The Eagles have settled on their 17-man practice squad, and for this team, that group is more than a safety net. Philadelphia treats those 17 spots like part of the roster equation, a place to keep developing players who can step into real roles when the need pops up.
That’s the idea behind the way the Eagles have used the practice squad in recent years, and E.J. Jenkins is the cleanest example. He spent years there, kept developing, and eventually got activated for Super Bowl LIX as the converted wide receiver-turned-tight end the team had been building.
This year’s group has a few players who fit that same mold, but a handful also look ready to help right away. The Eagles are allowed two practice squad elevations per week, and one player can be used as a game-day elevation up to three times in a season before he has to be moved to the 53-man roster. That makes the first few weeks especially important when injuries, special teams needs and roster juggling start to show up.
At the top of the list is Britain Covey, who may be the clearest early call-up. Philadelphia needs a punt returner, and Vic Fangio is not interested in Cooper DeJean handling that job.
Covey gives the Eagles a way to avoid putting DeJean in that spot for the first three weeks, and he can be elevated as the seventh receiver while handling punt returns. The Eagles don’t want a repeat of last season’s punt-return mess, and Covey is the answer sitting right there on the practice squad.
Byron Campbell also looks like a player the Eagles could use sooner rather than later. He was a favorite of Fangio’s in camp, and Fangio even said Campbell should be on the 53-man roster when the team was making projections during training camp.
Philadelphia is deep at inside linebacker, which is why Campbell ended up on the practice squad, but that didn’t change the staff’s view of him. He was developed by Fangio and the defensive staff, and he can also help on special teams.
Keilan Robinson is another name to watch early. The Eagles liked him in camp but simply ran out of time to fully evaluate him after a hamstring injury slowed him down.
Before the injury, he ran the ball well, and after returning he picked up where he left off. Philadelphia was never going to carry four running backs on the initial 53, but that doesn’t mean Robinson is out of the picture.
Howie Roseman explained it this way: "When you're talking about some of those guys that those conversations -- like Pierce, you can just run out of time, but you want them," said Eagles general manager Howie Roseman. "You want them part of the team.
You know that if called upon, they can do their role at a high level.
"We had a few of those guys where they understood availability's a huge part and it doesn't mean they're not going to be available going forward, but it's just the way it worked out this summer."
Robinson can help in two spots, as a runner and as a kick returner, which gives him a strong chance to be one of the first elevations.
On the defensive side, Thomas Hall gives the Eagles insurance at defensive tackle. He made the initial 53-man roster last year and was active in Week 1, then got elevated only once after returning to the practice squad. If Philadelphia runs into an injury up front, Hall is the kind of NFL-ready player who can slide in as a fifth defensive tackle.
He probably won’t be one of the earliest elevations, but he does have a role if the Eagles need one.
Tyrion Blue is another player who could get a quick look because of special teams. He already has NFL experience, appearing in five games for the Cowboys during his rookie season.
In that span, he had 38 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown, a 3.4-yard average, and he also returned three kicks. Philadelphia still hasn’t settled on a kickoff returner, so Blue has a path to early action if the Eagles want to use him there.
Andrew Wisniewski had a different kind of summer. A nagging hamstring injury slowed him down, and later a concussion hurt his roster chances, but the Eagles liked what they saw when he was healthy enough to practice.
He was working with the second team and competing for the No. 4 safety job, and the team was always expected to get him back on the practice squad. He could be activated early if he’s ready, though his best chance to help may come later in the season.
That’s the shape of this practice squad: one player who can solve a special teams problem immediately, a few others who can help in a pinch, and a couple who may be better fits down the road. For the Eagles, that’s the point.
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