Philadelphia Eagles: 5 reactions to final cuts for 53-man roster during 2018 season

5. Mailata earns spot

Back in April when Philadelphia decided to take a chance on a prospect with zero football experience in Jordan Mailata, critics didn’t hold back on their opinion about the team’s decision since they believed the former rugby star would never be able to make the transition. Turns out, Mailata was one of the most impressive surprises from training camp and preseason, meaning all of the negativity has turned into figuring out whether the Eagles could end up with an absolute steal on the offensive line.

When looking at how Wentz is unable to suit up for the first game of the 2018 season, protecting the quarterback on the offensive line is going to be more important than ever for Philadelphia moving forward to make sure their franchise quarterback receives the best protection possible. Based off the work he’s put in over the last couple of months, Mailata is already showing signs of being that type of player that’s only going to get better with experience.

If that does happen to be the case, it seems like only a matter of time before Mailata becomes one of the top tackles in the league, although there’s no reason to jump that far ahead right now since he still has a lot to prove. Still, when seeing what Mailata had to overcome just to earn a spot on a NFL roster, Eagles fans can’t help but be excited over the potential.