The Philadelphia Eagles have moved on from Andy Dalton, ending a strange quarterback logjam that had left the roster squeezed in all the wrong places.
According to NFL insider Mike Garafolo, the Eagles are releasing Dalton, and Tanner McKee and Cole Payton will now serve as the backups behind Jalen Hurts. Dalton had held the No. 2 job, but his rough Week 3 outing against the Chicago Bears pushed him down the depth chart.
It closes a short, forgettable stretch for Dalton in Philadelphia. Garafolo also noted that there is a strong chance Dalton could return to the team’s practice squad. Even so, the release marks the end of what became Howie Roseman’s most unusual roster call.
Roseman and the Eagles had held onto all four quarterbacks longer than most expected because he liked them all, but that approach came with a cost elsewhere on the roster. The team entered the season with only three safeties and four inside linebackers, which left them short on defense and forced them to part with players who might have helped in other spots. Cameron Latu was one of the names affected, and the Eagles would have liked to keep him around on the practice squad.
As injuries piled up, the pressure only grew for Philadelphia to make a move. Fans wanted one quarterback gone so the team could create room for other pieces, and Dalton’s performance in Chicago only poured fuel on that frustration.
The situation hit another low in the Eagles’ Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, when Lane Johnson was ruled out for a personal matter. That left Philadelphia with three quarterbacks active and two empty roster spots it could not properly fill.
Now, with Johnson’s retirement, Cam Jurgens’ trade, and multiple injuries, the Eagles finally had to make room, and Dalton was the odd man out. He had not done enough to justify the spot, completing just 51.4% of his passes in the preseason and then playing a major role in the loss to the Bears.
If the Eagles want Dalton back on the practice squad, that remains an option. But the bigger significance is what this move frees up. Philadelphia can now look at adding players such as Carson Steele, Jake Majors, and Zach Ertz from the practice squad to the active roster, a step that could help the team in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5.
For the Eagles, the lesson is plain enough: carrying four quarterbacks was a mistake, and it came at the expense of depth everywhere else.
In Other News...
Eagles Injury Report Just Put Jalen Hurts In A Tough Spot
A Wednesday injury report can tell you plenty about where a team stands, and this one offered a little relief for the secondary. Quinyon Mitchell was back as a full participant after hyperextending his knee against the Rams, a sign the Eagles are likely to have one of their top young defensive backs available against the Jaguars. Around him, the list was a reminder that this is still a team carrying a fair amount of wear, with Zack Baun, Jihaad Campbell, Dallas Goedert, Fred Johnson, Dontayvion Wicks, DeVonta Smith and Hollywood Brown all limited or out for parts of the day.
The bigger concern may be up front, where the offensive line is not exactly settling in. Drew Kendall missed practice again, and with the Eagles already sorting through options, the possibility grows that less experienced hands could be pushed into the mix. For Jalen Hurts, that is the kind of development that changes everything about a game plan, especially when the margin for error gets thinner in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Face A Troubling London Warning As Injuries Keep Mounting
The Eagles head to London for their Week 5 matchup with a little more uncertainty than they would like, and the outside projections are not exactly helping calm things down. ESPNs Seth Walder sees the Jacksonville Jaguars taking advantage of Philadelphias current issues and is forecasting a lopsided result, a reminder that the Eagles are walking into a game where the margin for error is already thin.
Injuries have been piling up around the roster, and the timing could hardly be worse with a Jaguars defense that is expected to make life difficult and an offense with enough weapons to punish mistakes. Philadelphia also has to navigate recent roster changes that have left the group more undermanned than it would prefer, turning an already tricky overseas trip into one that feels loaded with pressure before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Hurts Just Sent A Clear Message On Eagles Play Caller
Jalen Hurts did not sound like a quarterback looking to create more noise around an already shaky Eagles offense. Instead, he publicly backed offensive coordinator Sean Mannion as Philadelphia tries to sort through an early-season slump that has left the unit near the bottom of the league in points and yards. With consecutive losses piling up, Hurts pointed toward patience and the need to keep building chemistry with a new play-caller rather than adding to the criticism.
Sean Mannion has held firm in his confidence in the scheme, and Hurts comments offered a clear sign that the quarterback is not interested in a public split. For a team that has not found its rhythm, the message matters almost as much as the next game plan, because the Eagles need the offense to stabilize quickly before the frustration around it grows any louder. [Read more 🡒]