Casey Tucker’s first stint in Philadelphia lasted less than three months. Now the big, burly offensive lineman is back.
The Eagles claimed Tucker off waivers on Tuesday as the team continues to fill out its post-draft roster. He spent last season in Detroit on the Lions’ practice squad. However, the Arizona native started his NFL career in Philadelphia in 2019 when he received an invite to training camp following an impressive tryout.
Tucker (6-foot-6, 308 pounds) enjoyed his 15 minutes of fame last year following a fight with fourth-round pick Shareef Miller in 1-on-1 drills at camp. Punches were thrown in the brief scuffle and the players had to be physically separated but no one was injured. Unfortunately, Tucker was released by the Eagles three days later.
Tucker (6-foot-6, 308 pounds) is a versatile athlete who can man multiple spots on the offensive line, including right guard, left guard and left tackle. A redshirt transfer from Stanford, where he blocked for all-purpose stud Christian McCaffrey, Tucker started 22 games for the Cardinal and helped McCaffrey rush for 2,019 yards.
From there, he transferred to Arizona State in 2018 and started 10 games. Tucker went undrafted in the 2019 NFL Draft despite earning an honorable mention for the Pac-12 All-Conference team during his senior year.
Roster Move: #Eagles have claimed T Casey Tucker off waivers.
The Eagles’ roster unofficially stands at 91 players so they will have to cut someone to get it down to the 90-player limit before training camp. Of course, there is always the option of placing a player on injured reserve. Alshon Jeffery remains a likely candidate for that designation.
Scouting Report: ‘Not Enough Bend’ in Game
Despite going undrafted in 2019, there is reason to be hopeful in Casey Tucker’s abilities. Remember, he was a starter at Stanford (27 games in three years) before transferring to Arizona State in 2018 (12 games, 10 starts). If nothing else, he has decent size and max versatility.
Tucker started three games at left tackle in his senior year for the Sun Devils, plus five games at left guard and two games at right guard. His offensive line at Arizona State surrendered just 15 total sacks all year.
Bleacher Report’s Edwin Weatherby described his game as better suited for a pro-style offense (versus a spread attack) back in 2013:
His best asset is his ability to quickly short-set versus rushers to use his strength to anchor and stop their progress. He’s a mauler in the running game who has the skills to work wonders in a man-on-man scheme.
ASU offensive lineman Casey Tucker records 28 on bench press. Highest total of the day so far.
Meanwhile, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com called out his “athletic limitations” as possible problems at the next level in 2019:
On paper, the pedigree looks solid with good. Tucker was a starter at Stanford before this past season at Arizona State, he has starting experience at both tackle spots and at guard and he has NFL size. On tape, it never materializes like it needs to. His athletic limitations are going to be difficult to overcome against athletic linemen in tight quarters and there isn’t enough bend to generate consistent power.
Tucker is probably just a camp body (at most) for the Eagles in 2020 if he even makes it that far. But the team values amorphous players these days and the guy can slot in at virtually every position on the offensive line. His size might even make him an intriguing candidate to play center.
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