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The Eagles’ ongoing search for linebacker depth landed on undrafted rookie free agent Dante Olson. The former Montana standout spent the summer in Philadelphia before being waived on Aug. 26 toward the end of training camp. Olson, who set a school record with 397 tackles, has been added to the Eagles’ practice squad.
There is a good chance Olson could see time on the active roster, especially after Philly placed second-year linebacker T.J. Edwards on short-term IR. He and safety Rudy Ford are both dealing with hamstring injuries and will miss at least three weeks. The earliest either player can return will be Week 8 for the Nov. 1 divisional showdown against Dallas.
The Eagles also activated three guys — defensive end Vinny Curry, cornerback Craig James, receiver Quez Watkins — to the 21-day practice window. There is still no word if they will available for Sunday’s game versus Pittsburgh. They also added speedster Adrian Killins back to the practice squad.
“We’ve just got to keep working and this is what I appreciate about our guys is they come to work every day no matter what the circumstances, no matter what the situation,” head coach Doug Pederson said. “They practice. It’s always been a next-man-up mentality and they go to work.”
Roster Moves: #Eagles have signed LB Dante Olson to the practice squad and placed LB T.J. Edwards and S Rudy Ford on Reserve/Injured.
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Will Parks Nearing Return to Practice?
Injured safety Will Parks (hamstring) was seen working out on a side field during Wednesday’s practice despite Pederson downplaying his availability. The Philly native was placed on IR back on Sept. 6 and the initial recovery timetable was four to six weeks. However, Parks hasn’t been activated to the 21-day practice window. He did tweet out the “anxious” emoji face when a local reporter mentioned seeing him on the field.
“Well there’s different grades of hamstrings, different levels of hamstrings,” Pederson said of Parks. “His was significant enough to miss the amount of time that he’s missed, but he’s another one that we’re slowly working back.”
Alex Singleton Leaving His Mark
Meanwhile, former practice-squad linebacker Alex Singleton has been the talk of the town ever since his game-changing pick-six last week. The entire Eagles sideline erupted as he raced the football 30 yards into the end zone to provide the final margin of victory, 25-20. It didn’t end there.
Singleton, the former Canadian Football League (CFL) standout, broke the post-game huddle and then took the podium to speak with reporters about his unforgettable night in San Francisco. He was originally drafted by the Seahawks in 2015 and has bounced around practice squads from Minnesota to New England before finding a home in Philly. The Eagles signed him to a futures contract in 2019 and promoted him to the active roster last October.
“If one play defines your career, you’re not a good or great player,” Singleton told Dave Spadaro. “I want to be good or great on every single play that I play, so it’s back to square one on Wednesday like it is every other week.”
Singleton should have an even bigger role this week against the Steelers in the absence of Edwards. He’ll likely be fighting for linebacker snaps with rookie Shaun Bradley. Duke Riley and Nate Gerry penciled in as starters.
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Eagles Sign Ex-Montana Linebacker, 2 Players Hit IR with Hamstring Issues