Andre’ Sam’s preseason finale took a sharp turn Friday night, just as he was putting together the best performance of his career.
The Eagles safety was carted off in the third quarter of Philadelphia’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Lincoln Financial Field, and he gave a thumb-up wave as he headed to the locker room. The injury wasn’t identified, but it looked serious enough that Sam couldn’t put pressure on his leg.
Before leaving, Sam was all over the field. He forced one fumble, recovered two more, and delivered a string of hard hits while flying around the secondary. On a night when the Eagles’ second-team defense needed a tone-setter, he looked like the best player out there.
Sam, 27, has spent the last two seasons on Philadelphia’s practice squad and had already helped himself with a strong camp. That included solid work in the joint practices against the New England Patriots.
He entered the preseason finale as a long shot to crack the Eagles’ 53-man roster, but his play has been good enough to put him on the radar for another team. If the injury turns out not to be serious, Philadelphia could bring him back on the practice squad. If it is a season-ending issue, the Eagles could move him to injured reserve.
Sam may not have the same upside as Kapena Gushiken or Maximus Pulley, the two undrafted safeties who have also impressed in camp, but he’s viewed as the more polished option right now. He’s also a coaching staff favorite, and that’s a big reason he’s hung around this long after making the most of his limited summer chances.
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The preseason in Philadelphia has turned into more than a chance to get young players some live reps. As the Eagles get ready for their next game, several rookies are suddenly fighting for something bigger than snaps, with roster spots and depth-chart standing hanging in the balance. Makai Lemon, a 2026 first-round pick, could still see the field even after dealing with recent injuries, while rookie tight end Eli Stowers is expected to miss time because of a hamstring issue.
Elsewhere, the attention is shifting to the sort of players who can make a late impression in August and stick around once camp breaks. The Eagles are watching rookie safeties Kapena Gushiken and Maximus Pulley, along with defensive linemen Uar Bernard and Joshua Weru, who are playing their first football this summer. For a roster with competition everywhere, this week is about more than getting through a preseason game. It is about finding out which rookies are ready to push for a real role. [Read more 🡒]
Carson Steele Just Made Eagles Final Cuts Much More Interesting
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Steele finished with 12 carries for 33 yards and added six catches for 84 yards and a touchdown, the sort of all-purpose line that is hard to ignore this time of year. He is still a longshot on paper, but performances like that can complicate final roster decisions, and the Eagles now have one more player making a legitimate case for consideration as they sort out their 2026 plans. [Read more 🡒]
Andre Sams Eagles Roster Push Just Took A Brutal Turn
Andre Sam had been making the kind of preseason case that keeps a roster battle interesting well into August. The Eagles safety was active against the Bengals, piling up tackles, forcing turnovers, and staying around the football before everything changed in the third quarter when he had to be taken off on a medical cart.
For a player viewed as a dark horse to crack Philadelphias 53-man roster, the timing could hardly be worse. Sam had done enough in the game to put himself squarely in the conversation ahead of the cutdown deadline, but now the focus shifts from roster math to his health and how the Eagles sort through the impact of an injury on a player who had been helping his stock in real time. [Read more 🡒]