Getty Eagles guard Matt Pryor got valuable experience last season in three games, including one start versus Seattle.
Matt Pryor was on the verge of becoming a key cog on the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive line. He started 10 games in 2020 in the Swiss Army knife role – visions of Halapoulivaati Vaitai? – and filled in as a starter at guard and tackle. But the 6-foot-7, 332-pounder was keeping a secret the whole time.
Pryor was battling a herniated disc that made his legs feel numb, according to the Indy Star, like he had just squatted 1,000 pounds. The Eagles didn’t know he was hurt because Pryor didn’t tell anyone. The injury should have ended his season but he played on before finally opting for surgery on January 28. The 26-year-old still didn’t have all his strength back when he reported to Eagles’ training camp this summer.
The Eagles just got back the 6th rounder that they gave up in the Jaguars trade.
They’ve essentially swapped Matt Pryor for Gardner Minshew. Smooth move.
Predictably, Pryor struggled and Philadelphia eventually traded him to the Colts. The former sixth-rounder reunited with quarterback Carson Wentz in Indianapolis where he took over the starting right tackle spot in Week 5. He has seen 267 snaps in nine games (three starts) this season. Pryor called the whole experience a “wake-up call.”
“Honestly, I think it was kind of a wake-up call,” Pryor told Joel A. Erickson. “Over there, I think I probably got a little too complacent. Honestly, I think it was the best-case scenario. Getting traded isn’t as bad as people make it out to be.”
Added Wentz: “He’s just kind of a go-with-the-flow-type guy, like hey, whatever you need me to do, I’ll do. He’s as a big as can be out there, a big dude.”
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Ex-Eagles Getting Tryouts
A few former Eagles players are looking to latch on with new teams, including Kerryon Johnson. The 211-pound running back was brought in for a tryout by the Cleveland Browns after the team lost Nick Chubb and Demetric Felton to COVID-19. The Eagles released Johnson with an injury designation on August 26. He had been vying for a backup spot behind Miles Sanders.
Lavert Hill, an undrafted cornerback out of Michigan, visited the San Francisco 49ers on November 10. He was added to the Eagles’ practice squad in 2020 and signed a futures contract with Philadelphia after the season. The “pick six machine” didn’t make it out of training camp.
Josh Adams representing the 2-1-5.
The New Orleans Saints inked Josh Adams to their practice squad following a successful tryout. The Notre Dame product will give them depth behind Mark Ingram and Dewayne Washington with Alvin Kamara banged up. Adams enjoyed a brief stint as the feature back in Philadelphia where he rushed for 511 yards and three touchdowns in 2018. He also spent three seasons with the New York Jets.
Future Role for Tyree Jackson?
Tyree Jackson saw 14 offensive snaps in Week 9 versus Los Angeles, including an appearance in their goal-line package. The converted quarterback didn’t get any passes thrown his way but keep an eye on him moving forward. Head coach Nick Sirianni talked about wanting to get all three tight ends – Dallas Goedert, Jack Stoll, Jackson – more involved.
“Jack’s coming along nice. And so, we still want to continue to get him reps,” Sirianni said. “But with Tyree, again, that’s something that we have that a lot of teams don’t know what Tyree is or what he can do. So, we’ll keep that close to our vest.”
TE Tyree Jackson is available today for the first time this year
He’s 6 foot 7 & had a breakout camp converting from QB to TE
Some coaches believe he could eventually have the skillset of Jimmy Graham