Philadelphia Eagles News & Rumors

Eagles Reuniting With S Marcus Epps

The Eagles are set for another reunion in the days leading up to the regular season. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, veteran safety Marcus Epps is signing with Philadelphia after two seasons away from the team.

A former sixth-round pick out of Wyoming in 2019, Epps got his start in Philadelphia when Minnesota, the team that drafted him, waived him partway through his rookie season. The Eagles claimed him off waivers and immediately put him to use. After being primarily a special teamer for the Vikings, playing only 12 total snaps on defense in eight games, Epps became a frequent presence in the Eagles secondary as a rookie, playing as a third safety behind Rodney McLeod and Malcolm Jenkins.

Once Jenkins went back to New Orleans, Epps shared the defensive backfield with McLeod and a roaming Jalen Mills, making five starts and logging two interceptions. The team ran back a similar system in 2021, substituting Anthony Harris for a departed Mills. In 2022, McLeod went the way of Jenkins and Mills, and Epps took a full-time starting role as a deep safety, sharing the area with C.J. Gardner-Johnson and a rookie Reed Blankenship.

Epps’ first season as a full-time starter in a contract year paid off in free agency when he landed a two-year, $14MM deal with the Raiders. In his first season in Las Vegas, Epps formed a formidable safety duo with Tre’von Moehrig. Unfortunately, in the second year of the deal last season, Epps suffered a season-ending ACL tear only three games into the year.

Coming off the injury in free agency, Epps signed a one-year deal with the Patriots to join a crowded safeties room. Ultimately, he was unable to find a role in New England, and the team released him in final roster cuts yesterday. Luckily, he’s rebounded with the team that took a shot on him as a rookie on waivers.

In Philadelphia, the Eagles are once again filling a question mark with an old name, much like they did at swing tackle. The starting spot next to Blankenship has been up in the air as Sydney Brown tries to take back the starting job he lost to Gardner-Johnson last year and rookie second-round pick Andrew Mukuba works to get up to speed after missing time in training camp with a shoulder injury. With Epps coming into the picture, the Eagles still have the ability to see if Brown or Mukuba can handle a starting role, but the veteran will be available as a safety blanket, if needed.

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC East

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Cowboys, Commanders, Giants and Eagles moves are noted below.

Dallas Cowboys

Signed:

Claimed:

  • DB Twikweze Bridges (from Chargers), DB Reddy Steward (from Vikings)

Waived:

Placed on IR:

Signed to practice squad:

New York Giants

Claimed:

Released:

Signed to practice squad:

Philadelphia Eagles

Signed:

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Washington Commanders

Signed to practice squad:

2025 NFL Waiver Order

Many of the players cut Tuesday were subject to waivers, giving teams a chance to pick them up (along with the rest of their contract). Teams can claim as many players as they want before the next team gets their remaining targets.

It’s also worth noting that relatively few players are claimed off waivers during final roster cuts each year. Waiver claims will be processed at 11am CT in the following order (via NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo). In reverse order of the 2024 NFL standings, here is how the waiver priority sits:

  1. Titans
  2. Browns
  3. Giants
  4. Patriots
  5. Jaguars
  6. Raiders
  7. Jets
  8. Panthers
  9. Saints
  10. Bears
  11. 49ers
  12. Cowboys
  13. Dolphins
  14. Colts
  15. Falcons
  16. Cardinals
  17. Bengals
  18. Seahawks
  19. Buccaneers
  20. Broncos
  21. Steelers
  22. Chargers
  23. Packers
  24. Vikings
  25. Texans
  26. Rams
  27. Ravens
  28. Lions
  29. Commanders
  30. Bills
  31. Chiefs
  32. Eagles

Eagles Cut 35 Players, Set 53-Man Roster

The defending champs have set their initial 53-man roster. The Eagles announced the following moves:

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Placed on reserve/PUP:

Placed on IR (designated for return):

Nakobe Dean is out until at least Week 4 as he continues to recover from a torn patellar tendon suffered during Philly’s playoff win over the Packers. The impending free agent is coming off his most productive NFL season. The former third-round pick finished the 2024 campaign having started all 15 of his appearances while compiling 128 tackles and three sacks.

Meanwhile, the Eagles moved on from a pair of notable offseason acquisitions. Kendall Lamm started 15 of his 32 appearances for the Dolphins over the past two years, and he was expected to provide the Eagles with some OT depth. Instead, the 33-year-old will look to continue his career elsewhere. The team also moved on from former second-round WR Terrace Marshall. The LSU product topped out at 490 yards during his three-year stint with the Panthers, and he followed that up with a 41-yard showing with the Raiders in 2024.

Eagles To Waive QB Kyle McCord

A day after becoming Sam Howell‘s third career trade destination (and second in 2025 alone), the Eagles are cutting Kyle McCord. The sixth-round rookie will be waived, per Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz.

Added during the Round 6 run on QBs, McCord had been playing behind Tanner McKee during the preseason. But the Eagles have changed up at QB, cutting both McCord and trade pickup Dorian Thompson-Robinson. McCord could become a logical practice squad candidate, but with Howell arriving after a McKee injury, no active-roster spot existed.

McCord did not fare especially well in preseason games, completing just 42.9% of his passes for 191 yards. The former Syracuse and Ohio State passer threw one TD pass and two INTs. McCord cannot land on a practice squad until 11am CT Wednesday, when this extended waiver period wraps.

A Philadelphia-area native, McCord put up big stats during his season at Syracuse. As fellow sixth-round pick (by the Steelers) Will Howard replaced him with the Buckeyes last year, McCord put up big numbers with the Orange. Teaming with fellow Day 3 draftees Oronde Gadsden II and LeQuint Allen last season, McCord posted an ACC-record 4,779 passing yards, leading the NCAA, and set a Syracuse record with 34 TD passes.

McKee suffered a finger injury, and Howell’s arrival signals the expected Jalen Hurts backup might not be ready for Week 1. A McCord practice squad arrival and role as an emergency QB3 to open the season could be available. It will be interesting to see if the Eagles stash McKee on IR to start the year. He will otherwise be carried on the active roster as a player who might not be ready for a couple of weeks.

Eagles To Waive G Kenyon Green

Kenyon Green saw the Texans give up on him, via his inclusion in the March C.J. Gardner-Johnson trade, and is now set to see his first-round rookie contract hit waivers. The Eagles are set to cut the former first-round pick, CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz reports.

Competing for a guard spot on an Eagles team that lost 2024 RG starter Mekhi Becton in free agency, Green saw a potential opening emerge after Landon Dickerson‘s meniscus surgery. Matt Pryor is back with the team, while Brett Toth emerged as a more likely fill-in. The Athletic’s Zach Berman and Brooks Kubena note Green did not show enough in camp to make the 53-man roster.

Considering Green’s lack of production and the contract associated with his draft slot (No. 15), a last-ditch trade would seem unlikely in this case. The Eagles will take on $1.38MM in dead money if no one claims Green’s contract. Green will join the hundreds of non-vested veterans on waivers this week. No one in that contingent can be claimed until 11am CT Wednesday.

The Texans traded down three spots to land Green in 2022 but did not see much return on investment. The Texas A&M product struggled mightily as a rookie before missing all of the 2023 season due to a shoulder surgery (which came after two knee operations). Green won Houston’s left guard job to open last season but did not impress much in game action.

Pro Football Focus ranked Green as the worst guard regular in 2022 and second-worst in ’24. Another five-game absence ensued due to an in-season IR stay last season, and after nine starts to open the year, Green did not reacquire his Texans starting gig upon return.

Green could be a candidate to stick around on a practice squad deal, 94WIP.com’s Eliot Shorr-Parks notes. While this would be a significant step down, Green is not losing money because of today’s cut. He is tied to a fully guaranteed rookie deal. A P-squad spot would allow the Eagles to continue developing the young blocker. If Green is unclaimed and also is not retained on a P-squad deal, it would represent a major step backward for a player who entered a draft as one of the top O-line prospects available.

Philly shuffled its backup O-line corps Sunday by trading Darian Kinnard to the Packers and reacquiring swing tackle Fred Johnson. Even with the Kinnard exit, Green did not factor into the Eagles’ roster plans. Tyler Steen is set to be the Eagles’ RG starter post-Becton.

Vikings Trade QB Sam Howell To Eagles; Minnesota Signs Carson Wentz

The Vikings are trading quarterback Sam Howell and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Eagles, per Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. In exchange, Minnesota will receive a fifth- and seventh-round choice in 2026, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report that the team is also signing veteran passer Carson Wentz to replace Howell and to serve as the backup for J.J. McCarthy.

Wentz, 32, visited the Vikings yesterday, and the summit clearly went well. McCarthy, of course, missed his entire rookie season in 2024 due to injury, though the club’s faith in his ability to operate as the starting QB in 2025 never wavered. Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones were therefore allowed to leave in free agency, and Minnesota acquired Howell during April’s draft with the expectation that he would slot in behind McCarthy on the depth chart.

Howell played well in the club’s first preseason contest this summer, but he struggled in his second outing, completing one of five passes for 13 yards and an interception. He sat out the preseason finale on Friday as Brett Rypien and 2025 UDFA Max Brosmer shared the snaps under center.

In addition to adding a more experienced and accomplished voice in Wentz — who is familiar with HC Kevin O’Connell‘s offensive system — today’s transaction adds a bit more draft capital to the Vikings’ stockpile (just as the recent Harrison Phillips swap did). As multiple pundits, including ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, were quick to point out in the immediate aftermath of the Howell report, Minnesota is in the market for a wide receiver, and the Phillips and Howell trades could help facilitate a WR addition. Longtime Viking and current Panther Adam Thielen remains a target, but Fowler notes the club has multiple lines of inquiry open. Plus, according to Alec Lewis of The Athletic, Minnesota has been pleased with Brosmer and appears perfectly content to have him as the No. 3 QB.

Howell, meanwhile, continues a nomadic journey that is uncommon for such a young player. The Commanders’ 2022 draftee, who will turn 25 next month, started all 17 games for Washington in 2023, and he finished with a 4-13 record. The club was unafraid to let him air it out, as he led the NFL with 612 pass attempts, which led to a league-worst 21 interceptions. He was traded to Seattle in April 2024, but he saw limited action as the backup to Geno Smith. Including today’s deal, the UNC product has been traded three times in the span of 18 months.

Still, the Eagles needed some cover for their own QB room, as Jalen Hurts‘ presumptive backup, Tanner McKee, is dealing with a finger injury that has jeopardized his Week 1 availability. Albert Breer of SI.com notes Philadelphia remains high on McKee, and it does not sound as if his ailment is a long-term one. Nonetheless, Howell will offer an upgrade over sixth-round rookie Kyle McCord, both as the QB2 in the event McKee is not ready to go at the start of the season and as the QB3 over the course of the campaign (or, the Eagles could theoretically try to trade McKee; per Breer, there has been outside interest in the 25-year-old signal-caller, which echoes his recent report on the matter).

Assuming a McKee trade does not come to fruition, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer believes McCord will be waived, though the Eagles could try to stash him on the practice squad if he clears waivers. Offseason trade acquisition Dorian Thompson-Robinson is also on the Eagles’ roster for the time being, but today’s news obviously does not bode well for his future in Philly.

McLane adds that the team has waived/injured DB Lewis Cine, who, according Zach Berman of The Athletic, was on crutches following Friday’s preseason game, when he recorded a diving interception.

Eagles Unlikely To Retain LB Nakobe Dean Beyond 2025?

2025 marks the final year of Nakobe Dean‘s rookie contract. No extension is viewed as likely for the Eagles linebacker, meaning a trip to free agency next spring is currently on track to take place.

Dean’s production in college was insufficient to prevent a drop down the order during the 2022 draft. Injury concerns resulted in a fall to the third round, although he did not miss a regular or postseason game as a rookie. The following campaign saw Dean limited to only five contests, however, and a torn patellar tendon suffered in this year’s wild-card game figures to leave him sidelined at the outset of the 2025 season. Given how late he went down last season, he could spend a significant portion of the year on the physically unable to perform list.

In no small part due to his injury history, PhillyVoice’s Geoff Mosher writes this will “probably” be Dean’s final year with the Eagles. They signed Zack Baun to a three-year, $51MM extension in March and drafted Jihaad Campbell in the first round of April’s draft, signaling that Dean is not a part of their future linebacker plans. Recent Day 3 picks Jeremiah Trotter (2024) and Smael Mondon (2025) have impressed as well, per Mosher, potentially giving Philadelphia cheap, young backups for the next few years.

If Dean were healthy, the Eagles’ linebacker depth might have made him a trade candidate, according to Mosher, but his inability to pass a physical would likely be an insurmountable obstacle to such a deal. Instead, he will start the year on the sidelines, and by the time Dean gets back on the field – if at all – there may not be a role for him in Vic Fangio‘s defense.

Beyond contributing in 2025, a full recovery will obviously be paramount in determining Dean’s free agency value next offseason. Teams will be unlikely to commit significant long-term money, so, like many players coming off a major injury, he may have to take a shorter ‘prove it’ deal and rebuild his stock for the 2027 offseason.

Nikhil Mehta contributed to this article.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/24/25

Here are today’s minor transactions that may have slipped through the cracks with a day full of mass cuts:

Buffalo Bills

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Thompson-Robinson continues to struggle to find his place in the NFL. A fifth-round pick for the Browns out of UCLA, Thompson-Robinson was asked to make a number of spot starts in Cleveland. In five starts, he went 1-4, averaging about 150 passing yards per game. Over those two seasons, he scored only one touchdown while throwing 10 interceptions. He was sent to Philadelphia along with a 2025 fifth-round pick in exchange for Kenny Pickett, but the Eagles seemingly do not have a place for him.

Moore was hospitalized with a leg injury suffered in the Giants’ final preseason game but has been discharged following a successful surgery. Barring an injury settlement, he’ll spend the 2025 season on New York’s injured reserve.

Webb received a large signing bonus to sign with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent. While other teams will get their chance to claim him, the Broncos will hope to be able to bring him back to their practice squad.

Eagles Trade OT Darian Kinnard To Packers

The Eagles are trading offensive tackle Darian Kinnard to the Packers for a 2027 sixth-round pick, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The swap is now official, per a team announcement.

The move comes shortly after Philadelphia reunited with offensive tackle Fred Johnson in a trade with the Jaguars. It is also the team’s third trade of the day after they acquired quarterback Sam Howell from the Vikings. Armed with 10 picks in next year’s draft – plus three projected compensatory selections – Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has been wheeling and dealing to fill immediate needs and recoup draft capital for surplus talent. More moves are expected, per 94WIP’s Eliot Shor-Parks.

With Johnson back in the fold as the Eagles’ swing tackle, Roseman managed to get a draft pick for a player that he originally signed to a reserve/futures contract during the 2024 offseason. Kinnard, a 2022 fifth-round pick, spent the two previous seasons with the Chiefs, making him a three-time Super Bowl champion at just 25 years old. He has only appeared in three regular season games in his career, including a Week 18 start last year. His time training under legendary Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland may have helped him attract the Packers’ attention as they sought additional help in the trenches.

“The depth right now for us, it’s not where we want it to be,” said Luke Butkus, Green Bay’s offensive line coach, during training camp (via ESPN’s Rob Demovsky). The Packers have four of their starters set with Rasheed Walker and Jordan Morgan competing for the left tackle job, but they wanted to add more talent on the right side. Kinnard fits the bill with experience at both right guard and right tackle, though the vast majority of his snaps have come in the preseason.

The Packers currently have four-year veteran Trey Hill as their backup right guard and rookie Anthony Belton as their backup right tackle. Hill has mostly played center in his career, though he has worked at guard in the preseason. Belton almost exclusively lined up at left tackle at North Carolina State before the Packers selected him in the third round of April’s draft. Kinnard could take over either’s job, though replacing Belton as the second-team right tackle seems more likely.

The Eagles still have plenty of talent at offensive tackle after Kinnard’s departure. Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson are arguably the best starting duo in the NFL with Fred Johnson, 10-year veteran Kendall Lamm and sixth-round pick Cameron Williams, among others, providing depth.