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The Philadelphia Eagles‘ final cuts came in and there were a few big names and a few surprises. The Eagles parted ways with Danny Watkins earlier today, ending his three-year reign with the team as a first-round pick who never panned out.
Gone are wide receivers Russell Shepard and Greg Salas, two receivers who flashed some ability in the pre-season. This makes room for Jeff Maehl to make the roster as a personal favorite of head coach Chip Kelly. His familiarity with the offense possibly gave him a leg up in the wide receiver competition.
Others who got the dreaded phone call were running back Matthew Tucker, who is a practice squad candidate, Clay Harbor and offensive lineman Michael Bamiro.
The Eagles cut two outside linebackers in Chris McCoy and Travis Long. McCoy is a huge surprise as he flashed big-time pass-rushing and coverage ability. This leaves the Eagles ultra thin when it comes to depth at outside linebacker. Expect this to be addressed as a waiver wire pickup.
David Sims was an expected release and the Eagles decided to keep five safeties, including fringe player Kurt Coleman presumably for his ability as a special teams player and reserve safety.
The work for the Eagles isn’t done. They surprisingly kept corners Curtis Marsh and Brandon Hughes, neither of whom showed much in the pre-season. My guess is they will search the waiver wire for an upgrade at corner over those two, as neither would be a reliable starter right now should an injury strike.
The Eagles finally got down to 53. However, GM Howie Roseman‘s work will continue this weekend to further improve the roster.
