August 30, 2022
The Philadelphia Eagles have a deeper roster than they have had in some time, so much so that when projecting their initial 53-man roster it was tough leaving some players off the team when in previous years it was difficult making a case for some players to stick.
As such, the Eagles are unlikely to have room for other teams' trash this year. With that disclaimer out of the way, here are some players that could interest the Eagles if one were to squint hard enough. We'll give thoughts on whether or not they make sense or not. In other words, we are not necessarily endorsing the following players, unless otherwise stated.
We'll continue to add to the below list as more cuts are made.
• Colts RB Phillip Lindsay: Lindsay (28) got out to a fast start as an undrafted rookie in 2018, but his yards per carry numbers have declined with each new season in the NFL. He bottomed out at 2.8 yards per carry in two stops last season in Houston and Miami. He also does not offer a power element that the Eagles need at running back. Pass.
• Bills TE O.J. Howard: Howard (27) had 14 catches for 135 yards and 1 TD in 17 games (9 starts) for Tampa last season. He signed with the Bills this offseason, and could not crack their roster despite landing more than $3 million in guaranteed money.
O.J. Howard's deal with the Bills included $3.19 million guaranteed, so they're paying him a lot not to play for him. He'll land with another NFL team, but it's telling that Buffalo would move on at such expense.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 30, 2022
I imagine the Eagles will steer clear of him.
• Bills RB Duke Johnson: Johnson (28) averaged 4.6 YPC last season for Miami, but 3.1 YPC in 2020 for Houston. He is reportedly being released by Buffalo, where he signed this March. Johnson has 300-plus catches over the course of his career, and if Kenny Gainwell were out with an ACL tear, Johnson would make sense as a one-year Band-Aid who can play Gainwell's passing down role in the Eagles' offense. But Gainwell is healthy, so it wouldn't make much sense to bring in an older version of him, in my opinion.
• Dolphins RB Sony Michel: Post-draft, we published an article detailing the Eagles' remaining holes to fill, and who could fill them. At running back, we suggested Michel (27), a bigger back at 5'11, 220, who isn't a home run hitter, but does a good enough job of getting the yards that are there. Of course, that was before another team brought him in and deemed him unworthy of a roster spot.
Michel carried 208 times for the Rams last season, gaining 845 yards (4.1 YPC) and scoring four times. Michel is just another version of Jordan Howard, with some more tread on his tires.
• Broncos P Sam Martin: Martin (32) finished 12th in punter EPA in 2021. Chart via @ThePuntRunts.
The Broncos cut Martin after he refused to take a pay cut.
My belief is that the Eagles plan on rolling with 2021 incumbent Arryn Siposs is 2022, but any decent punter is worth noting in case I have the wrong read.
• Titans P Brett Kern: Kern (36) finished in the middle of the road in punter EPA last season, as you can see in the chart above. He was cut in favor of less expensive rookie Ryan Stonehouse. Kern made three straight Pro Bowls from 2017 to 2019, and was a first-team All-Pro in 2019.
• Ravens S Tony Jefferson: Jefferson (30) has a similar profile to that of Jaquiski Tartt, in that he has a lot of game experience, but has durability concerns and doesn't create many turnovers. I doubt the Eagles will seek out that type of profile again at safety this offseason.
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