Eagles Establish Initial 53-Man Roster

The Eagles got a head start on trimming the roster on Thursday, waiving 12 players and officially placing left tackle Andre Dillard on injured reserve. All of the early casualties have successfully cleared waivers. with several likely to resurface on the practice squad.

On Friday, tight end Caleb Wilson, cornerback Michael Jacquet, and defensive end Matt Leo were waived. Leo, an NFL International Pathway Program exemption, will revert to the team's practice squad and will not count against the 16-man roster.

Former Penn State cornerback Trevor Williams and well-traveled defensive tackle T.Y. McGill were also among Friday's casualties.

The Eagles only had a handful of moves to make before reaching the league-mandated 53-man roster limit by 4 p.m. ET on Saturday. The team waived cornerbacks Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas, defensive ends Shareef Miller and Joe Ostman, defensive tackles Raequan Williams and Anthony Rush, guard Sua Opeta, tackle Prince Tega-Wanogho, and tight end Noah Togiai.

The team also officially placed Pro Bowl guard Brandon Brooks on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.

Parting ways with Jones, Douglas, and Miller -- once considered acclaimed draft picks with upside -- was inevitable. Jones and Douglas have both been given opportunities over the past two seasons to carve out sizeable defensive roles, but have struggled with mental lapses in coverage and, in Jones' case, injuries.

Miller was over-drafted in 2019 and needed refinement before he becoming a factor in the pass rush rotation. The Penn State alum was a non-factor as a rookie, playing just two snaps on special teams. This summer, Miller failed to make the sophomore leap and was outplayed by Joe Ostman and seventh-round rookie Casey Toohill.

The team had high expectations for all three players, but the light never came on and they opted to cut ties.

While the cutdown to 53 was headlined by the departure of three former draft picks, some feel-good stories came out of training camp. Special teams maven Alex Singleton, sixth-round wide receiver Quez Watkins, and seventh-round defensive end defied the odds and made the initial 53-man roster.

However, the initial 53-man rosters are fluid, and the personnel will likely look vastly different by this time next week. Speaking with reporters on a Zoom call following cutdowns, Howie Roseman admitted as much.

"We're not done yet," Roseman said, adding that he foresees change coming in the next 24-36 hours.