Even though mandatory cut deadlines have been extended to September 2, the Eagles released a few guys this Saturday afternoon (August 26). There are no shockers to report, but it is notable that the Eagles think enough of these guys to give them a head start in finding a new team.
Officially reported by Chris McPherson of PE.com:
“…[Waived are] wide receivers Keevan Lucas and David Watford as well as cornerback Tay Glover-Wright.
“Watford is the most notable name of the trio. A converted college quarterback, Watford spent the 2016 season on the practice squad. Eagles Hall of Fame wide receiver Mike Quick has said that he believes Watford has the talent to play in the league. The problem for Watford is that he was buried on the depth chart with the offseason upgrades at the position.
“Lucas was a tryout player during the Eagles’ Rookie Camp this offseason. He was signed as a free agent out of Tulsa during Training Camp.
“Glover-Wright was added to the team early in Training Camp after an ACL injury to cornerbackRandall Goforth
. ”
Another reason these cuts were made early is to create room on the 90-man roster heading into the final preseason game next Thursday against the Jets. Defensive tackle Beau Allen has been activated again, for example. Allen represents a key rotation piece on the Eagles defensive line. Nobody really expected him to be able to come back so relatively quickly from a torn pectoral muscle prior to the beginning of spring and summer practices. That’s a good sign that he’s ready to play—I feel good about a 4-man DL rotation that includes Fletcher Cox , Tim Jernigan, Destiny Vaeao and Beau Allen.
As Dave Spadaro suggested, the Eagles may actually keep a 5th defensive tackle on the 53-man roster when all is said and done by September 2nd. They have some worthy candidates like Justin Hamilton, who has been on the practice squad in Green Bay and Seattle the last two seasons (after signing with Buffalo as an undrafted rookie free agent), and sixth-round draft pick Elijah Qualls, who has shown some good things with his leverage and relentlessness in this preseason .Gabe Wright, a young NFL veteran, is also in the mix, and Winston Craig will get some quality reps on Thursday night against the Jets to show what he can do.
In other developments, I guess you’ve heard by now that QB#2 Nick Foles is suffering from a recurrence of the right elbow inflammation which knocked him out of scheduled appearance in PS Game 3.
That’s definitely not good news. On the other hand, the more preseason reps QB#3 Matt McGloin has gotten, the more I find myself gaining confidence in him. We may have to accept that McGloin is our backup on Opening Day. The prospect of his having to take over the offense at any given moment is an uncertainty which you hope never happens, but the show must go on if it does happen. The occasional reckless abandon of Carson Wentz is stimulating to watch as a fan, but the inner “cringe” in me says McGloin is just one big hit away from playing. All you realistically ask of McGloin is to be super-prepared, and make some decent reads of at least half of the field if he does have to play.
The other issue with the Foles arm injury is it’s not serious enough to put him on the inactive DL list. So now you may have to carry 3 QB’s on your 53-man roster, with only two of them able to play at that moment. That means someone at another position has to be released, and that is not the ideal way to build depth on your roster.
Hey, if you missed it in the Comments on the last article, Dr. Funt and Bob Downe (Beans) had an excellent football conversation about two topics—-the learning curve necessary for Doug’s offense to become more deceptive, and the current state of Ronald Darby’s art at cornerback.
It’s worth a go-back for their complete footy discussion. Here are just a few of their shared thoughts on Ronald Darby:
DR. FUNT: “The adjustment Darby needs to make is simple.. he tries to get out of his backpedal too quick in off coverage.. needs to slide into the front of the WR and turn and run.. he gets choppy, looking to get downhill and attack the WR.. I think he’s fast enough to line up right in front of guys all game though, so I don’t wanna see another Nnamdi type sitch of putting a guy stubbornly in the wrong scheme.. some guys just can’t play 10 yards off.. his timing is clearly off and he doesn’t look natural.”
BOB DOWNE: “I don’t see a problem with anything he is doing. He will be fine. In fact, I think he will make the Pro Bowl.”
Hehe, that’s known in the biz as a tease. If you do go back to read the entire thread, I think you’ll enjoy how these two guys square off and actually end up agreeing on a lot of good stuff.
SUNDAY MORNING UPDATE:
Per Chris McPherson of PE.com—-On Sunday morning, the team announced that it had sent safety Terrence Brooks to the New York Jets in exchange for cornerback Dexter McDougle.
“Just adding more depth at the corner and nickel position and just letting him compete and see where he’s at,” head coach Doug Pederson said. “He’s a kid who we’re excited about getting in here and getting it going with the defense.”
McDougle did not practice with the Eagles on Sunday. Pederson said it’s still “to be determined” if McDougle will play against his former team Thursday night in the preseason finale.
A third-round pick (80th overall) in 2014 out of Maryland, the 5-10, 195-pound McDougle has played in 20 games for the Jets primarily on special teams.
He rebounded from an Achilles injury that wiped out his rookie season to contribute four tackles on special teams and one tackle on defense in 14 games in 2015. McDougle started 2016 on the Jets’ practice squad before being promoted to the active roster on November 12.
A three-year starter at Maryland, McDougle had 151 tackles, six interceptions, 22 passes defensed, and two touchdowns in 39 games (28 starts). He was an Academic All-ACC selection as a senior. Maryland honored McDougle for his leadership despite a shoulder injury in his final year with the inaugural Dexter McDougle Ultimate Team Award.
He played in high school and college with wide receiver Torrey Smith.
Brooks was not with the starters on special teams against Miami and Corey Graham had already secured his spot as the third safety behind Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod.
“With Terrence, it’s a great opportunity for him to go and compete and be a part of that organization and be a part of Todd’s defense,” Pederson said.
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