The Philadelphia Eagles have yet to officially place Jack Driscoll on injured reserve. The rookie tackle suffered an MCL sprain last week and may require knee surgery. Obviously, that means the team is combing their practice squad as well as the NFL scrap heap for able-bodied offensive linemen.
Enter Casey Tucker. He was waived by Philadelphia on Aug. 23 to make room for receiver Travis Fulgham. So that move worked out, although Fulgham’s recent disappearing act is bordering on “Unsolved Mysteries” territory. That’s a topic for a different day.
Tucker returns to the Eagles nest for the third time after initially going undrafted in 2019. The 6-foot-6, 315-pounder is a strong, athletic big man who saw action in 39 college games during stints at Arizona State and Stanford. He was part of a Sun Devils’ offensive line that allowed just 15 sacks his senior year, plus he helped Pro Bowler Christian McCaffrey run for 2,019 yards at Stanford.
Perhaps the biggest asset is his versatility as he lined up all over the formation: left tackle, right tackle, left guard, right guard. Injuries slowed Tucker down in college and he spent the 2017 season as a redshirt. He’s a smart kid — philosophy degree from Stanford — but scouts dinged him for having “frazzled footwork” and “poor drive blocking push.” Here is a scouting report from Lance Zierlein of NFL.com:
On paper, the pedigree looks solid with good. Tucker was a starter at Stanford before this past season at Arizona State, he has starting experience at both tackle spots and at guard and he has NFL size. On tape, it never materializes like it needs to. His athletic limitations are going to be difficult to overcome against athletic linemen in tight quarters and there isn’t enough bend to generate consistent power.
Casey Tucker knocks out 28 reps on the bench
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Picking Fights at Eagles Training Camp
Tucker may best be remembered for getting into a fight with Shareef Miller at Eagles training camp in 2019. He was released three days after the scuffle. The fiery Tucker was lined up at right tackle when the fight occurred and exchanged a few shoves and punches. It ended with Tucker on top of the 255-pounder from Penn State.
The Casey Tucker Era continues. The Eagles bring back Tucker, who was with the team last summer before he was waived after a concussion.
Now Tucker might be returning to the scene of the crime, but Miller won’t be around for a rematch. Philadelphia cut ties with their former fourth-round pick on Dec. 1 and Miller fired back at the “horrible organization” on social media.
Offensive Line Reconfiguration in Philly
The Eagles are once again juggling offensive linemen after losing Driscoll for the year. Matt Pryor will start at right tackle, but the team is extremely thin behind their starting group. The depth chart is stacked with inexperience (or potential, depending on your view).
Brett Toth is the primary backup tackle, with 18 offensive snaps in three games. They also have hybrid center Ross Pierschbacher who was just signed to the active roster on Tuesday. He had 12 special-teams snaps in five games for Washington.
Former Army OT Brett Toth was given a military waiver today and now will sign a three-year deal to play for the Philadelphia Eagles, per his agent Alan Herman.
Then, the Eagles have undrafted rookie Luke Juriga, another backup center who has four offensive snaps in 10 games. He took over for Jason Kelce in Week 11 for a few plays. That’s it. Rookie tackle Prince Tega Wanogho is the only other body down on the practice squad. So, yes, they probably need to sign Tucker to the squad.
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‘Strong’ 315-Pounder Visits Eagles, New Starter at Right Tackle