The Philadelphia Eagles are rolling through the preseason and making the final decisions toward their 53-man roster. Players will come and go over the next three weeks, and it will be a determining factor in who will be on the field when the Eagles battle the Dallas Cowboys in the season opener on Sept. 4.
With that in mind, the Eagles said goodbye to a kicking specialist just one week after signing him and are welcoming back a fellow special teams standout who was recovering due to injury.
Charley Hughlett must be fully recovered from his neck injury. #Eagles announce they signed DT Justin Rogers, released LS Christian Johnstone.
— Geoff Mosher (@GeoffPMosher) August 12, 2025
Eagles Release LS Christian Johnstone After One Week With the Team
According to Geoff Mosher of PhillyVoice, the Eagles are releasing Christian Johnstone. The move comes as they sign defensive tackle Justin Rogers to the 90-man roster, but also as Charly Hughlett recovers from a neck injury.
The Eagles signed Hughlett after he spent 10 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. During that decade, Hughlett established himself as one of the best long snappers in the league, posting a Pro Football Focus overall grade over 70 in seven seasons. His time came to an end last season when he was placed on injured reserve with a rib injury, and he was released before he signed with Philadelphia this spring.
Hughlett’s latest injury during training camp cleared the way for Johnstone to join the roster, but he was always going to be replaced when the veteran had recovered. A rookie out of Appalachian State, Johnstone is looking for his first opportunity in the NFL, but posted a 46.4 special teams grade on 12 snaps in last week’s preseason opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.
With Hughlett recovered, the Eagles opted to bring in Rogers, who was a seventh-round pick by the Cowboys in the 2024 draft. Like Johnstone, Rogers figures to be a placeholder on the current roster after spending the end of last season in Dallas and eight days with the Seattle Seahawks earlier this offseason before being waived.
Moves like this are an example of the ongoing shuffle as teams put together their final rosters and should continue when Philadelphia hosts the Cleveland Browns in their second preseason game on Saturday.