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The Philadelphia Eagles made two minor roster moves ahead of Week 8. The team started gameday preparations by signing safety Jared Mayden to their practice squad and adding long snapper Rick Lovato back to the active roster.
Lovato’s return was expected as vested veterans aren’t subject to waivers. The Eagles needed to clear space for new quarterback Reid Sinnett, so they cut their special-teams ace and then brought him back into the fold the next day. The Eagles also released cornerback Michael Jacquet from the practice squad.
Meanwhile, Mayden has a chance to make an impact on the scout team. The former Alabama defensive back led the Crimson Tide in interceptions with four in 2019 while recording 59 tackles and three pass breakups. He was originally signed by the San Francisco 49ers and enjoyed a productive preseason.
The 6-foot, 205-pounder went undrafted mostly due to a lack of big-time experience. Mayden’s lone year as a starter came in his senior season when he teamed with Xavier McKinney on the backend. He played all 11 games in 2019 and saw spot duty in 14 games in his first three years.
Scouts were pretty high on the Texas native who ran the 40-yard dash in the “4.4-second range” at his pro day. Mayden wasn’t invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, but his tape caught the eye of NFL Media draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah.
“He can play in the deep half,” Jeremiah told reporters, via Bama Central. “He can cover in the slot. He can match up with tight ends. He plays very aggressive. You’ll see the big hits. Just needs to do a better job wrapping up and finishing some tackles, but he’s got good ball skills and he can run. There’s a lot to like about him and I think he’s a good player.”
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Eagles Defense Looking ‘Vanilla’
Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon is firmly in the crosshairs as his unit takes on more water than the Titanic on a weekly basis. One star player is at odds with Gannon, with the head coach subtly challenging him. Now Pro Football Focus has weighed on what the Eagles’ defense has shown in seven games. The results aren’t good.
Philadelphia moved down to No. 23 in their latest defensive rankings, with PFF critiquing their blitz rate and “one coverage shell.” Here is what they wrote:
The Eagles are currently running one of the most vanilla defenses in the NFL, and they no longer have the elite talent to make that work. With Brandon Graham injured and Fletcher Cox no longer an unstoppable force, the limitations of a simple scheme are more obvious.
The Eagles run one coverage shell 29.8% of the time, rank dead last in the percentage of snaps that feature stunts up front and slot in at 30th in blitz rate. They are making things far too easy for opposing offenses from a schematic point of view.
Eagles Partner with Canva
In some off-the-field news, the team announced a multi-year partnership with Canva. The global visual communications application allows users to easily create snazzy graphics to share across social media platforms.
Philadelphia is the first NFL franchise to work exclusively with them. “Canva will assist the Eagles in driving fan engagement,” the team said in a statement. They will also integrate their “brand controls” into marketing and communications materials.
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