Eagles Tried to Claim Two D-Linemen on Waivers

PHILADELPHIA (973espn.com) - The Eagles are always trying to get better and that was highlighted Monday when some failed waiver claims surfaced.

According to the NFL Network, Philadelphia put in claims on two defensive linemen: tackle Ty McGill, who went to the Los Angeles Chargers, and defensive end Mario Edwards, a former second-round pick in Oakland, who ended up with the New York Giants.

Dead last on the waiver-priority list after the Super Bowl the Eagles were able to claim one player, linebacker D.J. Alexander, a special-teams standout during his career, who was deemed an upgrade over Joe Walker.

It was expected that Philadelphia would go after help at LB, however. The defensive line, specifically defensive end, could be the deepest position on the Eagles.

McGill, a North Carolina State, product, has bounced around from Seattle, Indianapolis, Cleveland and Kansas City before landing with the Chargers on waivers. Undrafted rookie free agent Bruce Hector is last on the interior depth chart behind Fletcher Cox, Destiny Vaeao and veteran Haloti Ngata and would have been the likely candidate being replaced.

At DE, though, the Eagles are loaded with Brandon Graham, Michael Bennett, Derek Barnett, Chris Long and promising rookie Josh Sweat. There is, however, some uncertainty moving forward at the position in 2019 so Philadelphia was just taking a stab at a talented player, one it never got close to because the Giants were second on the waiver list.

"It's a good problem to have," Eagles executive VP of football operations Howie Roseman said when discussing being last on the waiver wire. "I think for us, we've had a lot of conversations with teams and trying to figure out if it makes some sense to make some trades before this moment and get in front. At the same time, being last still gives you the first shot. It's almost like having the last pick in the draft in the seventh round."

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