he’s likely to land somewhere within the next 24 hours. Along with the previously reported Steelers, Dolphins, Saints and Chiefs, the Eagles and 49ers are chasing Haden, who’s currently weighing offers for one year and multiple seasons, according to La Canfora.
Haden would be the third notable addition at corner in recent weeks for the Eagles, who picked up Ronald Darby in a trade with the Bills and Dexter McDougle in a deal with the Jets earlier this month. The team is still relatively thin at the position even with those two in the fold, though, especially after releasing Ron Brooks on Wednesday.
The 49ers are the only club in on Haden without a realistic playoff shot this season, and it seems unlikely Haden would sign with a non-contender after spending the first seven years of his career with bottom-feeding Cleveland. Indeed, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets that it would be shocking if Haden chose the Niners. Unsurprisingly, Haden would be far and away the most accomplished corner on a San Francisco team that has another ex-Brown, K’Waun Williams, as well as Dontae Johnson, Rashard Robinson and Keith Reaser among its top four options. Those CBs have combined for just 22 NFL starts, while Haden has 81 to his name.
Eagles Release CB Ron Brooks
The Eagles have released cornerback Ron Brooks, the club announced today. In related moves, Philadelphia has signed linebackers Carlos Fields and Christian Tago and waived cornerback Mitchell White.
Brooks, 28, followed defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz from Buffalo to Philadelphia prior to the 2016 campaign, inking a three-year deal with the Eagles. Hampered by a quadriceps injury, Brooks only appeared in six total games before being placed on injured reserve. In that limited sample size (235 defensive snaps), Brooks earned poor marks from Pro Football Focus, which assigned him a 40.9 grade.
Brooks had already agreed to a pay cut earlier this year that slashed his 2017 base salary from $1.85MM to $1MM and changed his 2018 season into an option year. Instead, the Eagles will now pick up $1MM in 2017 cap space and incur $250K in dead money. Another $250K dead cap charge will appear on Philadelphia’s books in 2018.
The Eagles have made several trades to acquire cornerback depth this offseason, picking up Ronald Darby from the Bills and Dexter McDougle from the Jets, but the unit is still relatively thin overall. Darby projects as a starter alongside Jalen Mills, while free agent signing Patrick Robinson now appears to have won Philadelphia’s nickel corner job, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Second-round rookie Sidney Jones is also on the roster but may get a late start as he recovers from a torn Achilles, while other Eagles corners include rookie Rasul Douglas, Aaron Grymes, and C.J. Smith.