April 02, 2016
The Philadelphia Eagles announced yesterday that they signed fullback Ryan Mueller to a two-year contract. Mueller formerly played along the defensive line at Kansas State, before moving to linebacker with the San Diego Chargers.
Eagles head coach Doug Pederson has been asked several times this offseason if he is going to bring the fullback position back to Philly this season. While he has stated that he likes the fullback position, he remained non-committal. At a minimum, Mueller's presence affirms that the Eagles are looking to add to that spot, even if Mueller doesn't make the team. It is expected that versatile TE Trey Burton could get a crack at fullback as well.
Mueller was on the Chargers' practice squad in 2015. It is perhaps noteworthy that Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich coached in San Diego a year ago.
The Eagles also released offensive lineman Tanner Hawkinson yesterday. The Eagles signed Hawkinson off the San Francisco 49ers' practice squad to join their 53-man roster last season, but he never appeared in a game.
Hawkinson was previously a fifth-round pick of the Bengals in 2013. Like many of the other Eagles' offensive linemen, he was a little undersized but had very good athletic measurables:
Earlier this week, the Eagles kicked the tires on former Raiders and Jaguars offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski.
