Eagles Release Graham, three others

PHILADELPHIA (973espn.com) - The first mandatory cut down to 75 is August 30 but the Eagles got a head start Sunday afternoon, releasing four players, including veteran receiver T.J. Graham.

The team also waived young receiver Xavier Rush, and two undrafted rookie free agents, running back Cedric O’Neal and center Bruce Johnson. The Eagles roster now stands at 85 after the signing of veteran middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch.

Graham was originally a third-round pick of the Buffalo Bills back in the 2012 NFL Draft but things never panned out in western New York and he’s been a journeyman since with cups of coffee in Tennessee, with the New York Jets, and New Orleans Saints. His strength is supposed to be his 4.4 speed but Graham is a lot like Nelson Agholor in that he struggles getting off of press coverage.

Rush has size at 6-foot-3 but had struggled with catching the football consistently at training camp.

Johnson was the Rimington Award winner as the top center in the FCS division at Maine last season but was up against it as far as the numbers game goes because both Stefen Wisniewski and Josh Andrews are capable of backing up Jason Kelce in the pivot.

O’Neal, meanwhile, got a lot of reps in camp as Ryan Mathews and Wendell Smallwood were on the shelf at various points but the all-time leading rusher at Valdosta State struggles with the other aspects of his position, namely pass protection and catching the football out of the backfield.

-John McMullen covers the Eagles and the NFL for 973espn.com. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen