The Eagles signed linebacker JaCoby Stevens, their 6th-round pick in 2021, and 10 other players who finished the season on their practice squad to futures contracts on Tuesday.
Futures contracts allow a team to sign players who were not on any team's 53-man roster as soon as their season ends. Since practice squad players are technically free agents, most players that sign futures contracts come from a team’s practice squad.
Futures deals are minimum wage contracts, so a player who did not finish the previous season on a 53-man roster but believes he’ll be able to get a bonus or a contract worth more than minimum wage in free agency would generally elect not to sign one.
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But the deals allow a team to protect the rights of practice squad players they think highly of throughout the offseason and into training camp.
Although it’s not always the case, all 11 players the Eagles signed on Tuesday finished the 2021 season on their practice squad.
First, there are a handful of notable players from the Eagles’ practice squad they did not sign.
Among that group was John Hightower, their 5th-round pick last year. Hightower caught 10 passes for 167 yards last year but only played in one game this year and had no targets and just two offensive snaps.
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He had a 50-yard catch from Carson Wentz against the Ravens last year and then a 59-yarder against the Giants, becoming the first Eagles rookie since Mel Bleeker in 1944 with a 50-yard reception in consecutive games.
Also not signed were center Luke Juriga (played in 13 games last year), defensive tackle Raequan Williams (played in six games last year and one this year) and offensive lineman Casey Tucker (played in one game this year).
All those players are now unrestricted free agents.
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Here’s a look at the 11 players the Eagles signed Tuesday:
OL Kayode Awosika: Rookie out of Buffalo spent all of this past season on the Eagles’ practice squad after a promising training camp. Played only in the second Cowboys game, getting 43 snaps.
WR Deon Cain: Eagles signed Cain to the practice squad on Oct. 18 and he spent the rest of the season there. Cain, the Colts’ 6th-round pick in 2018, has played in 15 games for the Colts and Steelers and has nine catches for 124 yards, all in 2019.
LB Christian Elliss: Ellis, son of former Lions Pro Bowl defensive tackle Luther Ellis, had three separate stints on the Eagles’ practice squad this year. He played seven snaps on defense in the second Dallas game and 27 on special teams.
CB Craig James: Had two stints on the practice squad this year after playing in 18 games for the Eagles in 2019 and 2020. Originally entered the NFL with Vikings in 2018 and played 17 games in two years with the Eagles. Did not play this year.
DE Matt Leo: Native of Australia has been with Eagles as part of International Player Pathway Program since 2000 but has yet to play in a regular-season game. He’s been on the practice squad all of the last two seasons.
DE Cameron Malveaux: Veteran defensive end joined the Eagles’ practice squad on Sept. 29 and played in four games as a game-day or COVID elevation, notching 81 snaps on defense and 28 on special teams. Malveaux had four tackles and two tackles for loss. He’s played in 18 games since 2017 for the Colphins, Cards, Browns and Eagles.
S Jared Mayden: Eagles signed Mayden to the practice squad on Oct. 26 and he got into four games, playing 38 snaps on defense and 62 on special teams. Mayden also played two games with the 49ers last year.
CB Mac McCain: The Eagles signed McCain off the Broncos’ practice squad two days before the regular-season opener and he wound up having three separate stints on the practice squad (and a brief stay on the Broncos’ roster in between). McCain played in two games, 11 snap on defense and 33 on special teams, his first NFL playing time.
LB JaCoby Stevens: The only 2021 draft pick the Eagles released at final cuts, Stevens spent the entire year on the practice squad. He played in two games as a game-day elevation and got 44 defensive snaps in the meaningless Dallas regular-season finale.
TE Noah Togiai: Eagles signed Togiai as an undrafted rookie last year, then lost him to the Colts after they released him. He played four games for the Colts, who released him this past August. The Eagles signed him to their practice squad on Oct. 11. He played in four games for the Colts last year and only the Dallas finale for the Eagles this year.
DT Marvin Wilson: Initially signed by the Browns last May as an undrafted rookie out of Florida State, Wilson was released in August and then spent all year on the Eagles’ practice squad. He played 19 defensive snaps against in the the second game against the Cowboys.