As the Eagles convene for training camp, the team made a few moves on Sunday. One of them was jettisoning fifth-year cornerback Dwayne Gratz.
Philadelphia announced the release of Gratz, whom the team signed late last season to a two-year deal. No guaranteed money was attached to Gratz’s $775K contract. The Eagles also placed Sidney Jones and Beau Allen on the Active/NFI list. Philly will meet for camp on Monday and begin practice Thursday.
The Eagles are the third team since October 2016 to part ways with Gratz. The Jaguars cut him in October, but Gratz didn’t make it to free agency when the Rams claimed him. However, Los Angeles cut Gratz as well after deploying him in three games. The Eagles signed him in advance of Week 15 last season. The 27-year-old corner did not play any games for Philly. Gratz functioned as a primary starter for the 2014 Jags but has otherwise been a backup.
Philly does not have a particularly deep cornerback contingent, but Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes (on Twitter) 2016 UDFA C.J. Smith and CFL import Aaron Grymes performed better than Gratz during offseason workouts.
Jones could still miss the season due to his Achilles injury, and Allen suffered a chest injury while working out this offseason. The defensive tackle who has served as a rotational player is not expected to be ready by Week 1.
Slow news day, huh…?