Eagles Waive Linebacker Eric Wilson
The Eagles have waived one of their offseason free agent additions, parting ways with linebacker Eric Wilson, per a tweet from the team.
The team signed Wilson in the offseason to play in new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon's defense. The duo spent time together in Minnesota, but Wilson struggled during his time in Philadelphia.
Wilson was a healthy scratch on Sunday, after recently losing snaps to younger players, T.J. Edwards, Davion Taylor and Genard Avery.
"With Davion developing, we wanted to get him some more playing time,: Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni explained on Wednesday. "And then on special teams, obviously, when it comes to the backup linebackers, they're such an important part in special teams. Not that Eric didn't play well on special teams or didn't do his job when he was practicing with special teams, but the others – Shaun Bradley has really flourished on special teams and Alex Singleton is their special teams captain."
He was a productive player for the Vikings in 2020, starting 15-games, making 122 tackles and three sacks. However, in seven games this season, Wilson has just 43 tackles and one interception and was constantly picked on in the passing game.
With Wilson no longer in the picture, expect the Eagles to continue to look at some of the younger linebackers on the roster, with T.J. Edwards, Taylor and Avery getting more and more playing time moving forward.
Wilson singed a one-year deal worth up to $3.25 million in the offseason.
"We're sad that it didn't work out here with Eric," Sirianni said. "He filled a role for us for the time being. Like I told him last night, I'll always being grateful for what he contributed to the organization, to the culture that we're trying to build. He's a relentless worker and he works so hard and he loves football. I love that about him."