Getty Former Panthers CB Kevon Seymour brings down Eagles WR Alshon Jeffery in 2017.
The Eagles placed Jason Peters on injured reserve on Saturday, officially ending his 2020 season. The move allowed the Eagles to promote cornerback Kevon Seymour to the active roster. The former starter for both the Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills could see action in Week 14.
Philadelphia also elevated former Baylor Bears “lock-down” cornerback Jameson Houston from the practice squad for added depth at the position. The team already ruled out backup cornerback Michael Jacquet (hamstring) for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints. Starting corner Darius Slay (knee) was listed as questionable on the final injury report, but he’s supposed to suit up and play.
The Eagles now have four 100% healthy corners on the active roster, including starter Avonte Maddox and “Slot God” Nickell Robey-Coleman. It’s “next man up” in Philly which has been their ongoing mantra all year and really the philosophy dating back to 2017.
“That’s life in the big city. That’s what happens,” defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said of injuries. “But it’s nothing we haven’t been through before. We’ll have a good plan and confidence in the guys that we have when we get to Sunday, and we’ll just see where that takes us this week.”
Schwartz was commenting specifically about the linebacker spot where he’s down three key players: Davion Taylor, Nate Gerry, T.J. Edwards. Look for Temple rookie Shaun Bradley to finally break free of his special-teams role and see significant snaps on defense. The team also elevated undrafted rookie Rashad Smith who was one of the best coverage linebackers in college football in 2019.
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Adrian Killins Returns to Practice Squad
Guess who’s back? Back again? Adrian Killins, the burner from Central Florida, returned to the Eagles’ practice squad on Friday after sitting out on the waiver wire for two weeks. Philadelphia released him on Nov. 24, so this marks the eighth time they have either cut or signed him in 2020.
#Eagles just signed RB Adrian Killins from UCF, and yes he’s FAST. t.co/TYTDTnXRZG
Originally inked as an undrafted rookie free agent, Killins enjoyed a stellar training camp in Philly and started the year on the practice squad. He saw eight offensive snaps on Oct. 4 against the San Francisco 49ers — one rush for minus-12 yards, one catch for two yards — before being demoted. The 5-foot-8, 177-pounder rushed for 2,459 yards in college while accounting for 864 receiving yards 34 total touchdowns.
Jalen Hurts’ Promotion Helps Running Game
Head coach Doug Pederson hinted at relying more on the Eagles’ running game this week to help ease Jalen Hurts’ transition. He’ll be making his first NFL start against the league’s top-ranked defense. He doesn’t want to put too much on the rookie quarterback’s shoulders, so feeding Miles Sanders — 631 rushing yards, at 5.3 yards per carry — seems to be a good policy.
Jalen Hurts threw for 3,800 yards last year. It doesn’t always have to be a zone read or running option when he’s in the game.
Then again, Pederson has been accused of not running the ball enough all year. And Hurts brings extra intrigue because he’s a dual-threat who can run it on those tricky zone-read plays.
“It’s just another running back on the field playing the quarterback position when you elect to do that, and it’s the same with Jalen, a quarterback that can run,” Pederson said. “It can help your other running backs free up some things. If you have success doing that, it can help the other guys positively because it does kind of slow the defense down, or at least keep them in a position where you can maybe take advantage of that.”
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