It’s hard to imagine any NFL team getting more production out of its practice squad than the Eagles.
They keep losing guys to injury, they keep promoting guys from the practice squad, and they keep making big contributions.
If not for the Practice Squad All-Stars, the Eagles would be in huge trouble.
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Considering the contributions from practice squad alumni Sunday in the win over the 49ers, we thought it would be fun to commemorate the greatest plays by former Eagles practice squad players.
So here’s our initial installment of the 10 Greatest Eagles Practice Squad Plays since Doug Pederson became head coach in 2016.
I’m sure we’ll have another 10 pretty soon.
WR Paul Turner - 41-yard catch vs. Bengals, Dec. 4, 2016: The Eagles signed Turner from the practice squad to the active roster on Nov. 21 that season, and in his second career game he caught six passes for 80 yards, including a 41-yard catch from Carson Wentz. The Eagles lost 32-14, and Turner only played three more games in his career. He’s one of five practice squad alums with a 40-yard reception from Wentz.
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DT Treyvon Hester - Blocked field goal vs. Bears, Jan. 6, 2018: Hester, a defensive tackle by trade, was promoted to the active roster on Oct. 2, replacing Bruce Hector. In the playoff win over the Bears, Hester only played 12 snaps on defense and didn’t have a tackle. But he did get a hand on a Cody Parkey’s game-winning field goal attempt with 10 seconds left, clinching an Eagles win and forever etching his name into Eagles lore.
RB Josh Adams – 6-yard TD run vs. Rams, Dec. 16, 2018: Adams, an undrafted rookie from Notre Dame and Bucks County, spent the first two weeks of 2018 on the practice squad but wound up leading the Eagles in rushing. In LA., the Rams led the Eagles 10-6 in the second quarter before Adams’ 6-yard TD gave the Eagles the lead on their way to a huge 30-23 win.
LB Nate Gerry - 51-yard pick-6 vs. Jets, Oct. 6, 2019: With the Eagles up on the Jets 7-0 in the first quarter, Nate Gerry – who spent the first two months of his rookie year on the Eagles’ practice squad - picked off Jets QB Luke Falk near midfield and ran 51 yards for the 3rd-longest INT return by an Eagles linebacker in the last 45 years (Shawn Barber had an 80-yarder at Dallas in 2002 and Jordan Hicks a 67-yarder at Dallas in 2015). The Eagles have had two
WR Greg Ward – 4-yard TD catch vs. Washington, Dec. 15, 2019: Perennial practice squad receiver Greg Ward, released six times by the Eagles, finally got promoted to the active roster on Nov. 23 of last year, and a few weeks later – with the Eagles trailing Washington 27-24 with 32 seconds left – he scored the game-winning TD on a perfect pass from Wentz in the deep left corner of the end zone at FedEx Field.
TE Josh Perkins - 24-yard TD catch vs. Giants, Dec. 29, 2019: This game was a practice squad fan’s dream. Perkins, an undrafted tight end promoted from the practice squad a month earlier, had just 13 career receptions when he caught a wild across-the-field TD pass from Wentz to give the Eagles a 10-3 lead over the Giants on the way to a 34-17 win.
WR Deontay Burnett - 41-yard catch vs. Giants, Dec. 29, 2019: Playing in his first game as an Eagle (and sixth NFL game) just five days after being promoted from the practice squad to the roster, Burnett’s 41-yard reception down the right sideline led to a long Jake Elliott field goal and gave the Eagles the lead for good in their must-win against the Giants.
RB Boston Scott – 39-yard catch vs. Giants, Dec. 29, 2019: Take your pick of Boston Scott plays in this game. He scored three touchdowns, but his most impressive moment was a 39-yard catch and run from Wentz with seven minutes left in the game that gave the Eagles a two-touchdown lead. Scott is the only Eagle who was on a practice squad to score three TDs in a game.
LB Alex Singleton – 30-yard pick-6 vs. 49ers, Oct. 5, 2020: Singleton, who spent the first month and a half of last year on the Eagles’ practice squad, had only played 11 career defensive snaps before he was forced to replace injured T.J. Sunday. Seven seconds after Travis Fulgham’s 42-yard TD gave the Eagles a 4-point lead, Singleton’s 30-yard pick-6 off Nick Mullens extended the lead to 11 points.
WR Travis Fulgham – 42-yard touchdown catch vs. 49ers, Oct. 5, 2020: One day after being promoted from the practice squad and less than two months after being released by both the Lions and Packers, Fulgham got a chance to play for the injury-riddled Eagles Sunday night. He caught a 15-yard pass in the second quarter – his first career catch – before reeling in the go-ahead 42-yarder from Wentz with six minutes left in the game.