HEADLINES

Devon Allen

Eagles Finalize 53-Man Roster

August 30th, 2022 at 10:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is how the Eagles reached the 53-man limit Tuesday:

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Placed on IR:

The Eagles added two veteran receivers this offseason, with one of them (A.J. Brown) bumping Jalen Reagor down the depth chart. Zach Pascal, who has played for Nick Sirianni previously (in Indianapolis), may also be a factor. But the Eagles, despite their moves at receiver and offseason trade rumors that engulfed Reagor, still have the 2020 first-round pick rostered. The TCU product is also coming off a solid preseason.

Howie Roseman said the Eagles, who have two QBs on their active roster, are planning to add a third — either a practice squad arm or a legit third-stringer — soon, and The Athletic’s Zach Berman and Bo Wulf note running back remains on the radar. The team kept three — Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, Kenneth Gainwell — but Sanders has been dealing with a hamstring injury.

Philadelphia’s receiver setup and a long football layoff did not leave much room for Allen, who has a rather notable career on which to fall back. A two-time U.S. Olympian in the 110-meter hurdles, Allen came to Eagles training camp after a controversial false-start infraction denied the medal favorite the opportunity to vie for gold on his home track at the World Track and Field Championships. The Oregon alum, whose 12.84-second time at a meet this summer is the third-fastest clocking ever in the 110 hurdles, caught a deep touchdown during the preseason but may well move back to his primary sport soon.

Ward became needed during the Eagles’ injury-plagued receiver seasons of 2019 and ’20; he caught 53 passes in the latter campaign. The ex-college QB was not used as much last season, catching seven balls in 17 games. The Eagles kept three rookie UDFAs (cornerback Josh Jobe, safety Reed Blankenship and offensive lineman Josh Sills).

Eagles Sign WR Devon Allen

April 8th, 2022 at 4:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

A two-time Olympic finalist in the 110-meter hurdles, Devon Allen will give football another try. The Eagles signed the U.S. track and field standout Friday, providing Allen an opportunity to resume a career that has been on hold for a while.

Allen last played football in 2016, when he suited up at Oregon, but was far better on the track and elected to turn pro in that sport. The former Marcus Mariota target has been a mainstay in the 110 hurdles for the past six years, but he totaled 684 receiving yards and scored seven touchdowns as a freshman with the Ducks — on a 2014 team that played for a national championship. Allen, 27, ventured back to his alma mater last week to participate in the Ducks’ pro day and clocked a 4.35-second 40-yard dash.

“It’s now or never because I don’t want to get too old,” Allen said last week. “I don’t want to turn 30, 31, and then try and get into the NFL. I know the skill gap is still there from college to the NFL, but I think when I did play college and when I did play at a pretty good level, I would consider myself talented enough to play in the NFL.”

Although Allen has three U.S. national hurdle titles on his resume, he narrowly missed the Olympic podium in 2016 (fifth) and 2021 (fourth) and has seen Grant Holloway usurp him as Team USA’s top high hurdler. Allen entered the professional track ranks after an ACL tear ended his Oregon football run in 2016.

This signing is closer to a flier than a legitimate attempt for the Eagles to upgrade at receiver, but the team has been patient this offseason. Philadelphia has added Zach Pascal but pursued bigger names — from Allen Robinson to Christian Kirk to DeVante Parker — in free agency. The team has two first-round picks in the upcoming draft but has used first-rounders on wideouts in each of the past two years.

Extra Points: Raiders, JPP, Bills, Allen

July 10th, 2016 at 9:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

This month will go a long way toward determining whether or not Las Vegas becomes the Raiders‘ new home. The Southern Nevada Tourism and Infrastructure Committee will meet again on Monday for further discussion on a proposed $1.45 billion stadium.

A July 28 deadline looms for the city to finalize funding plans for a future Raiders stadium, and Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News tweets the city will meet that deadline and come up with a stadium financing arrangement, noting “a lot of” behind-the-scenes action is occurring to move this process forward.

We last heard the SNTIC and the developers’ hopes at how much public money will be used in financing this stadium remain incongruent. But with Oakland far behind Vegas in this process and Mark Davis previously pledging he’d move the Raiders to Nevada — albeit without certainty he’d receive the 24 votes necessary from his fellow owners — an potentially unprecedented opportunity exists for the city to acquire an NFL franchise.

Here’s the latest from around the league.

  • An in-season extension agreement between the Giants and Jason Pierre-Paul seems unlikely, James Kratch of NJ.com writes. Pierre-Paul’s altered career arc and looming extensions for Johnathan Hankins and/or Justin Pugh and Weston Richburg could make JPP a lower priority. Of course, if the former All-Pro shows improvement in his new form, that could certainly change. Kratch writes JPP should be hesitant to sign an extension on his one-year, $10MM deal in order to reach free agency again and see what’s out there.
  • Auxiliary offensive talents Jerome Felton and Marquise Goodwin are two Bills with a lot to prove come training camp, Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News writes. Felton’s four-year, $9.2MM contract only translated to 291 snaps in 16 games last season as the Tyrod Taylor-led offense mostly operated out of single-back and shotgun formations. Felton resides as the league’s second-highest-paid fullback at $2.3MM AAV. He has $1.9MM in dead money on his deal, which has three years remaining. Goodwin did not qualify for the U.S. Olympic long jump team and now must play catch-up behind receivers who participated in Buffalo’s offseason program. Kolby Listenbee also brings a similar speed element to Goodwin, complicating the former Olympian’s path back to the 53-man roster.
  • Another Olympian could have a future in the NFL but may decide track and field will be his occupation now. Devon Allen blazed to a clear victory in Saturday’s 110-meter hurdle final at the U.S. Olympic Trials and will head to Brazil for the Summer Games. However, the wide receiver remains on Oregon’s roster entering his junior season and told Austin Meek of The Register-Guard he plans to keep playing football for now. “I think I’m going to leave those doors open as long as I can,” Allen said. The now-21-year-old Allen caught 41 passes for 684 yards and seven touchdowns for the Ducks as a freshman in 2014 before tearing his ACL in the ensuing Rose Bowl. He skipped spring practice to train for the U.S. Trials but could enter the draft with momentum next spring, Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk writes, as a speed receiver.
  • The Chargers cleared a hurdle in their downtown stadium effort but remain in an uphill battle.