Breaking down the Eagles' roster cuts
Here's my take on several of the Eagles' roster cuts.
Breaking down the Eagles' roster cuts
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Here's my take on several of the Eagles' roster cuts.
Not included among the writeups are: Eldra Buckley, Jamar Adams, Marlin Jackson and Fenuki Tupou.
Note that Brandon Graham was placed on the PUP list, and Ryan Harris was released with an injury settlement.
Joselio Hanson - I didn't think he'd make the roster, but I thought the Eagles might be able to deal him. Did teams hold off from giving anything up, knowing he'd be released? Maybe. But I expect multiple teams to be interested. If one really wanted Hanson, you'd think it would have offered up a late-round pick. Hanson allowed 4.4 yards per attempt last season, which ranked second in the NFL among cornerbacks with at least 40 targets, per Football Outsiders. He also only allowed 1.5 YAC, which ranked first. So why'd the Eagles get rid of him? Hanson carries a cap hit of over $2.4M for 2011. That's too high for someone they project as just the fourth cornerback. We'll see if the Giants, who have been hurt by injuries in their secondary, make a run at Hanson. There were previous reports that the Rams could take a shot at him too. That'd be interesting, considering the Eagles play St. Louis in Week 1.
Daniel Te'o-Nesheim - Gotta give Howie Roseman credit here. Te'o-Nesheim was the third player Roseman drafted as GM of the Eagles, but he realized he made a mistake and moved on. Philip Hunt outplayed Te'o-Nesheim in training camp and the preseason, earning the roster spot.
Reggie Wells - His fate seemed to be directly connected to Winston Justice. When the Eagles brought Wells back a couple weeks ago, it was a head-scratcher, but he actually played well in the preseason at right tackle. If Justice had not been activated from the PUP list, I think Wells would have had a good shot to make it. But Justice is back, and Wells lost the roster spot.
Mike McGlynn - He played horribly in the first preseason game against the Ravens and never really got much of a shot after that. McGlynn was OK at center last season, but apparently never showed Howard Mudd much at guard. He played center and tackle in the final preseason game, perhaps trying to show on tape that he can be versatile.
Anthony Hargrove - I thought he'd make the cut because of his versatility (Hargrove played defensive tackle and defensive end in the preseason), but he didn't survive.
Derek Landri - After the Hargrove release was announced, I thought Landri was safe, but that was not the case. He was a 16-game starter in Carolina and played well in the preseason. But in the end, the Eagles instead decided to go with undrafted free agent Cedric Thornton. I'm not sure how often we'll see Thornton on the field this year, but I assume the Eagles saw more upside with him down the road. The regular defensive tackles will be Cullen Jenkins, Mike Patterson, Trevor Laws and Antonio Dixon.
Austin Howard - We forget now, but he was taking first-team reps at one point in training camp. Howard soon fell out of favor and never looked like someone the Eagles could count on this season. If Mudd sees potential in him, Howard could land on the practice squad.
Donald Lee - Only two teams played with two tight ends less often than the Eagles last year, according to Football Outsiders. That's why I never thought keeping a third tight end made sense, especially considering they added Steve Smith and could play with four wide receivers more often. Lee had a nice game Thursday night and looks like someone who can hold up as a receiver and a blocker. We'll see if he catches on somewhere. I know some of you on Twitter have mentioned the Giants as a possible landing spot.
Chad Hall - He looked more comfortable as a receiver this preseason, but Hall was unlikely to get on the field with DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant, Steve Smith and Riley Cooper at wide receiver. Even if Smith can't go early in the season, four guys would be ahead of him. As a return man, Hall never really showed much, and he looked shaky on Thursday night.
Sinorice Moss - He played well Thursday night, but that performance wasn't enough to earn Moss a roster spot. If the Eagles were going to keep a return specialist, Moss might have been the guy. With the roster constructed the way it is right now, Dion Lewis looks like the favorite to be the kick returner. As for a punt returner? The Eagles still have to figure that one out.
Johnnie Lee Higgins - He had a shot to win a roster spot at the beginning of training camp as the fifth receiver/return man, but Higgins' chances probably faded when the Eagles signed Steve Smith. He didn't really stand out on special teams.
Greg Lloyd - He is one of only two drafted rookies to get cut, along with fullback Stanley Havili. If the Eagles think he has potential, Lloyd could land on the practice squad.
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Suprised a little bit by these cuts. I thought they would keep Chad Hall or Sinorice Moss and I had them keeping Landri and Laws.— briandawkins20- Sheil, how many more cuts are left— robm0202
Comment removed.- Comment removed.
- I think these rosters are too small with all the injuries that can occur. If you have to sign someone, then they don't know your system.— Eagle_1960
- @green blood , Right on the money! The only reason these two make this squad over the other two is because Reid is too stubborn to admit a mistake. I can accept that he is not good at drafting on the defensive side of the ball, it just infuriates me when he continues to insist he is right when the whole world knows it was a mistake— yourdaddy!
- No prob with Laws, but it's hard to explain T'eo over Landri.— jmk1512
Puzzling. It appears that the Eagles do not want acknowledge questionable draft picks ie. Teo'Nesheim and Lindley.
Landri and Hargrove looked to be better performers than Teo & Parker.
And I would have released Lindley and held on to Hanson (possible near-future trade bait).
But, until they make me GM ...- Landri had a great preseason.. The things is with him, that is the way he plays all season... He gives it 110%.. Cannot say that for the other ones. — teresamy3sons
- Its too bad than Hanson was let go. He is a fantastic nickel corner, and could start at corner for a majority of teams. He is a good tackler and special teams player. I actually wish the Eagles would have got a second rounder in a trade for Asante Samuel. Then they could have used Samuel's cap space to get a very good RT like Jared Gaither, and a solid run stopping MLB like Stephen Tullock. Would have made much more sense. There is no way that Samuel, DRC, and Ashomugha will coexist happily. Which of the three would be happy sitting on the bench? And what a waste of resources. Especially when you have arguably the best nickel corner already in Hanson.— arrowamy
- Eagles need to sign Brandon Merriweather....NOW!!!!— arrowamy
- I would be suprised to see Chad Hall land somewhere they knows how to use the kid. But look @ our WR's who you gonna cut for Hall?— dmanphilly
- Hanson is a good nickel or dime corner but not a starter. He proved that last year. Yeah they could have cut Teo'3rd suck and kept landri or hargrove
— urbnasty - glad hanson is gone. he came up short when we got smoked by dallas in the playoffs two years ago. landri on the other hand strikes me as a mistake to let go.— djack10
- They did cut Teo. laws is a puzzle. He gets hurt if somebody bumps into him.— Ssteve115
- Dont you bleepers read?? From the article:
Daniel Te'o-Nesheim - Gotta give Howie Roseman credit here. Te'o-Nesheim was the third player Roseman drafted as GM of the Eagles, but he realized he made a mistake and moved on. Philip Hunt outplayed Te'o-Nesheim in training camp and the preseason, earning the roster spot.
— Hatfield_ham - they cut down to 52, not 53. what's going on???— bossmoss
- R u sure about the 52 thing??— teresamy3sons
- Graham takes Thortons place when he is ready to play. Thorton can move to practice squad more easily than Hargrove or Landri, they would be picked up by another team.— camasbud
- I am so sorry Landri got cut....I was looking forward to seeing Philly.. Thank you for being kind to Derek Landri while he was here. He said he really liked it in Philly..Good Luck with your season..— teresamy3sons
- Yeah, the Birds have to "figure out" who will return punts. I know Jackson will do some, but why hasn't the other guy been practicing punt returns? And who will it be? Curtis Marsh? Dion Lewis? Ah, no need to have them do this in games before the opener.— armchairGM
- The Eagles cut to 52, but added Justice so that makes 53. My question is other than Merriweather, do the Birds grab anyone? There are some LBs out there...the guy from TB being one. Couple O lineman and other safeties if they don't like Merriweather's penchant for penalties.— HandNik
- Hanson isn't needed and had a big cap hit, now that money can go to D.Jackson. I like that they kept Hunt, he looked real good at times. I am glad to see them keep J.Jackson, too. He will likely be the first one in at center or either guard spot. This kid from Pitt is going to be exciting running back kicks, I hope he gets to return punts, too. I am sure they will be looking at the waiver wire for a veteran MLB, and maybe a kicker, too. This is a very strong roster, this team is going places.— Paul SoTX
- Thought Landri played well, and they kept Clay Harbour over Lee?— 76er
- Last time they started a season without a clear idea who their punt returner would be was a disaster and cost them the first game (a game they NEEDED at the end). Remember, Green Bay...fumble...? And then they had to call Reno Mahe who was out of football? Or was that a bad dream....?— jrwoznicki
- Hello, Reno? Andy Reid here. Could you grab a siphon, gas up the van and be here by Tuesday?— dasher
- Honest to God, some of the comments make me fear for mankind. Some of you absolutely flame Reid for keeping Teo when the article clearly states that he was cut. If you're going to criticize others, the least you can do is LEARN HOW TO READ. Or better yet, just shut the heck up.— Falkirk
- wish we could have kept landri....they still need o-line help and linebacker help that i hope they address now that final cuts league wide are in.
thank god they cut teo...he was horrible! also, wish they could have gotten something in a trade for joselio but oh-well, at least they gain some cap room.— psualum - Comment removed.
- Teo now will have a lot of time to stare at the ceiling.— zeke128
- The reason Landri did not make the team was because when he had an opportunity to start against the Pittsburg Steelers starting offensive line he was no where to be found, Landri did play well,mind you it was against second and third stringers.Provided Laws stays healthy, which he did last season when it counted, he was effective.— Eaglehaslanded
- there were some TERRIBBLE decisions here for the good of the team. keeping thornton does NOT HELP THE TEAM win games, it only saves money. complete garbage. Landri and Hargove both would help the team way more then cedric thornton ever will. both earned the right the right to make the team, at least ONE OF THEM should be on the roster. its INSANITY. this roster is NO WHERE NEAR A SB. NOT EVEN CLOSE. THEY WILL LOSE TO MOST PLAYOFF TEAMS THEY FACE AND BEAT THE GARBAGE OF THE LEAGUE WHICH IS WHAT REID ALWAYS DOES. HE WILL NEVER WIN A SB. NEVER NEVER NEVER— CharlieGarner25
- FYI, this blog was edited several times. First version, Teo was still not cut yet. So, the first few posts about Teo was before the Eagles cut him. Anyway, Landri played great, and should have had a spot on the team over Thornton. Thornton easily could have been stashed on the practice squad. Landri will get picked up by another team. It is nice to have veteran depth on the DL. And Jenkins can play DT and DE, so having Landri would have been nice. Didn't understand that move. Eagles should bring in Merriweather, since they are shaking at safety. I also wish they would have kept Hanson over Lindley. But I think the decisions involved dollars and cap space over keeping the best talent. Hanson is underrated. All the guy does is produce, and prevent the other guy from catching the ball for big yards. Lastly, the biggest disappointment in camp was Ryan Harris. I really thought the Eagles stole him. The offensive line would look a lot better with a healthy Ryan Harris, and keeping Herrmeans at LG. Hey, is Shawn Andrews available? LOL— arrowamy
- Lindley hasn't shown me anything, and I thought Hargrove was very physical. I'll keep my eye on Hanson and Hargrove this season. I think they'll find teams quickly and do well.— T
- C Garner 25. I wonder how long you have been an Eagles Fan. I think back on the hopelessness of seasons with coaches like Rich Kotite..."uh, we didn't leave anything on the field" or Ray Rhodes..."from a defensive standpoint we needed to make plays" and back to Merion Campbell's losing seasons. We Sucked for soooo loonngg. And now we are in the hunt EVERY year. Andy makes a few head scratcher calls now and then, but he is a perpetual winner and to have the league even wispering the super bowl and Eagles in the same breath at this time of year is as good as it's ever been in Philly. All we need is a year that we're not the ones with the devastating injuries and have that luck fall to someone else and Andy will end up winning it all....and that's a WHOLE lot better than the hopeless seasons of decades past. Jeff Laure, Joe Banner and Andy Reid are the best thing that's happened to the Eagles for a long long time.— bonnerlou
- lonebone charlieG has it right...get rid of Fabio.— Astro Jones
@green - very few contracts are guaranteed so that has nothing to do with it. It sounds like Landri probably wasn't going to play much anyway so they'd rather keep Thorton on the bench and develop him as a younger player signed long term than Landri who is only signed for this year. That being said, I am sure this is not the 53 that is going into the first game or after the first bit. Landri could be back with Thorton going to practice squad.- Comment removed.
- hey ritards, teo did get cut, thus "admitting a mistake". go watch soccer, or something....— CosmoK
- and all the people saying that the eagles kept thornton because they're trying to save money, did it ever occur to you that maybe the strategy was to clear some cap space to re-sign jackson? further, the eagles spent more money in free agency than any other team in the nfl this year, so give it a rest.— CosmoK
- Eagles should have kept Donald Lee. I think this team has a problem with height size. Lee is a tight end who can line up wide, but these clowns want to stay with harbor. I am not fooled. No Super Bowl this year!— GrownMan86
- Eagles should have kept Donald Lee. I think this team has a problem with height size. Lee is a tight end who can line up wide, but these clowns want to stay with harbor. I am not fooled. No Super Bowl this year!— GrownMan86
- well teo was cut eventually...and i wish we had gotten meriweather....and either hargrove or landri come back after week 1 ...i say hargrove— Cliff Martin
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