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Eagles Promote Undrafted Rookie to Roster Just Hours Before MNF

The Philadelphia Eagles made a practice squad elevation involving a rookie just hours before kicking off against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football.

By Isaiah De Los Santos

Michigan State's Ben VanSumeren runs a blocking drill during the Meet the Spartans open practice on
Michigan State's Ben VanSumeren runs a blocking drill during the Meet the Spartans open practice on / Nick King/Lansing State Journal via
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The entire NFL world is buzzing as the Philadelphia Eagles' Monday Night Football showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs approaches. Though the Eagles enter this contest with the NFL's best record, they need to ensure they're putting the best players on the field in this heavyweight matchup.

In order to best maximize his roster, head coach Nick Sirianni has elected to bring up some depth from the practice squad just hours before kickoff.

Linebacker Ben VanSumeren has been elevated from the PS to the active roster for Monday night's contest. He's emerged as a special teams contributor recently, clearing the way for another promotion.

This will mark VanSumeren's second straight appearance for the Eagles. He was called up in the team's last game before the bye versus the Dallas Cowboys, and while he didn't play on defense, he did log 42% of the team's special teams snaps.

At the very least, VanSumeren provides Sirianni with a flexible depth option. The former Michigan and Michigan State player originally came out of high school as a running back before flipping over to defense to finish out his collegiate career. He made a big impact as a senior with the Spartans, recording 81 total tackles, including 3 TFL, 2 pass breakups and 2.0 sacks.

It's a very encouraging sign for the undrafted rookie that he's earning more playing time as the season goes on, instead of going in reverse. Philadelphia's coaching staff will be tightening rotations as the playoffs approach, yet the youngster has obviously made an impression, which could mean promising things for his role down the stretch.

VanSumeren can certainly make the case for more time on the field by coming up big in primetime.

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