As usual, things move fast personnel-wise prior to the Eagles’ preseason finale…
The Birds bring back TE wanna-be Anthony Derham…meanwhile they cut WR hopeful Anthony Mahoungou…that sucks for Anthony.
Then the Eagles signed safety DeShawntee Gallon off the street…
I reckon we’re just stockpiling bodies for the upcoming PS4 game against the Jets on Thursday night.
Then there is the inevitable trade rumour… this time it is OG Chance Warmack in the PS4 spotlight.
And of course there is the Practice Squad speculation. As usual, we play PS4 to find out which guys we want to keep around on practice squad retainers to justify our signing them in the first place. Tommy Lawlor of Iggles Blitz has put the PS shadow on these guys:
“Donnel Pumphrey – An extreme long shot for the roster, but the Eagles still like his potential. A year of practice could do him a world of good and would allow him to take a run at Darren Sproles’ spot next year.
“Josh Adams – He’s got a legit shot to make the roster. If he doesn’t, the Eagles would likely have a lot of interest in keeping him. Adams has shown NFL ability this summer. He needs to work on durability.
“DeAndre Carter – Another guy with a legit shot to make the roster. If not, he would make a lot of sense for the practice squad.
“Greg Ward – Disappointing summer. I don’t know if the Eagles want to bring him back. Ward did not grow from Year One to Year Two, but the team may still see value in him as a practice player. Really could use a strong showing on Thursday to help his future.
“Aaron Evans – The third string LG for the Eagles. I like what I’ve seen of Evans. Played LT in college so he’s got some versatility and that’s critical to them when it comes to backup O-linemen. Evans isn’t huge or athletic, but he’s smart and skilled. Could be an ideal practice player, if not someone who could develop for the future.
“Jon Toth – Spent some time on the Eagles practice squad last year. Has the kind of size the Eagles seem to want in a C (Kelce is an anomaly).
“Darrell Greene – The Eagles have kept Greene around for a couple of years. They like his size (321 pounds) and still think he’s got some upside. There is something to be said for continuity with practice players. I don’t think Greene has NFL potential, but the Eagles might disagree.
“Toby Weathersby – Rookie UDFA who has been the third string RT. Has some potential, but needs a lot of work. Worth bringing to camp next year, but I’m not sure if he’s ready for the PS right now.
“Billy Brown – Up and down summer. Has made some plays and remains a gifted athlete, but didn’t build off the promise he showed last year. Still worth keeping around to see if the light ever goes on because he does have NFL potential. He’s big, can run and has good hands.
“Joe Ostman – Mixed feelings on Ostman. I love his college production and he’s had good moments here and there, but overall he’s been disappointing to me. Ostman struggles to get off blocks. He doesn’t do a great job of setting the edge. Hasn’t stood out as a pass rusher.
“Danny Ezechukwu – The opposite of Ostman. I had no expectations for Ezechukwu, but he’s had a couple of really good moments. I see some athleticism. I see potential. Really curious to see how he plays on Thursday. Should get a lot of snaps.
“Tre Sullivan – Legit shot to make the roster. If he doesn’t, will be a lock to make the PS. Good run defender. Still developing coverage skills.
“Jeremy Reaves – Good tackler and run defender. Cover skills are a mess right now. Can he be developed?
“Chandon Sullivan – Most years, might have a shot to make the roster. The Eagles are deep at CB so he’s got no chance. He is a Jim Schwartz player…confident and aggressive. Worth keeping around for the future.
“DJ Killings – I could see him getting claimed by another team. Had a good summer. Hasn’t been great in the preseason, but has shown some potential. Good practice player last year and that will help his value with other teams.
“De’Vante Bausby – Not likely to make the roster unless the Eagles go heavy at CB. I would think some other team would claim him. If not, definitely worth keeping around.”
The problem of course with knocking true blue-chippers down to the PS10 is that they will inevitably be claimed by another team. That’s the risk. You better be damn sure about the potential talent you are sending to Purgatory.
DC Jim Schwartz had a few thoughts to share about NFL purgatory this week:
“This coming Saturday after the Jets game will be the worst day of this job. [The Eagles have to get to the 53-player limit by 4 p.m. on September 1, meaning that close to 1,200 players around the NFL will be suddenly out of work.]
“I think there’s a dignity that’s involved in dealing with those guys. I said this last year when we were getting ready for the Super Bowl. We showed a picture of the Super Bowl trophy and you see all the fingerprints on it and you say, ‘Regardless of what your role was on this team, your fingerprints are going to be on that trophy. Whether you were on the practice squad and you were helping the offense. Whether you were an inactive or whether you were active, everybody had a role.’ And I’ll take that back and include training camp players. Even if you don’t make this team, you’ll have your fingerprint on the success of this team going forward,” Schwartz said.
As for the Eagles, RB Josh Adams is expected to get plenty of reps during Thursday’s preseason game, Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Adams has played a limited role thus far this preseason, but it looks like the Eagles want to see as much out of Adams as possible now that he is healthy and with the regular season right around the corner. He rushed for 33 yards on four carries in last Thursday’s loss to the Browns.
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