Recapping the Eagles' many roster moves

On Wednesday, the Philadelphia Eagles signed a couple guys, claimed a guy off of waivers, waived a couple of guys, officially signed 14 guys to their practice squad, and unofficially also signed a 15th guy to the practice squad. Let's briefly cover each move.

Signings

• S Marcus Epps: Epps played for the Eagles from 2019 to 2022, starting all 17 games in 2022, the year the Eagles got to the Super Bowl, but lost to the Chiefs. If we're not including Cooper DeJean, the Eagles only had three safeties on the active roster, and one of them, rookie Andrew Mukuba, has a hamstring injury. More on Epps' signing here.

• LS Charley Hughlett: Hughlett was released at 53-man cutdowns, but there was little doubt that he'd rejoin the team shortly thereafter. The Eagles need a guy who can throw the ball between his legs, and Hughlett can do that.

Waiver claims

• C/G Willie Lampkin: Lampkin is an intriguing, oddball player who is extremely undersized at 5'11, 290. He will be the shortest offensive lineman in the NFL by a wide margin, but he is powerful, athletic, and tenacious. I'm curious to see what the Eagles can do with him. More on Lampkin here.

Players waived

• C/G Trevor Keegan: I was surprised Keegan made the initial 53-man roster in the first place, seeing as he did not look comfortable at center and does not carry much value as a backup if he's a guard only. They did eventually waive him to make room for Hughlett.

• S Tristin McCollum: McCollum has a fan in Vic Fangio, but evidently not as much as someone else in the building's love for Epps. McCollum could be back on the practice squad, but I imagine he'll explore other options first.

Players signed to the practice squad

• QB Kyle McCord: McCord had a good spring, in my opinion, at least during the practices the media were allowed to attend. But he did not perform well in training camp, and he was downright bad in the preseason games. We already knew McCord lacked mobility, but he also made poor decisions with the football and threw inaccurately. When the Eagles traded for fourth-year vet Sam Howell, the writing was on the wall that McCord was not long for the 53-man roster. It's not a surprise that McCord is back, but I did think there was a possibility the Eagles would cut bait with him completely and bring in a different outside developmental guy.

• WR Elijah Cooks: Cooks' camp got out to a great start, as he was making an impressive play or two every day for a bit, but a shoulder injury killed his momentum. Cooks has good size, he can make contested catches, and he has actually appeared in 9 NFL games.

• WR Terrace Marshall: Marshall got some early buzz, but got hurt, and when he returned to the field did not stand out. Personally, I'd have kept UDFA rookie Taylor Morin on the practice squad over Marshall.

• TE EJ Jenkins: Jenkins has a nice blend of size and athleticism and he was active for the Super Bowl, but he really struggled catching the ball in camp and was beaten out by Kylen Granson for the TE3 job. Still, he is a player the Eagles can feel comfortable calling up if they suffer an injury at TE, which they often do.

• TE Cameron Latu: Latu was a 2023 third-round pick of the 49ers out of Alabama. His Bama career overlapped with Jalen Hurts' for one season in 2018.

• OT Hollin Pierce: Pierce has pure length at 6'8 with 36" arms, and he's powerful. There's something to work with there. But he's a slow mover, and in my opinion needs to drop weight to be a viable NFL player. Get that man a nutritionist and time in an NFL weight room and see what he can become.

• OG Kenyon Green: The Eagles traded C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Texans for Green, who had a bad camp, and who led the team in "stock down" votes in our media poll halfway through camp. He did miss time during camp with a shoulder injury, so he'll get a little more time to stick on the (extended) roster to show any sign of life.

• EDGE Antwuan Powell-Ryland: Powell-Ryland did absolutely nothing in practices all summer, but he had a monster performance in the third preseason game against the Jets. I thought he might get claimed by some team who watched that film. But, nope, he's back.

• EDGE Patrick Johnson: A year ago, Johnson didn't survive waivers when he was claimed by the Giants, and subsequently missed the Eagles' Super Bowl ride. Johnson was worthy of a roster spot at cutdowns, but he'll have to settle for a spot on the practice squad, where he is likely to be a callup at some point.

• LB Chance Campbell: Campbell was a guy the Eagles added very late in camp, seemingly just to get them through the final preseason game. I would have thought the Eagles would have brought Lance Dixon or Dallas Gant back on the practice squad instead. Dixon did get hurt in the final preseason game.

• CB Eli Ricks: Ricks made the team as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2023, and had some good moments (vs. Tyreek Hill) and some bad ones (vs. the 49ers). He made the team again in 2024, and though he barely played, he stuck on the roster the entire season. In 2025, he was the seventh CB on the roster, and probably the player most affected by the team's trade for Jakorian Bennett. The Eagles don't have an ideal starter at CB2, but they do have numbers at corner. I'm surprised Ricks didn't seek a practice squad spot on another team where a callup is more likely.

• CB Parry Nickerson: Nickerson played for Vic Fangio in Miami in 2023, and he spent the entire season on the Eagles' 2024 practice squad. He's 30 years old, and makes some sense as a practice squad guy ready to be called up if needed. The Eagles never needed to dip that far into their reserves last year, but Fangio seems to feel comfortable with him if the need arises.

• CB Brandon Johnson: Johnson is a slot corner only who got some second-team reps against the Browns, but got picked on in that game and gave up a handful of receptions. The Eagles obviously want to get a longer look.

• S Andre' Sam: Sam stuck on the practice squad all season long in 2024, and actually had his own locker room stall against the wall (as opposed to one of the crappy stalls in the middle of the locker room usually reserved for the practice squad guys). I thought Sam had a decent camp and pushed Tristin McCollum for the fourth safety spot. Ultimately, neither Sam nor McCollum stuck on the 53.

Outside player reportedly signed to the practice squad

• RB Audric Estimé: Estimé was a Broncos 2024 fifth-round pick who carried 76 times for 310 yards (4.1 YPC) and 2 TDs as a rookie. He's 5'11, 227, and kind of a north-south power back. The Eagles cut a similar style back in Montrell Johnson, but as noted early yesterday morning, if Estimé wasn't claimed on waivers, I thought he was a better version of Johnson. Even a broken clock is right twice per day.

*6 years ✍️🥳🎉

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