Getty Undrafted rookie Elijah Riley brings versatility tot he Eagles secondary as either a safety or cornerback.
The Philadelphia Eagles are digging deep down on the practice squad to bolster their depleted secondary. The team promoted undrafted rookie defensive back Elijah Riley to the active roster on Wednesday while placing starting safety Rodney McLeod on injured reserve.
Eagles head coach Doug Pederson confirmed McLeod tore his ACL on Monday and would be lost for the year. The team captain posted an inspirational message on Twitter where he tabbed fellow safety Jalen Mills as the next man up.
McLeod’s absence also opens the door for Riley. He had been rotating in at both safety and cornerback during training camp — he had a nifty interception, too — after playing 44 games for the Army Black Knights, including 32 straight starts.
Riley finished his college career with 201 tackles (17.5 for loss), seven interceptions and 6.5 sacks. He was a stud in coverage, per Pro Football Focus, and posted an 87.7 overall grade during his senior year. He broke up six passes and made three picks in 2019, but didn’t get an invite to the NFL Scouting Combine.
Elijah Riley was a stud in coverage for Army last year.
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Eagles Looking for Answers in Secondary
Riley’s versatility makes him an intriguing prospect, especially with the Eagles’ woes at cornerback and safety.
They could be without two starting cornerbacks this week in Darius Slay (concussion) and Avonte Maddox (knee), plus top backup Michael Jacquet (hamstring) remains on the mend.
Craig James and Cre’Von LeBlanc are also on injured reserve. The situation is only slightly better at safety where they are down McLeod and Rudy Ford (hamstring). Mills is expected to slide over to cornerback.
“We’ll just see where everybody else shakes out,” defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said of Mills moving to corner. “We’ve got a lot of moving parts in the secondary right now, but I would say this: Jalen is a totally, totally unselfish player. Doesn’t bat an eye.”
The rookie from Army has been called up to the active roster already this season and saw 32 total snaps (30 special teams, two defense) in games against Pittsburgh and Baltimore. The 5-foot-11, 214-pounder earned a shout out from Schwartz, along with fellow undrafted rookie Grayland Arnold. He sees both players more as safeties than cornerbacks.
“We’re excited about all the young players, even guys like Grayland Arnold, Elijah Riley stepped up and played good snaps for us when he was active,” Schwartz said on Dec. 2. “I think we’re in a good spot with a lot of our young safeties and seeing some good vet play also.”
Eagles Officially Add Blake Countess
The Eagles made one final roster tweak on Wednesday by officially adding safety Blake Countess to the practice squad. This marks his third stint in Philadelphia after being drafted by the organization back in 2016. He visited the NovaCare Complex on Tuesday and evidently left with a contract.
Roster Moves: #Eagles have promoted DB Elijah Riley from the practice squad to the active roster and placed S Rodney McLeod on Reserve/Injured.
Eagles have signed S Blake Countess to the practice squad.
Countess is another hybrid player who can handle either safety or cornerback. He had 39 tackles, two interceptions and one sack in three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. He initially left Philly in 2016 after refusing an invitation to the practice squad, then returned in 2019 after the Rams released him. Go figure.
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