The Eagles released linebacker Nicholas Morrow and waived running back Trey Sermon today, and they’ve now cut a number of young players to get down to the 53-man roster limit:
DevonAllen is two-time Olympian hurdler, and after having played college football for Oregon between 2013 and 2016, he caught on with the Eagles last offseason. He spent most of the 2022 campaign on Philly’s practice squad, and there’s a chance he’s destined for the same gig again in 2023.
Britain Covey is another subtraction from the WRs room, although the 26-year-old played only 19 snaps on offense for the Eagles in 2022. He had a much larger role on special teams, where he returned 10 kicks for 206 yards and 33 punts for 308 yards.
Most notable of these is likely Swain, who is only two years separated from catching four touchdowns for the Seahawks in 2021. After failing to catch on with the Broncos and Dolphins in 2022 and the Eagles this offseason, Swain will have to keep looking for his next NFL home.
Sat, 9:45pm: Further names on the cut list are in, courtesy of KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. Veteran offensive tackle Dennis Kellyis among the players being let go, putting an end to his Eagles reunion. The 33-year-old began his career in Philadelphia and returned there in July after spending last season with the Colts, but the team will move forward with its in-house options up front. A veteran of 54 starts and 130 games, Kelly will look to find a depth role elsewhere as teams search for quality fill-in options along their O-lines.
According to Pelissero, the Eagles released Arnold now so the veteran would have more time to catch on with a new team. The former undrafted free agent out of UW–Platteville joined Philly earlier this offseason but was facing an uphill battle to make the final roster.
The tight end’s best season came with the Cardinals in 2020, when he hauled in 31 receptions for 438 yards and four touchdowns in 16 games (five starts). He spent most of the past two seasons in Jacksonville, hauling in 37 catches for 459 yards. Pro Football Focus generally hasn’t been a fan of Arnold’s blocking ability throughout his career, although the site has given him solid grades for his receiving skills. There’s a chance he catches on with a new team, even if he has to ultimately settled for a practice squad gig.
Jackson was facing a similar battle to make the roster considering the team’s depth at tight end. The former UDFA got into 12 games for the Eagles over the past two years, compiling three catches and one touchdown. With Arnold and Jackson out of the picture, the team’s depth chart at TE now includes Dallas Goedert, Jack Stoll, Grant Calcaterra, and Brady Russell.
Book seemed destined to be the Eagles fourth QB in 2023, so there’s a good chance he lands back on the practice squad after serving in a similar role in 2022. The former fourth-round pick got one start as a rookie with the Saints in 2021, completing 12 of his 20 pass attempts while tossing a pair of interceptions.
The Eagles have made a handful of roster moves this morning, including releasing cornerback Greedy Williams (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter). The team also released punter Ty Zentner and waived/injured wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland, defensive tackle Noah Elliss, and cornerback Zech McPhearson.
With five new roster openings, the Eagles have signed defensive tackles Robert Cooper, Marvin Wilson, and CalebSanders and linebackers Tyreek Maddox-Williams and Quinton Bell.
Williams spent the first four seasons of his career with the Browns. The second-round pick started all 12 of his appearances as a rookie, but after missing the 2020 season with a shoulder injury, the defensive back found himself in and out of the lineup following his return. He started eight of his 16 appearances in 2021, and he was limited to only one start in 11 games this past season.
The 25-year-old inked a one-year deal with the Eagles this offseason. As Pro Football Network’s Adam Caplan tweets, Williams is owed $600K of the $1.35MM contract he inked with Philly.
Zentner’s release doesn’t come as a huge surprise. The Kansas State product was added as an undrafted free agent during the offseason and was expected to provide some competition at the position. This move likely means that Arryn Siposs will serve as the Eagles’ punter for a third-straight season.
Among the team’s additions, Bell has the most NFL experience. The 2019 seventh-round pick got into five games with the Buccaneers in 2020, although he didn’t record a stat. He’s spent much of the past two years with the Falcons organization, getting into four games while splitting his snaps between defense and special teams.
As for the trio of waived/injured players, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets that the Eagles expect all three players to clear waivers and revert to injured reserve. While Cleveland, Elliss, and McPhearson wouldn’t be able to play for Philly during the 2023 campaign, the Eagles would retain their rights.
Muse’s career was in doubt early when the former third-round pick was waived by the Raiders just before his second year without him ever having played a snap for the team that drafted him. After joining the Seahawks practice squad in 2021, Muse worked to get back on track after an injury-riddled rookie season.
After working his way onto the active roster late into his first season in Seattle, Muse played in every game for the Seahawks in 2022. Serving primarily as a core special teamer, Muse even began to earn some playing time on defense late in the year.
18 teams had their seasons come to an end yesterday, and their front offices have already turned the page to the 2023 NFL seaon. This started today, as a number of players were signed to reserve/futures contracts, which allows organizations to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players throughout the offseason. Here are today’s reserve/futures contracts:
Once again, we’ve had a busy day of moves on and off the reserve/COVID-19 list. Here are the players who were placed on the list or activated off of it today:
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 moves for the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints are noted below.
Here are Wednesday’s NFC South transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.