Eagles Clips
There have been some major changes to the Eagles roster this week and another tweak is reportedly coming.
Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that the Eagles will release quarterback Andy Dalton. Right tackle Lane Johnson retired earlier this week and the Eagles traded guard/center Cam Jurgens to the Ravens on Wednesday.
Tanner McKee supplanted Dalton as the Eagles’ No. 2 quarterback last weekend and the Eagles also have rookie Cole Payton on the 53-man roster. With a slew of injuries to go with the other changes, the Eagles needed to free up a roster spot ahead of Sunday’s game against the Jaguars in London.
Dalton was traded to the Eagles by the Panthers in March. His only pass attempt as an Eagle came in Week 3 and he threw an interception in the end zone on that throw.
It’s been a tumultuous week for the Eagles, but Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said that’s not factoring into his team’s preparation for Sunday’s game in London.
The retirement of right tackle Lane Johnson and trade of left guard Cam Jurgens would be a lot of change for any week, but the Eagles have also been without running back Saquon Barkley, center Drew Kendall, and wide receiver DeVonta Smith at practice because of injuries. It makes for a depleted roster, but Coen still expects Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni to have his group set to put for a strong effort.
“If that even creeps in our minds, we’re worrying about the wrong things because it is about us. . . . Nick does a great job — they know how to handle adversity,” Coen said, via Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. “I know they’ll be ready to play, that’s for sure.”
If Coen were looking for another way to drive home the danger of overlooking an opponent, he could just point to Thursday night’s game in Dallas. The Cowboys were heavy favorites against the 0-4 Buccaneers, but Bucs handed the Cowboys a loss that hurts their playoff chances and the Jaguars would give the Eagles a leg up on their division rivals if they have a similar stumble.
The Eagles remained without three offensive starters as they moved closer to this weekend’s trip to London to face the Jaguars.
Running back Saquon Barkley (hamstring), center Drew Kendall (knee), and wide receiver DeVonta Smith (hamstring) missed their second straight practice on Thursday. The team will issue injury designations for Sunday’s game on Friday, which is also when they will cross the Atlantic.
Kendall took over as the starter after guard Landon Dickerson went on injured reserve and this week’s trade of Cam Jurgens leaves them without turning back to that option in the middle of the line. The Eagles also learned of right tackle Lane Johnson’s retirement this week, so there may be a lot of shuffling to do up front this weekend.
Wide receiver Marquise Brown (ankle), safety Marcus Epps (groin), and linebacker Jonathan Greenard (ankle) were also out of practice.
There was some better news for linebacker Zack Baun (concussion) and tight end Dallas Goedert (knee) as they remained limited after missing time in recent weeks. Linebacker Jihaad Campbell (knee), offensive tackle Fred Johnson (knee), and wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks (hamstring) were also limited participants.
Cornerback Quinyon Mitchell (knee) moved up to full participation on Thursday.
After the retirement of Lane Johnson and the trade of Cam Jurgens, the Eagles are making changes on their offensive line. And one of those changes is expected to be a starting spot for Willie Lampkin, a former undrafted free agent who has become notable over the last two preseasons for dominant performances despite a tiny (by NFL offensive lineman standards) frame.
Lampkin is playing left guard with the starting offensive line at practice today, according to reporters on the scene. Lampkin could also start at center, but one way or another he seems set for the first start of his NFL career on Sunday against the Jaguars in London.
Lampkin was a starting guard for five years of college football, and at North Carolina in 2024 he was a first-team All-American and won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the best offensive lineman in the ACC. With that kind of résumé, you’d think he would have been a top draft prospect.
But at North Carolina’s Pro Day, Lampkin measured at just under 5-foot-11, and he weighed 279 pounds. NFL teams don’t want offensive linemen who are that small. Lampkin went undrafted.
The Rams liked Lampkin enough to sign him as an undrafted rookie, and he was dominant in the preseason, pancaking bigger defensive linemen and getting plenty of attention around the league. Unfortunately, Lampkin was injured at the end of the preseason, and the Rams waived him with an injury designation, which ordinarily would have meant he’d go through waivers and spend his rookie year on the Rams’ injured reserve.
But Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman liked what he had seen of Lampkin, enough that he made the very unusual decision to claim an undrafted rookie who was waived-injured. That sent Lampkin to Philadelphia, where he spent his rookie year without ever getting on the field.
This year Lampkin again played very well in the preseason, drawing praise from head coach Nick Sirianni, and he made the Eagles’ 53-man roster and has played in all four games this season, mostly blocking on field goals and extra points.
Now Lampkin is set to get his most extensive professional action. He may look out of place on an NFL offensive line at his size. But based on what he’s done in the preseason, he doesn’t look out of place once he starts blocking people.
On Tuesday, Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson retired. On Wednesday, the Eagles traded center Cam Jurgens to the Ravens.
The sudden disappearance of 40 percent of the Eagles’ offensive line raises obvious questions about their plans for the balance of the season.
Consider the comments from G.M. Howie Roseman after the team sent Jurgens to Baltimore.
“We weren’t looking to move Cam,” Roseman said, via Zach Berman of The Athletic. “Obviously, the Ravens have been looking for a center. . . . Kind of told them wasn’t anything we were looking to do. Over the last 24 hours, it got to the point where we felt like it could be a win-win for them. Obviously, getting a player who’s been a two-time Pro Bowl center and obviously for us, being able to get the picks we’re able to get, and use that money also to sign players. Had a chance to watch Drew [Kendall] here play center is doing a nice job. Have a young player there.”
The Eagles sent Jurgens and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Ravens for a 2027 fifth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick.
“I think for us, when you talk about the two and the five, moving from the seventh to the fifth,” Roseman said. “We’ve had success in the fifth round, plus the money, plus you [have] Drew playing, we felt like we were getting four players for one, and just felt like for us, you know, with all these guys that we got coming up, a lot on the defensive side of the ball that we want to re-sign and want to extend, felt like that that was a good situation.”
The most significant aspect of Roseman’s explanation is the timing of the acceleration of the talks. “Over the last 24 hours,” he said.
It points to the retirement of Johnson as the moment at which the Eagles decided to further undermine the current season in the name of setting themselves up for a brighter future. It’s not tanking in the classic sense; it’s a conscious, clear-eyed evaluation of the prospects of the 2026 Eagles coupled with an analysis of the future focus of the roster construction.
By moving Jurgens now (obviously, they could have traded him after the season), they maximize the return from a team that was desperate for help now at the center position, they offload the ongoing salary obligation to Jurgens, and they position themselves to keep players like cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, both of whom are eligible for new contracts after the current season.
Still, by moving Jurgens one day after Johnson retired, it feels like the Eagles are throwing in the towel on 2026. Which opens the door to more trades that could hamper the Eagles in the short term while allowing them to properly shape the roster in the long term.
And here’s the reality. The Philly defense is a strength. The offense has become a liability, with fewer than 250 yards gained in two straight games and a dismal two-for-21 showing on third down in back-to-back losses.
With the Vikings discovering that a potent defense and a no-frills offense that focuses more on protecting the ball than having explosive plays can provide a formula for winning (their streak dating back to 2025 stands at nine games), other teams will be paying attention. Which means that everyone should be paying attention to what the Eagles do between now and the trade deadline with other key pieces of an offense that is struggling to stay on the field.
Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson said in August that 2026 will probably be his last year. After three games, he decided to retire now.
He has an absolute right to do it. No player should continue to play pro football if he no longer wants to do it — whatever the reason(s).
The move nevertheless has financial consequences, for the Eagles and for Johnson. If he had retired after the season, and if the Eagles had waited until after June 1 to process it, the cap charges would have applied in 2027 and 2028. Now, all of the dead money will hit in 2027.
The Eagles also will have the prerogative to seek reimbursement of previously-received payments by Johnson. It gets complicated; they can recover unallocated signing bonus money and a portion of his 2026 option bonus of $21.7 million (only half of it has been paid). And recovery of the amounts they’re entitled to pursue would be credited against the dead-money charges.
First, the Eagles have to decide whether they want to try to take money back from a first-ballot Hall of Famer who has meant so much to the team. While the Lions did it with both Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders and Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson, the Eagles may choose not to alienate such an important player by asking him to give money back.
Second, there’s a way to finesse the situation to delay the bulk of the cap charge until 2028, in theory. If, for example, they put him on the non-football injury/illness list for the rest of the season and he officially retires after June 1, 2027, the Eagles will avoid taking the full cap charge in 2027.
The fact that the Eagles have yet to make a roster move with Johnson suggests that they’re coming up with a good strategy. The best could be to delay his retirement, agree not to seek repayment of money he has earned (while possibly not paying the $10.85 million due on December 1), and finessing the cap consequences to avoid a potential mess in 2027.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley did not practice Wednesday.
He left Sunday’s 24-20 loss to the Rams with a hamstring injury after two carries and 8 yards.
The Eagles were also missing wide receiver Hollywood Brown (ankle), linebacker Jihaad Campbell (knee), safety Marcus Epps (groin), outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard (ankle), center Drew Kendall (knee) and wide receiver DeVonta Smith (hamstring).
Linebacker Zack Baun (concussion), tight end Dallas Goedert (knee), offensive tackle Fred Johnson (knee) and cornerback Quinyon Mitchell (knee) were limited.
Goedert has missed two games after spraining his MCL in Week 2, and Baun missed Sunday’s game.
The Eagles said farewell to a second starter on their offensive line in as many days when they traded Cam Jurgens to the Ravens on Wednesday.
Jurgens’s departure comes a day after right tackle Lane Johnson announced his retirement and General Manager Howie Roseman said on Wednesday that the deal was not a matter of the Eagles selling on this season. Roseman did say that he believes the draft picks they received in return and freeing up money for other spots was the best situation for the team moving forward.
“You can’t discount opportunities that you think give you a chance to compete at a high level for a long period of time,” Roseman said, via Zach Berman of TheAthletic.com.
The Eagles received a 2027 fifth-round pick and a 2028 second-rounder while sending a 2027 seventh-rounder to Baltimore along with Jurgens.
Jurgens signed a four-year contract extension with the Eagles ahead of the 2025 season and has $16 million in guaranteed money coming his way in 2027. He was the starting center when he signed that deal, but moved to left guard when Landon Dickerson was placed on injured reserve and Roseman said the Eagles think Drew Kendall “is doing a nice job” at center.
Roseman also said the team has “a lot on the defensive side of the ball that we want to re-sign and want to extend” while discussing the benefits of a deal that will be part of major changes to the makeup of the Eagles offense.
Earlier this week, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni told reporters that he was pleased with the play of offensive lineman Cam Jurgens.
But now, Jurgens is headed elsewhere.
Jurgens has been traded to the Ravens, the team announced on Wednesday.
Baltimore will receive Jurgens and a 2027 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick.
“We are excited to acquire a two-time Pro Bowl center, Cam Jurgens, from the Eagles in a trade,” Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement. “Cam is a player we have long admired going all the way back to the draft process. He’s a young foundational piece along our offensive line - a great scheme and cultural fit who will contribute quickly in Baltimore. We are confident that Cam will significantly impact our team and community.”
Baltimore has had several injury issues on the interior of the offensive line, which Jurgens should be able to help solve.
But Jurgens is currently in concussion protocol.
The Ravens will play the Falcons on Sunday night this week.
The Eagles are making a move to bolster their ailing running back group.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that they will sign Dameon Pierce to the active roster from the practice squad.
Pierce signed with the Eagles in March and returned to the practice squad after being released at the end of the summer. He had four carries for 10 yards in one game for the Chiefs and 10 carries for 26 yards in four games for the Texans last year. He also spent the previous three seasons with the Texans and had 415 carries for 1,674 yards and eight touchdowns over his entire run in Houston.
Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby both left last Sunday’s loss to the Rams with injuries. Barkley hurt his hamstring and is questionable for the near future while Bigsby suffered a core muscle injury that requires surgery.
