Happy Labour Day, y’all! Finding honest work at something you love for a decent wage is something we celebrate this time of year. For a young man who loves the sport, and believes in his upside as a professional, getting signed to an NFL practice squad is not a bad gig. This year the pay has increased incrementally to $7600 a week, which means $129,200 for a full NFL season.
That’s almost as much as a skilled bricklayer can make before overtime! Good money for skilled hard labor…
The Eagles continue to tweak their current Week 1 roster, but as of this writing, here are the Practice Squad signees:
RB Josh Adams, CBs De’Vante Bausby and Chandon Sullivan, DT Winston Craig, WRs Rashard Davis and Greg Ward Jr., LB Asantay Brown, TE Billy Brown, DE Joe Ostman, and C Jon Toth.
There are four undrafted free agent rookies on that list. Making the PS10 is a big career step for them, when you think about it.
Meanwhile LB Joe Walker had only one day to celebrate his making the 53 before getting bumped down to Un-Labor Day status. The Eagles claimed linebacker D.J. Alexander off waivers from the Seattle Seahawks. This move was not a knock at Joe, it simply means the team needs special teams depth heading into the opener against Atlanta.
The 26-year-old Alexander was a Pro Bowl selection following the 2016 season for his special teams play with the Kansas City Chiefs. In his three seasons, Alexander has 31 special teams tackles in 44 games.
A fifth-round draft pick out of Oregon State by the Chiefs in 2015, the 6-2, 233-pound Alexander finished his rookie season by earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after he blocked a punt that went out of the end zone to record a safety in a win over the Raiders.
Alexander was traded to Seattle in 2017 and had eight special teams tackles in 12 games.
All in all he’s just another brick in the wall. Just like Joe Walker was, except Alexander is more dynamic on special teams. If Walker goes unclaimed by another team, I expect him to be summoned back to the Eagles at some point in the regular season.
Walker was the Eagles’ 2016 seventh-round draft pick—he played for Chip Kelly at Oregon. After missing all of 2016 with a knee injury, he played in 12 games last year, starting three, before going back on Injured Reserve before the playoffs with a neck injury.
Walker played 97 snaps on defense last year and 127 on special teams. Of his 97 defensive snaps, 62 came against the 49ers, Broncos and Cowboys in the first three games after Jordan Hicks suffered a season-ending injury.
Even with Walker’s release, the Eagles have five of eight 2016 draft picks on the current 53-man roster and 16 of 21 picks from the three drafts that Howie Roseman has overseen since he regained general manager duties after the 2015 season.
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