If it means the team could gain picks for Gainwell or Scott, then I think it's a great lateral move.
They had to put Sermon on the 53 because they claimed him on waivers. They may demote him to the PS later, and replace him with a wideout.
Dillard's injury puts a lot of pressure on Mailata to stay healthy. Awosika and Sills do not inspire confidence at LT.
It still leaves a giant hole at WR and kick coverage depth. I am fine with maximizing value and moving pieces around, but I feel like the eagles needs are face-up at this point.
They have Allen, Cain, and Covey available at receiver on the PS, and 4 great players on the 53 at that position. There is no giant hole. There is not even a small hole. In fact, they have one of the best WR groups in the entire league. If they lose, it's not going to be because they chose the wrong #5 WR to activate. I seriously don't get what you are trying to say.
I'm trying to say they are incredibly thin at WR outside of the 4 on the roster. Let's not pretend that some PS players are a sign of strength.
EDIT: do you think having only 4 WRs and 4 RBs is a good idea in the modern NFL?
They are carrying 7 WRs. Under the current practice squad rules, where you can elevate two guys every game, PS players ARE your depth. Cain is better than the 5th wide receiver on any NFC East team, better than Reagor (who is #4 on the Vikings), better than the Chief's rookie, etc. And they have two other guys who have shown potential that they are developing. I'm fine with their wide receiver room. Who did you want them to carry? Reagor?
And I can't find a single team that is carrying more than 4 RBs on their 53 on the ESPN depth charts.
You have an odd fascination with what other teams are doing. The better argument is if RBs or special teams matter in the current/future NFL.
If having more than four RBs were important in the current NFL, then the teams in the current NFL would have them.
They could have kept Hightower, but didn't view him as a legit #5, I guess. Ward was hurt. They'll coach the guys on the practice squad. They should be able to fill in as 5s, if needed later in season. You have to protect the quality players under your control. Reagor wasn't worth keeping. I'm fine with what they did. They have better WRs this season than last. Reagor played a lot last year and was awful. Arcega-Whiteside was a blocker, who couldn't avoid penalties. The Eagles have moved away from their past draft blunders. That's a good thing. We are actually carrying 4 real WRs this season. That wasn't the case last season.
Taylor went unclaimed and is on the practice squad. Unless there are any more moves coming (I wouldn't put it past Howie), with the Dillard news and the lack of the returner, it's a safe bet the practice squad call ups for week one will be Covey and Clark.
I know. Perfectly fine, IMHO. The natural question back to you is: fine to complain, but be specific. Which two players would you like to see removed from the 53-man roster and which 2 would you want to see added. You can't say Dillard, he wasn't a choice, other than to cut.
How so? He is a RB on the roster. If they want to swap him with a RB now on the practice squad, they will be able to do that. Sermon seems a guy worth a shot. You didn't answer either question. Whom would you add to 53-man and whom would you drop? Sermon is young and cheap. Better than Howard on the roster.
I don't like Sermon, either. BUT, if they wanted him, they HAD to roster him on the 53 according to the rules. They can give him a run for a couple of weeks and release him if they don't like him or if they like Perrine better.
Almost anyone isn't an answer. You say they don't have enough RB. Sermon is a RB. He is the one the team wanted. They see something in him they want to work with. For some reason you are super down on Sermon, but that doesn't answer the questions. You wanted them to keep one more RB and one more WR on the 53-man. Who? To do so means cutting 2 players from the 53. Obviously, they valued the other guys more -- some as reserves for this season, other for longer-term development guys they think will help in future years and know they would lose if they didn't put them on the 53-man. Howie has done well with this. I thought Taylor was gone. He isn't. I thought for sure that Harris, Chacherre, and Kawosika were lost. They aren't. Howie maximized the FB talent he still controls.
chuck is right. They will elevate one of the WR and have 5 on the active roster for the game. Which is fine.
They have 3 guys on the PS, all of which could receive some consideration to be the #5 guy. They don't have a hole at WR.
They may have a hole at punt return, unless they feel Covey is the guy there. As stated above, returning has been minimized in the current game, but you do need a guy who can field them cleanly. Who's the #2 guy in case Covey gets hurt? Quez? Gainwell?
I am fine with them liking him, but they should probably trade another RB to make the roster more balanced.
It sounded like you were saying that you didn't think that 4 running backs and 4 wide receivers were enough, however, it sounds like you are saying that 4 running backs are too many, is that correct? I think they are worried about Sanders health to start the season, and as stated, in order to claim Sermon he required a spot on the roster. If they cut any of the other three backs, they would be claimed/signed elsewhere. And I don't think its a good idea to trade any of those three. I think that the Eagles can waive Sermon after week one, if he clears then they can add him to the practice squad. Its a relatively cheap free look at a player they value. Same with the QB they picked up.
Teams are allowed to protect 4 players each week from being poached from their practice squad, so four of these guys are fully protected. They can elevate 2 players per week to the game day roster. they can elevate each player from the practice squad 3 times in a season. There is a lot of roster flexibility beyond the 53.
I think its safe to say that Howie will take advantage of whatever roster rules that he can. The roster is not a reflection of the 53 best players, it is 53 players that need to be protected this week. They tried to put guys on the practice squad that will be called up due to injury. If there are no injuries this year, the Eagles will still make roster moves, but with injuries, they will have more flexibility to add players.
I like what they did with the roster, its too bad they lost two players in the process, but I'm happy with the players that they signed to the PS, I'm sure that we will see quite a few of them on Sundays before the season is over.
That is correct. 4 RBs is too much and 4 WRs is not enough. If the intention is to move Sermon to the PS, then that's fine.
Also, having the ability to move a player up 3 times a season should not really be considered depth when you are only carrying 4 WRs. Cain looked good in the preseason, but he is 26 with 9 receptions in the NFL. Allen and Covey are special teams players. So yes, I would rather have Reagor on the roster.
Dillard to the IR and Harris is being released from the practice squad, so a spot is open on the 53 and one is open on the practice squad, expect moves soon.
Makes me wonder if any team out there tried to stash a 3rd or 4th round S, OL, WR or TE on the practice squad. Wouldn't be bad at all to try and steal a pick.
Released RB La'Michal Perine and QB Reid Sinnett from the Practice Squad and added WR Auden Tate and TE Dalton Keene to the Practice Squad.
Practice Squad now has 4 WRs (Cain, Covey, Allen, Tate) and 2 TEs (Togiai and Keene).
Yes, we have Book. Is he really a legit #3 lacking height and arm strength? How do you develop those weaknesses if your goal is to have your QB pass more and run less than Hurts did last season?
I am not saying anything about Book's ability but he was clearly already the third-stringer. They weren't going to keep four, practice squad or otherwise. Of course Book also doesn't have to stick forever.
I guess they really didn't think Carson Strong could play. I thought he had the qualities from his college career. Maybe his knee is just too bad.
gm
We're looking more like a TE factory than a QB factory these days...Goedert, Calcaterra, Stoll, Togiai, Keene, and Jackson on the IR. I bet no other team has 6 TEs.
again even more hype for the eagles. Philly paper stating that the eagles could win big on Sunday. Man I hope the team is not hearing and reading all of this. Can they be that good?
gm
It depends a lot on Hurts and the coaches. They are playing against a team which was awful against the run. I 'm sure they want to give Hurts an easy test as a passer against a poor team, but they should also lean on the run, which was successful for them last season. Will Gannon play other than a soft prevent defense, with little blitzing and little disguising what they are doing? They have more talent than last season. Will they be willing to adapt to what works earier than they were last season?
The last team that was hyped like this (the Vince Young team) stumbled and fell badly in the 'real' season. Don't take the rat poison!
Did the Eagles fill Dillard's spot on the 53? Are they going into week 1 with 52 so that they don't have to guarantee the 2022 salary of a 4+year vet? I can't think of another reason not to make the roster move. Is there a downside to calling up a non-vet from the practice squad like Covey? I was expecting someone from the practice squad to be signed to the 53 and then possibly sent back if they needed a spot down the road.
