Eagles Release Former Second Round Pick Jaiquawn Jarrett

The Eagles have waived safety Jaiquawn Jarrett.

It seemed like it was only a matter of time, but the former second-round pick was released today to make room for wide receiver Mardy Gilyard.  Jarrett is the highest drafted player from 2011 draft class to be cut except Ben Ijalana, who suffered two ACL tears.

Many people felt that Jarrett was a reach when the Eagles took him with the 54th overall pick in thet draft. He was billed as an athletic hard hitter, Jarrett's never developed into the hard-hitting tackler the Eagles sorely needed.

Jarrett was often found out-of-place and missed many tackles. Though he was given plenty of opportunities to win a starting job and stick with the team, he was demoted to the third-team after a disastrous preseason.

Gilyard (6-1, 187) spent the 2012 offseason with the Eagles after signing with the team on 1/6/12, but was released as part of the team’s final roster cut down. The need for Gilyard doesn't bode well for Jeremy Maclin's week two status after coming down with a hip flexor in the opener.

He accumulated nine receptions for 151 yards and two touchdowns in preseason action. Originally a fourth round draft pick of the St. Louis Rams in 2010, Gilyard played in 11 games as a rookie, recording six receptions for 63 yards. He was a two-year starter at the University of Cincinnati, where he finished his career with 204 receptions for 3,003 yards and 25 touchdowns.

The team also signed tight end Derek Carrier to the practice squad and released tight end Chase Ford from the practice squad.

Carrier (6-4, 238) originally signed with the Oakland Raiders as a rookie free agent following the 2012 draft after playing collegiately at Beloit College in Wisconsin, where he set school records with 189 receptions for 3,111 yards and 29 touchdowns. He was released as part of the Raiders final roster cut down. Carrier also played two years of basketball at Beloit, starting 21 games and averaging 8.3 points per game. He attended Edgerton High School in Wisconsin.