Philadelphia Eagles: Devon Allen, Deon Cain among cuts as initial 53-man roster is revealed
The NFL roster cutdown day came and went on Tuesday, and the Philadelphia Eagles have trimmed their roster down to 53. While much of the day went as expected, there were some surprises, such as preseason special teams ace Devon Allen and camp darling Deon Cain.
While both players came into camp as relative unknowns, they made names for themselves with their hard work and impact on the practice preseason field. Deon Cain impressed as a receiver, but despite his clear and obvious talent, the Eagles were not willing to cut former first-rounder Jalen Reagor for him as they await a potential trade.
Devon Allen is another surprise mainly due to his incredible special teams play during the preseason. As a gunner, Allen was elite as the preseason progressed and if he’s able to be retained by Philadelphia’s practice squad, expect him to be groomed for that position going forward. For now, the team will fly on without him.
The Philadelphia Eagles have now finalized their initial 53-man roster.
Other surprises on the defense were present also, such as Jaquiski Tartt as well as Anthony Harris being released by the team.
Philadelphia was rapidly approaching the regular season with little confidence in their safety position, and yet, they had cut two of the top players competing for a starting position. Both Tartt and Harris can return if/when the Eagles place one or more players on IR, as they are both vested veterans who are not subject to waivers.
Tartt and Harris may return to the Eagles on the 53 at some point, but other players waived will have the chance to land on the team’s practice squad. While plenty of moves could still be made, the roster is set for the 2022 season, at least for the time being.
In addition to the players previously mentioned, the Philadelphia Eagles waived/released/the following players:
QB Carson Strong, S Andre Chachere, TE Richard Rogers, WR Britain Covey, RB Jason Huntley, CB Mario Goodrich, DT Marvin Wilson, CB Tay Gowan, C Cameron Tom, DT Rennel Wren, LB Jacoby Stevens, CB Josh Blackwell, CB Kary Vincent, WR John Hightower, TE Noah Togiai, OT Le’Raven Clark, IOL Jack Anderson, CB Josh Blackwell, RB Kennedy Brooks, LB Christian Elliss, DE Matt Leo, CB Mac McCain, OL Kayode Awosika, and QB Reid Sinnett
DT Kobi Smith was waived with an injury designation and WR Greg Ward was placed on IR.
The Eagles will undoubtedly look to add many of these players to their practice squad should they clear waivers — finalized Wednesday at 12:00 PM ET.
This leaves the initial 53-man roster as follows:
Quarterbacks (2): Jalen Hurts and Gardner Minshew
Running backs (3): Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, and Kenneth Gainwell
Wide Receivers (5): A.J. Brown, Devonta Smith, Zach Pascal, Quez Watkins, and Jalen Reagor
Tight Ends (3): Dallas Goedert, Jack Stoll, Grant Calcaterra
Offensive Line (10): Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Jason Kelce, Isaac Seamaulo, Lane Johnson, Andre Dillard, Sua Opeta, Josh Sils, Jack Driscoll
Defensive line (9): Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Javon Hargrave, Jordan Davis, Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, Derrick Barnett, Marlon Tuipulotu, and Tarron Jackson
Linebackers (8): Haason Reddick, Kyzir White, T.J. Edwards, Nakobe Dean, Davion Taylor, Shawn Bradley, Patrick Johnson, and Kyron Johnson
Cornerbacks (6): Darius Slay, James Bradberry, Avonte Maddox, Zech McPhearson, Josiah Scott, and Josh Jobe
Safeties (4): Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Marcus Epps, K’von Wallace, and Reed Blankenship
Special teams (3): Jake Elliott, Arryn Siposs, and Rick Lovato
It’s quite an impressive ensemble of players. Hopefully, the hype transitions into the regular season because, as of this moment, the Philadelphia Eagles look like they will do some major damage next season.