Maybe preseason performances don’t matter as much as we think — at least not to the Philadelphia Eagles ahead of 53-man roster cuts due on Sunday.
“Source: The Eagles plan to release RB Carson Steele,” NFL insider Jordan Schultz wrote on his official X account on Saturday. “The former UDFA had 8 catches for 52 yards and a TD vs the Bengals in Philly’s final preseason game.”
“The Eagles have released RB Carson Steele, per source,” NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Ryan Fowler wrote on his official X account on Saturday.
“Steele had a really fun preseason and would seemingly be a good PS candidate,” NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Dave Zangaro wrote on his official X account.
“I’m not sure what the Eagles do with Carson Steele, if they keep him, but geez if you’re using the preseason as any sort of metric, he should make the team,” Eagles reporter Les Bowen wrote on X. “Beat writers seem to think there’s no room on the 53. Then I look at some of the names they have making the roster.”
“Eagles cutting Carson Steele after a very promising preseason,” Eagles reporter James Simone wrote on his official X account. “I wonder if the Eagles are keeping Dameon Pierce after cutting Carson Steele.”
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Eagles Signed Steele Immediately After 2025 Season
The Eagles liked Steele enough to sign him almost immediately after an upset home loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card Round.
“Former Chiefs RB Carson Steele is signing a futures deal with the Eagles, per his agent Randy M. Fisher,” NFL insider Tom Pelissero wrote on his official X account on Tuesday, January 13.
Carson Steele Made Chiefs as Undrafted Free Agent
Steele has actually faced the Eagles before — he was on the roster for the Chiefs in their Super Bowl LIX loss to the Eagles on February 9, 2025.
“Really hope Carson Steele clears waivers and makes to the practice squad,” Breaking the Birds’ Thomas R. Petersen wrote on his official X account. “Think there’s a good chance that happens.”
His path to get there was highly unusual. The 6-foot, 228-pound Greenwood, Indiana, native racked up 2,770 yards of total offense and 22 total touchdowns in 2 seasons at Ball State, including 1,556 rushing yards in 2022.
In one season with UCLA, Steele had 1,010 yards of total offense and 6 total touchdowns in 2023 while averaging 5.1 yards per carry. He earned a certain amount of fame for making The Athletic’s “Freaks List” twice after he squatted 615 pounds and bench-pressed 405 pounds as a freshman.
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein had Steele projected as a priority free agent.
“Steele is a ball of muscle in human form. He has the contact balance and leg strength to squeeze the most out of a carry,” Zierlein wrote. “He has decent vision but can be a bit sluggish with short-area cuts, allowing the defense to quickly rally and tackle. Steele’s value will be as a short-yardage specialist who can help wear down defenses in a downhill attack.”
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