Eagles cut Bunche, Long

PHILADELPHIA (973espn.com) - Less than an hour before the team's second and final open practice at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday night, the Philadelphia Eagles released a pair of players, offensive lineman Malcolm Bunche and wide receiver Deon Long.

Bunche spent last season on the Eagles practice squad after being signed as an undrafted free agent out of UCLA.

A Newark, Delaware native, Bunche spent most of his time with the third-team at left guard this summer but also cross trained a bit lately outside at tackle. The Eagles reportedly liked his ceiling as a player last year but he obviously was not progressing as quickly as the team had hoped.

Long, meanwhile, was brought in as a camp body after receiver Jordan Matthews went down with a knee injury and is better known for being cut by Los Angeles Rams coach Jeff Fisher for bringing a woman to his dorm room at training camp.

The timing of the moves seems to suggest the Eagles needed to open roster spots for players they want to bring in and the team has been linked to both veteran middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch, as well as former New York Giants offensive tackle Will Beatty.

Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz spoke before the practice on Sunday and did not seem happy with his depth at the linebacker position.

"Not a lot,'' the salty coach said when asked what he learned about his depth at the position against Tampa Bay in the preseason opener.

The Eagles roster currently stands at 88 players.

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