Eagles C Jason Kelce, RB Darren Sproles added to Pro Bowl roster
Eagles center Jason Kelce and running back Darren Sproles were added to the NFC Pro Bowl roster on Monday, giving the Eagles four representatives in the NFL's all-star contest. Kelce and Sproles join left tackle Jason Peters and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox.
Kelce will play in his second Pro Bowl. He also played in the Pro Bowl after the 2014 season. Kelce, 29, started all 16 games this season for the Eagles. He replaces Atlanta Falcons center Alex Mack, who will play in the Super Bowl. Kelce was rated the 27th-best center in the NFL this season by Pro Football Focus.
Sproles will appear in the Pro Bowl for the third consecutive season. He had 94 carries for 438 yards (4.7 average) and two touchdowns. He also had 52 receptions for 427 yards and two touchdowns, and averaged a career-high 13.2 yards on 17 punt returns. He replaces Falcons running back Devonta Freeman.
The Pro Bowl is Sunday in Orlando.
Groh will coach WRs
The Eagles officially announced that Mike Groh will be their new wide receivers coach, two days after reports first surfaced that he would replace Greg Lewis.
"We are excited to add Mike Groh to our coaching staff," coach Doug Pederson said in a statement. "Mike brings with him a vast array of experience coaching wide receivers in the NFL and college. Over his career, he has demonstrated a great ability as a teacher and as a motivator and we look forward to him getting started in Philadelphia."
Groh, 45, was previously the passing game coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams. He has coached receivers with the Rams and the Chicago Bears, and three receivers have had 1,000-yard seasons with Groh: Kenny Britt, Alshon Jeffery, and Brandon Marshall.
Britt and Jeffery are free agents.
Groh is the son of former New York Jets, Virginia, and Wake Forest coach Al Groh.
Defensive tackle added
The Eagles signed defensive tackle Justin Hamilton to a reserve/future contract, adding more depth to the defensive line.
Hamilton, 23, has spent time on the practice squads or offseason rosters of the Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, and Seattle Seahawks. He is 6-foot-2 and 315 pounds and went undrafted out of Louisiana-Lafayette in 2015.
The Eagles have a spot on their defensive line because they're converting Taylor Hart from defensive tackle to offensive tackle, according to the team's website. Hart, 25, is 6-6 and 305 pounds and has been a defensive lineman throughout his NFL career. He was a fifth-round pick in 2014 who was inactive as a rookie before playing 14 games for the Eagles in a 3-4 scheme in 2015. He was waived early last season before the Eagles brought him back in October, although Hart never played a regular-season game on the defensive line last season. He played on the offensive line on the scout team.