Philadelphia Eagles safety Andre' Sam was carted off the field in the third quarter of Friday night’s preseason finale against the Cincinnati Bengals at Lincoln Financial Field after suffering a leg injury.
Sam couldn’t put any pressure on the leg and was taken into the locker room by cart. As he left the field, he gave the crowd a thumbs-up.
The injury happened while Sam was making a tackle on Bengals running back Kentrel Bullock, who picked up six yards on a run up the middle to the Cincinnati 26-yard line. It brought an abrupt end to what had been Sam’s strongest outing of the preseason.
Before the injury, Sam was all over the field. He forced one fumble and recovered two more, turning in a busy night that stood out even more because of what was at stake.
One of those recoveries came late in the second quarter after rookie linebacker Deontae Lawson stripped running back Gary Brightwell. Sam also jumped on Tahj Brooks’ fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half at Cincinnati’s 37-yard line.
Through Philadelphia’s first two preseason games, he had added seven tackles.
That production mattered because Sam came into the finale fighting for one of the last spots on the Eagles’ 53-man roster. His grasp of Vic Fangio’s defense and his work on special teams had kept him in the mix for a backup safety role, and Philadelphia’s recent release of veteran safety JT Gray opened another lane in that competition.
Sam joined the Eagles in 2024 as an undrafted free agent out of LSU. Now 27, he has spent most of his first two NFL seasons on Philadelphia’s practice squad, with only limited regular-season chances. He also turned in a strong training camp, including during the Eagles’ joint practices against the New England Patriots.
That summer surge had kept Sam on the roster radar even as a long shot, and his performance against the Bengals only helped his case before the injury stopped his night cold.
The Eagles will now have to wait on further testing to learn the extent of the leg injury. If it’s not season-ending, Sam could be headed back to the practice squad; if it is severe, injured reserve is on the table.
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