Getty Kevin Atkins of the 49ers chases Kellen Mond of the Vikings on August 20, 2022.
It’s a full-time job keeping up with all the reported roster cuts around the league. The Philadelphia Eagles surprised everyone on Tuesday when they released Anthony Harris and acquired Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. The unexpected trade was seen as a stroke of genius, another lopsided deal between the Eagles and Saints.
Gardner-Johnson immediately hopped on Twitter to confirm the move and sing the praises of his new team. And Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay expressed his excitement over the star safety. Those two are going to have a lot of fun talking trash together once the regular season starts.
Reports of the team trying to trade receiver Jalen Reagor got everyone hitting refresh on their browsers to start the day. The Minnesota Vikings were mentioned as one possible landing spot. General manager Howie Roseman was intent on trading Reagor before the 4 p.m. cutdown deadline, per Geoff Mosher.
What could they possibly get for the 2020 first-rounder? The market isn’t thought to be much. The Jaguars received only a 2023 seventh-round pick and a 2024 sixth-rounder for Leviska Shenault who is a much more polished player than Reagor. Roseman will keep working those phones, though.
Per our Eagles source, the Eagles are discussing a trade that would send Jalen Reagor to the Minnesota Vikings today for a late round pick. Potentially a 5th rounder.
This is only in discussions right now.
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Tracking Roster Cuts: Devon Allen, Kobe Smith Gone
Heavy’s Matt Lombardo was the first to report two expected Eagles roster cuts: WR Devon Allen and DT Kobe Smith. Allen, a two-time Olympian, faced an unfortunate numbers crunch at the receiver position. Philadelphia is likely to only keep five guys there unless Reagor is traded. And those five spots are locked up.
If Jalen Reagor isn’t traded, then #Eagles looking at 5 WR locks: Reagor, AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Zach Pascal, Quez Watkins. Devon Allen was reportedly cut. If they keep 6 WRs, it’ll be between Deon Cain, Britain Covey, John Hightower. I’d keep Covey in that group. #FlyEaglesFly
The Eagles will try and bring Allen back on the practice squad if he clears waivers. Meanwhile, Smith was reportedly waived with an injury designation so the 300-pounder would revert to IR if he clears waivers. Smith, who had a great preseason, won a Super Bowl ring with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.
Philadelphia also released backup guard Jack Anderson (via Jeff McLane), a puzzling move since he proved to be a versatile reserve on the offensive line all summer. Here are the rest of the team’s early roster cuts:
Scanning the Waiver Wire for Talent
Roseman loves scanning the waiver wire for talent. It’s a cheap and savvy way to plug holes at positions of need. Let’s take a look at some players sitting out there who make sense for the Eagles to claim:
RB Duke Johnson: He has decent size at 5-foot-9, 210 pounds and great hands out of the backfield. Look at these numbers: 2,261 rushing yards, 2,870 receiving yards, 23 total touchdowns. Johnson has started 21 games in seven NFL seasons, but can’t seem to find a permanent home. Word is the Buffalo Bills want him back on their practice squad after cutting him. The Eagles could swoop in first.
dime from Kellen Mond
QB Kellen Mond: The writing was on the wall for Mond when the Minnesota Vikings traded for Nick Mullens. The 2021 third-rounder – a quarterback once ranked higher than Jalen Hurts — had an up-and-down preseason, going 9-of-14 passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns in the first game, then 10-of-20 for 82 yards with two interceptions in the next one. He’s only 23 years old, and the Eagles only have two quarterbacks on the roster after cutting Reid Sinnett.
CB A.J. Parker: The 5-foot-11, 178-pounder appeared in 13 games for Detroit in 2021, including 7 starts. He made 50 tackles with 7 pass breakups and 1 interception. He can play a little bit despite a disappointing camp and preseason. More importantly, the Eagles play the Lions in Week 1 so they could sign him just to get a better scouting report on their opponent.
Nice 3rd down PBU from AJ Parker.
In Parker’s case, it’s fair to ask the question: are the Eagles set at cornerback? It’s unclear. Darius Slay, James Bradberry, Avonte Maddox, Zech McPhearson are locked in. And maybe Josh Jobe. After that, the cupboard is getting bare following reports that Tay Gowan, Mac McCain, Josh Blackwell, Mario Goodrich were all released. They might fill the need to add another guy with starter’s experience.