The Philadelphia Eagles added several players to their roster this offseason in hopes of building off the franchise's Super Bowl run from the 2024 campaign.
While the majority of the starting spots at key positions were filled by holdovers from last year's title team, there were plenty of training camp battles to keep the attention of fans throughout the exhibition season before rosters are cut down to 53 players.
One player who was brought in from the NFC South in hopes of securing a spot on the offense or a key return role for the special teams unit is currently on that roster bubble.
Eagles RB/WR Avery Williams Won't Survive Roster Cuts
Veteran running back/wide receiver Avery Williams signed a one-year, $1.2 million deal with the Eagles back in March of this year. At the time, the former Boise State Broncos standout seemed like a veteran who had a legitimate shot at making the roster, as $400,000 of his salary was guaranteed.
Fast forward to the third week in August, and the commentary surrounding Williams and his future in Philadelphia has changed. Being as versatile as Williams has been throughout his career, especially on special teams, has certainly helped his cause thus far.
The standards are different in Atlanta, where Williams spent the first four seasons of his career, compared to Philadelphia, though. This is a lesson that the former fifth-round pick is learning in real-time as championship-level teams demand excellence at all times.
The addition of John Metchie III should all but render Williams as a player who isn't going to be needed on the 53-man roster once the regular season begins. With Metchie III joining the fold following this week's trade with the Houston Texans, Darius Cooper surprising in camp to the point where the staff cannot afford to cut him, the writing appears to be on the wall for Williams in Philly.
Williams not making any headway in the return game will not do him any favors when cut-down day arrives, either. This was an area where he routinely worked during his time with the Falcons, but, not to belabor the point, the Eagles simply have better talent already in-house who are handling the duties associated with those jobs.
For all of those reasons, fans shouldn't expect Williams to be on the final 53-man roster when it is announced on Aug. 26.