Eagles announce several roster changes

The Philadelphia Eagles officially announced a number of trades on Tuesday night. An overview:

• DE Brandon Graham and OG Brandon Brooks were placed on the injured list.
• OG Jack Anderson was signed from the Buffalo Bills practice squad to the 53-player Eagles roster.
• TE Richard Rodgers was signed to the practice squad while C Harry Crider was released to make room for him.
• CB Craig James, OG Sua Opeta, S Elijah Riley and DT Marvin Wilson received practice team protections.

Let’s sort it out, player by player.

BRANDON GRAHAM

Graham suffered an Achilles tear and is out for the season. Such a disappointment. It remains to be seen how exactly the Eagles will replace him. Josh Sweat, Derek Barnett and Ryan Kerrigan are online for increased snaps. Tarron Jackson could play a bit more as a fourth defensive end. We could also see Milton Williams exhausted like we did in the preseason.

We wish Graham a speedy recovery so he can be healthy next year.

BRANDON BROOKS

Nick Sirianni pointed to Brooks is not out for the season after suffering a chest strain. Going to IR, the Eagles’ starting right guard will miss at least three games. Brooks will likely be replaced by Landon Dickerson, although Sirianni hasn’t ruled out the possibility of Nate Herbig starting instead.

JACK ANDERSON

Anderson, 22, was a seventh-round pick (No.236 overall) by the Bills in the 2021 NFL Draft. Pro Football Focus ranked him 27th out of 200 guards in the preseason (short size sample with 64 snaps played). Anderson’s experience at the right guard gives the Eagles more depth at a spot where Brooks has just fallen.

RICHARD RODGERS

It’s not an Eagles season until Dick Rod returns. The veteran tight end has been brought back with Zach Ertz recently placed on the reserve / COVID-19 list due to a positive test. There is still time for Ertz to produce two negative tests 24 hours apart to allow him to be activated in time for Monday’s game. But the Eagles seem to be bracing for the possibility that Ertz does not be allowed to return. They can elevate Dick Rod to the roster if needed to be a third tight end with Dallas Goedert and Jack Stoll.

CRAIG JAMES

This is the second straight week the Eagles have protected James. I’m guessing to have the ability to elevate a special teams contributor if he sees fit.

SUA OPETA

Opeta’s protection is the result of Brooks’ injury. The Eagles want to maintain the depth of their offensive line.

ELIJAH RILEY

Riley is protected for the third consecutive week. Probably in case the Eagles want to raise him with Rodney McLeod still not a lock to come back.

MARVIN WILSON

The Eagles are probably protecting Big Marv because they like his potential.

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See below for a current look at the Eagles 2021 training squad.

Format: Position, player, (time protected this season), [times elevated this season]*

* Not counting the COVID-19 elevations.

Elijah Riley (3)

CB Craig James (2)

DT Marvin Wilson (2)

OG Sua Opeta (1)

G / T Kayode Awosika (1)

RB Jordan Howard (1)

WR John Hightower (1)

RB Jason Huntley

WR Kee Sean Johnson

WR Travis Fulgham

TE Richard Rodgers

TE Nick Eubanks

DT Raequan Williams

LB JaCoby Stevens

LB Christian Elliss

CB Michael Jacquet III

{DE Matt Leo – international exemption – does not count towards the limit}

TRAINING / INJURED TEAM

OT Le’Raven Clark (1)

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In addition to all this news, the Eagles formed three free agents on Tuesday: defensive end Cameron Malveaux, wide receiver Deon Cain and linebacker Dylan Cole.

Malveaux, 27, has spent time with six different teams since entering the league as UDFA in 2017. He has two sacks in 15 career appearances. With Graham injured, the Eagles could assess a potential addition to a practice squad for more edge depth.

Cain, 25, was a sixth-round pick for the Indianapolis Colts in the 2018 NFL Draft. He didn’t play as a rookie due to an ACL tear, but he straddled Sirianni in Indy for over a year. He has nine career receptions for 124 yards (13.8 average) and no touchdowns.

Cole, 27, spent four seasons with the Houston Texans. He suffered a number of injuries during that time and was limited to 37 of 64 possible games.