Birds Cut Atogwe, 18 Others; Still No QB News
The Philadelphia Daily News - Eagletarian
Birds Cut Atogwe, 18 Others; Still No QB News
Les Bowen, Daily News Staff Writer
The Eagles have to cut down from 75 to 53 by 9 p.m. Friday; early this afternoon they released 19 names, none of them a quarterback.
Reinjuring his hamstring in the preseason finale might have been the last straw for veteran safety OJ Atogwe. Also gone are TE Brett Brackett, LB Keenan Clayton, DT Landon Cohen, TE Chase Ford, WR Mardy Gilyard, WR Chad Hall, CB Joselio Hanson, FB Emil Igwenagu, OT DJ Jones, WR Marvin McNutt, LB Adrien Moten, DT Ollie Ogbu, LB Ryan Rau, DE Monte Taylor, S Phillip Thomas, DT Frank Trotter, OL Stave Vallos, and OL Brandon Washington.
Hanson, 31, an Eagle since 2006, was a mild surprise. He has been a reliable slot corner. But Hanson was cut before the 2011 season, then brought back for less money, and in April, the Eagles drafted Brandon Boykin pretty much expressly to replace Hanson. Still, in the early going at Lehigh, coaches indicated Hanson was significantly ahead of Boykin and would he hard to displace. Boykin must have caught up.
Gilyard was a 2010 fourth-round pick of the Rams who had an excellent camp and preseason at an extremely deep position for the Eagles. he and Hall getting cut indicates the Birds won't carry more than five wide receivers for the opener, including Riley Cooper (collarbone) who probably isn't going to be ready to play. Hall retains practice squad eligibility, but he might have played well enough last season and this preseason to catch another team's eye.
Gilyard also ought to be able to get a job somewhere. He caught a Trent Edwards touchdown pas Thursday night in the preseason finale, and afterward talked about what it was like waiting to learn his fate.
"I'm not going to sleep at all tonight. No, not at all. Just because, it's like, for the guys on the bubble like me and Chris [RB Polk], all the guys that have been repping with the [second and third teams], the team has so many weapons that you're just stressed out, you know what I mean? It's the name of the game," Gilyard said.
There has been no word on the quarterback drama between Mike Kafka and Trent Edwards, one of whom won't make it. Until this week, all indications had been that the Eagles remained very high on Kafka, who broke his nonthrowing hand in the preseason opener, and that they would not be swayed by Edwards' strong preseason. But the last few days, that has seemed less clear, Some Eagles sources now seem to expect Edwards to win the battle.
Riley Cooper or Marty Gilyard.... I would have chose Marty Gilyard. Saving spots for injured guys is a no no in this business and bound to bite you in the end.— thegooddre- I bet they will try to get McNutt and Brandon Washington on the practice squad.— soulman386
- McNutt has little to offer, and he was crying to get into the game last night...Rau to the practice squad...The cut that was wrong was Keenan Clayton...He WILL surface, and produce somewhere...Hope Gilyard doesn't latch on, as I doubt Damaris Johnson stays healthy. — bearsfriend
- Trevard Lindley may be a big surprise to make the team.— soulman386
- Do you think the Air Force will take Chad back? Or just write off the million dollar education he stole from the taxpayers?— dragoon6
- He served in the USAF for 2 years as a 2nd LT. and was then transferred to a reserve unit from his active service unit to fulfill his 5 year duty - so how did he steal anything?? — golpher300
- The USAF cut many excess officers a few years back in a budget cut. A number of them went to reserve duty. My son is a USAFA graduate, and knows a number who did not stay full term at the request of the USAF. Many members of his class of 2006 are no longer on active duty, although he still is. Just like every graduate of a Top Ten football machine will continue to play, not all of the 2nd Lts. coming out of the academies are going to be professional officers for years on end. Some are better off finding another line of work.
- Marvin McNutt: Im loved him in all those late 60s/early 70s Disney films. Always the bumbling security guard or crazy uncle. He'll missed ... literally. No one will be throwing towards him at all so he will missed.— Horst Muhlman lives on in all of us
- Cut 2 safeties? Allen, Coleman and Jarrett? 2 can barely play and the other needs GPS to find someone to tackle. Must be something in the wind.— tpizza
- The Birds have been scouring other rosters for today's cutdown day for 2 weeks now looking to pick up safety help...Atogwe gave them zilch in camp, and Jarrett's hanging by a thread as he finally started hitting people the last few weeks. — bearsfriend
- As good as Boykin is, I still think Hanson does a great job as the slot corner. This is risky, allowing the rookie to handle the important position of slot corner. This does create an extra spot on the roster for a guy like Polk though. I hope the Eagles keep Edwards over Kafka, Thomas over Jarrett, and McBriar over Henry.— arrowamy
- Have to release 3 more...including the punter which, oddly, after yesterday's report from McBriar's agent, is not on the list. Second will be QB who loses out (perhaps a Kafka trade in the works?). Obviously staying with Jarrett. Seems to be down to Lindley, Polk, perhaps Dixon or Tapp (trade there?).— jmk1512
- Cut Polk— blueye7
- Also could be negotiating some injury scenarios, like Polk to IR or Kafka to PUP? Also odd that there's not punter on the list.— jmk1512
- Rau looked good last night. Hope he ends up on the Taxi squad— dragoon6
