Getty Former Colts CB D.J. White joined the Eagles practice squad Monday as injuries continue to pile up in the secondary.
The concerns over the Eagles’ depleted secondary continue to grow. On Monday, the team announced it had added a veteran cornerback to their practice squad.
Philadelphia had an opening after elevating Craig James to the active roster. James, an undrafted free agent, may get a chance to make an impact this week. He arguably made the pivotal play in last week’s upset win over the Packers at Lambeau Field. Meanwhile, White’s presence gives the Eagles depth and another body in case the injury bug chomps down again. The team is down to three healthy cornerbacks: James, Rasul Douglas and Orlando Scandrick.
White was selected in the sixth round of the 2016 draft and has played in 13 games in parts of two seasons with the Chiefs and Colts. The 26-year-old spent training camp with the Redskins before being cut on Aug. 31. White has 14 total tackles and three passes defensed in two NFL seasons.
Roster Move: #Eagles have signed CB D.J. White to the practice squad.
Prior to landing in the NFL, White was a productive cornerback at Georgia Tech where he started 34 games. As a senior, he ranked sixth on the team with 41 tackles, two interceptions and a team-high eight pass breakups.
L.J. Fort Signs with Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens rummaged through the scrap heap to pluck linebacker L.J. Fort off waivers. The Eagles released Fort last Friday after back-to-back lapses on special teams. The move was somewhat surprising considering the team’s lack of playmakers at the linebacker position.
We have signed linebacker L.J. Fort to the 53-man roster.
Kamu Grugier-Hill’s return to the active roster expedited Fort’s departure. The six-year veteran has amassed 65 combined tackles and three sacks in 65 career games, while picking up an interception during his rookie year in Cleveland. He joins a Ravens team that he is very familiar with him having played for Baltimore’s division rivals in Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Cincinnati.
Vontaze Burfict Suspended for Season
Oakland linebacker Vontaze Burfict has been suspended for the rest of the regular season following his vicious helmet-to-helmet hit on the Colts’ Jack Doyle. He was ejected in the second quarter Sunday for spearing a defenseless receiver. Burfict has a long and troubled history with the league, especially as it pertains to dirty plays and those resulting in head injuries.
The 29-year-old has received 13 suspensions and fines in seven seasons in Cincinnati, with two of those suspensions occurring due to illegal hits. Burfict’s pattern of reckless behavior has finally cost him an entire season. There will surely be questions about his NFL future as well.
Former Eagles offensive lineman Jon Runyan now serves as the NFL’s vice-president of football operations. On Monday, Runyan announced the suspension in matter-of-fact terms.
“There were no mitigating circumstances on this play,” Runyan said in a statement, via ESPN. “Your contact was unnecessary, flagrant and should have been avoided. For your actions, you were penalized and disqualified from the game. Following each of your previous rule violations, you were warned by me and each of the jointly-appointed officers that future violations would result in escalated accountability measures. However, you have continued to flagrantly abuse rules designated to protect yourself and your opponents from unnecessary risk.”
NFL VP Jon Runyan on Vontaze Burfict: “There were no mitigating circumstances on this play. Your contact was unnecessary, flagrant and should have been avoided…You have continued to flagrantly abuse rules designated to protect yourself and your opponents from unnecessary risk.”
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