The Eagles are about to get some reinforcement. Tight end Tyree Jackson and safety K’Von Wallace returned to practice today, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). The two players now have 21 days to be activated to the 53-man roster.
Wallace was a fourth-round pick by the Eagles in 2020, and he ended up seeing time in 15 games (three starts) as a rookie. He started two of the Eagles first three games in 2021, collecting six tackles. He separated his shoulder in Week 3 and subsequently landed on injured reserve.
Jackson was a QB during his collegiate career at Buffalo, and he had a short stint with the Bills during the 2019 preseason. After spending some time in the XFL, Jackson joined the Eagles on a reserve/futures contract. Philly intends to convert the 23-year-old to tight end, and Rapoport notes that the organization has high hopes for the player. He fractured a bone in his back toward the end of the preseason, and he’s sat on IR for the entire 2021 campaign.
Now, he’ll have a chance to join a depth chart that recently lost Zach Ertz thanks to a trade with the Cardinals. The Eagles will eventually have Dallas Goedert back as the starter, but the team’s only other tight end at the moment is Jack Stoll.
Jackson has intriguing size and did have a big arm, but his transition to TE seems likely to take some time to me. He’s probably got some work to do building up his body because he was pretty lanky for his height at Buffalo. I’m not sure how far along his development is, though. His blocking would be a major area I’d be curious in observing-I know he’s likely to be a red zone target, and not primarily a blocker, but even pure receiving TEs like Noah Fant have to have some proficiency as blockers for limited plays.
Logan Thomas took some time to become a good NFL TE as a former quarterback-we’ll see if Jackson can do the same.