Beloved Former Eagle Joins Doug Pederson in Jacksonville Ahead of Week 2

After the epic defensive collapse in the second half of the 2023 season, the Philadelphia Eagles completely revamped their secondary. They used their first two draft picks on two cornerbacks, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Then Isaiah Rodgers was reinstated and the Eagles had an entirely different defensive backfield rotation to start the 2024 campaign.

That meant that some hard decisions had to be made. Zech McPhearson getting released at the roster cutdown deadline was one of those. The former fourth-round pick had spent the first two seasons of his career in Philadelphia, appearing in every game. In the 2023 preseason, however, he suffered a torn Achilles and was subsequently ruled out for the season.

Now, McPhearson is getting another chance in the NFL, alongside a face familiar to Eagles fans. The Jacksonville Jaguars, coached by Doug Pederson, is signing McPhearson to the practice squad.

NFL News: CB Zech McPhearson Signs With Jaguars Practice Squad

McPhearson and Pederson never crossed paths in Philadelphia. The former Texas Tech standout was drafted the same offseason the Eagles and Pederson parted ways. But now he will get a chance to impress Pederson and get elevated to the active roster to make his return to the NFL. He will be replacing Terrell Edmunds on the practice squad, who was signed by the Steelers on Monday.

The 26-year-old defensive back will likely continue to be used more on special teams. In his two seasons in Philadelphia, he played less than 15% of total defensive snaps while seeing over 75% of special teams snaps. The Jaguars are missing special teamers Daniel Thomas and Andrew Wingard, potentially opening a path for McPhearson to make an impact.

More Eagles news and rumors: