Philadelphia Eagles News & Rumors

Eagles LT Jordan Mailata To Miss Time

Jordan Mailata has played well enough to earn two extensions, becoming one of this era’s premier offensive line development stories. Mailata’s work on his third Eagles contract will be on hold for a stretch, however.

Philadelphia’s left tackle will miss time due to the hamstring injury he sustained in Week 6, Nick Sirianni said Monday. Mailata is expected to miss multiple games because of the issue, which will prompt some rearranging on the Eagles’ front. Exiting the stadium on crutches, Mailata could be an IR candidate. Though, Sirianni stopped short of indicating that will ultimately be necessary.

Mailata has not missed multiple games in a season since 2021, when he missed three. The Australian blocker played every Eagles game last season and missed just one in 2022. This will be a bit more of a speedbump for the talented lineman, who signed a three-year, $66MM extension this offseason.

The Eagles moved Fred Johnson into Mailata’s blindside spot Sunday but have some options if they want to take another route. Philly rosters former Jets first-round tackle Mekhi Becton but has slotted him at right guard. Becton won the team’s RG position out of training camp, beating out Tyler Steen. Becton struggled for much of his Jets tenure at left tackle, though he did submit a promising rookie season. His issues — largely health-related — led to a modest market forming; Becton signed a one-year, $2.75MM deal. He would be in line for a far better accord in 2025, should the fifth-year O-lineman stay healthy.

Steen had been expected to win Philly’s RG job, being drafted in the 2023 third round and groomed to take over when Jason Kelce‘s retirement pushed Cam Jurgens to center. Becton’s arrival introduced a complication for Steen, who has played 66 offensive snaps this season after logging only 71 throughout the 2023 campaign.

A Becton move would depend on the Eagles’ view of Johnson, who has been with the Eagles since 2022. The Eagles added the former Steelers UDFA midway through the ’22 season. Johnson played in all 17 games as a backup last season and started one this year, filling in for Lane Johnson at RT. Fred Johnson has nine NFL starts on his resume; the first eight all came from 2019-21, giving the Eagles a decision to make.

Jets’ Haason Reddick Dropped By Agency

OCTOBER 13: A new agreement may soon be reached regarding Reddick finding new representation, per veteran insider Josina Anderson. Nothing is firmly in place at this point, but changes on that front could be followed by some kind of Jets resolution. Then again, Reddick has already turned aside a New York offer during the regular season.

OCTOBER 10: The Haason Reddick saga has taken another notable turn. As his Jets holdout continues, the veteran edge rusher has been dropped by his agency, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

Reddick has remained away from the Jets since his introductory news conference in April. No movement is known to have taken place with respect to a contract resolution being reached, although his agents have been in communication with general manager Joe Douglas. That process has not yielded results, and NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo notes a philosophical difference has resulted in CAA’s decision to move on.

A number of veteran players have engaged in holdouts (or at least hold-ins) while seeking a new or upgraded contract during the offseason, something which is done in conjunction with their representatives. As SNY’s Connor Hughes confirms, however, Reddick’s actions have not been on the recommendation of his agents. The 30-year-old has decided on his own to continue holding out through the regular season after skipping OTAs, minicamp and training camp.

Doing so has resulted in major financial penalties. Reddick racked up over $8MM in fines for his offseason absences, and he has missed out on $4.2MM in base salary for the 2024 season. A pending free agent (but only if he accrues a year of service time by reporting relatively soon), the two-time Pro Bowler was dealt from the Eagles to the Jets once it became clear Philadelphia would not commit to a new contract. A Jets offer was turned down, and the team has insisted new negotiations will not take place until Reddick reports. It very much remains to be seen when (if at all) that will take place.

Reddick requested a trade in August, but Douglas immediately made it clear no consideration to such a move would be given. While a deal sending him elsewhere remains possible, the former first-rounder is not expected to be included in any potential Davante Adams trade. Speculation on Reddick’s future will thus remain tied to his willingness to remain absent through the coming weeks.

Jets owner Woody Johnson said Reddick would be welcomed “with open arms” if he were to report, adding, “he’s got to get here first. So, Haason, get in your car, drive down I-95 and come to the New York Jets. We can meet you and give you an escort right in the building and you will fit right in and you’re going to love it here, and you’re going to feel welcome and you’re going to accomplish great things with us” (h/t ESPN’s Rich Cimini).

The Jets paid a conditional 2026 third-round pick – which could become a second-round selection – to acquire Reddick. As NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport notes, a trade back to the Eagles at this time is not permissible under league rules. Other suitors could eventually be in play, though, in which case the other selection involved in this situation (a 2026 second-rounder) would become particularly important. Veteran insider Josina Anderson reports the conditions on that pick are tied to Reddick’s destination if he does wind up being traded away again.

Speculation increased that New York could re-engage on a resolution after Jermaine Johnson‘s Achilles tear. That has not proven to be the case, and 2023 first-rounder Will McDonald has posted six sacks while stepping into an increased role. What happens next on the Jets’ part will be worth watching closely. Of course, the possibility remains that Reddick continues to hold out – a move which will no doubt negatively affect his ability to land new representation in the future.

Eagles’ Cooper DeJean To Take Over As Primary Nickel Corner

A key component of the Eagles’ offseason plan to overhaul their secondary is about to realize a spike in playing time. PHLY’s Zach Berman noted earlier this month that rookie defensive back Cooper DeJean was “closing in” on the starting slot cornerback job, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently reported that he expects DeJean to take over slot duties for the team’s Week 6 date with the Browns (subscription required).

Philadelphia, whose porous secondary torpedoed their hopes of defending their NFC title in 2023, selected cornerback Quinyon Mitchell with the No. 22 overall pick of this year’s draft, and then added DeJean 18 picks later. While Mitchell has operated as a starting boundary corner from the jump, it has taken a little longer for DeJean to crack the starting lineup (though four games, he has appeared in just eight defensive snaps but 75 special teams snaps).

That is not terribly surprising, as DeJean sustained a fractured fibula last November that ended his collegiate career prematurely and kept him on the NFI list for the first several weeks of training camp. Though the Iowa product is valued for his ability to line up at both safety and corner, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio recently indicated that the club would have him focus his efforts on the nickel for the time being.

The presumptive promotion for DeJean will lead to a demotion for longtime Eagle Avonte Maddox. Released in a cost-cutting move this offseason only to be brought back via a modest one-year pact, Maddox has struggled in his familiar slot role, and Pro Football Focus presently grades him as the ninth-worst corner in the league out of 101 qualified players. The team initially planned to convert him to safety, and now that DeJean is healthy – and, per Fowler, “all caught up” with Fangio’s scheme – perhaps those plans will be put back into place.

The Philadelphia defense as a whole is in the bottom-10 in terms of both total yardage and passing yards allowed, so a shake-up is in order, and the team took advantage of its Week 5 bye to make some changes. This week’s release of linebacker Devin White was a part of those efforts, and replacing Maddox with the high upside of DeJean is another. 

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/12/24

Today’s minor transactions, including practice squad callups for Week 6:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/10/24

Thursday’s taxi squad moves:

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

Uzomah is a veteran of 106 games stemming from his seven-year run in Cincinnati followed by two years with the Jets. The 31-year-old has topped 400 receiving yards in a season only twice, but he has remained a consistent depth option in the passing game. He will aim to provide a rotational contribution behind Dallas Goedert in Philadelphia.

Eagles Release LB Devin White

Devin White‘s free agent spell with the Eagles has come to an abrupt end. The former first-round linebacker was released on Tuesday, per a team announcement.

White began his career in Tampa Bay as a highly impactful player from a statistical perspective. He lost his starting role late in the 2023 season, however, and as a result it came as little surprise when he departed on the open market. White took a one-year deal with the Eagles, but he has yet to make a regular season appearance. Now, the team will move on.

The former No. 5 pick was once attached to an asking price on a Bucs extension which would have made him one of the league’s highest-paid middle linebackers. By contrast, White took a one-year deal worth only $4MM to join Philadelphia’s efforts at finding a suitable setup at the position. With $3.5MM of that total being guaranteed, this move figures to create a dead money charge of just over $3MM. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes White worked out an agreement which could grant the team “potential savings,” however. Still, today’s news marks an unceremonious ending to this relationship.

White appeared to be on track to handle a starting workload during the summer, be instead he began the campaign in a backup capacity. Since the 26-year-old does not have extensive experience on special teams, he found himself a healthy scratch in Week 2 (after an ankle injury kept him out of the season opener). Rather than remaining out of the picture – barring injuries further up the depth chart – team and player have elected to part ways, Since this move has been made before the trade deadline, White will not be subject to waivers.

As such, the LSU product will be free to sign with any interested team in a bid to rebuild his market value. Interest figures to be limited given the way White’s career has gone recently, but he posted at least 124 tackles each year from 2020-22 and racked up 23 sacks during his Tampa Bay tenure. He could serve in a rotational capacity with a team seeking out linebacker depth, especially one which was planning on addressing the position via trade.

In the meantime, the Eagles will move forward with Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean – who beat out White for a first-team role during the lead-in to the season – as starters at the second level of their defense. It will be interesting to see if a depth addition is made with special teams contributions being targeted. Regardless of how that transpires, White will turn his attention to another fresh start.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/7/24

Here are the minor moves made around the NFL on Monday:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Received one-game roster exemption: WR Zay Jones

Atlanta Falcons

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

  • Received one-game roster exemption: DT Mike Hall

Green Bay Packers

Philadelphia Eagles

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Both Jones and Hall were issued suspensions under the personal conduct policy leaving them sidelined for the first five weeks of the season. Their roster exemptions will allow them to make their debuts in Week 6, but after that point a corresponding move will be needed for them to be permanently activated to their respective 53-man rosters.

Lemieux served as New Orleans’ starting center in Week 4 after being promoted from the practice squad. He stepped into a first-team role in place of Erik McCoy, who is dealing with a groin injury. Losing Lemieux for at least the next four games will deal another blow to the Saints’ O-line. Connor McGovern was added to the mix recently, but Lucas Patrick has received the nod at center to begin the team’s Week 5 matchup.

WR Parris Campbell Addresses Decision To Remain With Eagles

Parris Campbell found himself out of the Giants’ lineup midway through the 2023 season. As a result, it came as no surprise the veteran wideout departed in free agency this spring, making an intra-divisional move to the Eagles.

Campbell was unable to carve out a depth spot in his new team’s receiving corps during training camp and the preseason, however. Philadelphia released him ahead of roster cutdowns, leaving the 27-year-old as a free agent once again. Campbell did not originally consider remaining with the Eagles on a practice squad deal, but he ultimately had a change of heart.

“My pride was in the way, for sure,” the former second-rounder recalled (via PHLY’s Zach Berman). “And once I did get let go, and they told me that they wanted to come back on practice squad, I immediately was like, ‘No, that’s not me. That’s not for me’… Like, I talked to my agent, and he was like, ‘Do you want to do practice squad?’ I kind of just shut the door. ‘I’m cool. You can tell them no.'”

Campbell was quickly contacted by Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni expressing the team’s desire to sign him on a taxi squad deal. The Ohio State product – whose market value was certainly rather low given his 20-catch showing last year – accepted, setting himself up to handle a role in the early portion of the current campaign. With A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith both missing time through injury, Campbell was a gameday elevation ahead of today’s contest. That was his third elevation, meaning Philadelphia will now need to sign him to the active roster to continue using him.

Campbell made only a pair of catches across his first two Eagles contests, but he added another four (including a touchdown) during today’s loss against the Buccaneers. Brown and Smith were sidelined, and if that remains the for Week 5 Campbell could continue to handle a role in the passing game. At a minimum, his decision to re-sign with Philadelphia has paid early dividends as he looks to rebound from last season’s disappointing performance.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/28/24

Minor transactions and practice squad callups for the Week 4 weekend:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

  • Elevated: G Kyle Hergel

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

NFC Injury Updates: Eagles, Davis, Lewis, Carlson

The Eagles are going to be forced to make a long-term switch on special teams after punt returner Britain Covey told reporters yesterday that he suffered a broken scapula. According to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team, Covey is likely to miss around six weeks recovering from the injury.

Covey hasn’t had too many return opportunities this season. The team as a whole has only returned two punts this season, with Covey logging only one of those for nine yards. The only other return came from second-round rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean, who gained six yards on a return last week in New Orleans as he stepped in after Covey’s injury. DeJean has played sparsely on defense so far this year, but it looks like his impact on special teams will be taken to the next level over the next several weeks.

Covey’s presence will also be missed on offense, where he’s third in the receivers room in receptions and yards this year. With Covey joining Ainias Smith and Jacob Harris on injured reserve, that leaves four receivers on the active roster. DeVonta Smith is set miss the team’s next contest with a concussion, so Jahan Dotson, Parris Campbell, and rookie Johnny Wilson will be asked to step up alongside A.J. Brown.

Here are a few other injury updates from around the NFC:

  • Saints linebacker Demario Davis is playing in his 13th NFL season. This weekend, the veteran defender will miss the first game of his career due to injury. Davis had one absence back in 2021 due to COVID-19, but Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports that a hamstring injury will keep Davis from playing for the first time in his long career.
  • On Wednesday, we reported an elbow injury for Panthers starting left guard Damien Lewis. Initial reports predicted at least a one-game absence, but the veteran guard will endeavor to not miss any time. Per Joe Person of The Athletic, Lewis suffered a UCL tear in his left elbow. If he were a left-handed quarterback, Lewis would require surgery, but there’s a chance Carolina doesn’t see any missed time from their lineman, who will try to play through the injury.
  • Tight end Stephen Carlson‘s stint on the Bears‘ active roster was a short one. After being promoted from the practice squad three days ago, Carlson suffered a significant collarbone injury on the last play of practice yesterday, according to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. Cronin predicts that an IR-stint is in Carlson’s future.