Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles' veteran pass rusher announces his retirement from NFL

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Cameron Malveaux, who went from the Eagles’ practice squad to the defensive end rotation last December, announced his retirement from the NFL Thursday.

Malveaux was a surprise late-season contributor after spending 11 weeks on the practice squad. When Ryan Kerrigan went on the COVID list before the Giants game, the Eagles activated Malveaux, who played a career-high 34 snaps and had two pressures in the Eagles’ win at the Meadowlands.

He played well enough to earn playing time in the rotation and got a total of 81 snaps the last four games of the season.

It was his first extended playing time in three years.

“He has a lot of the skill sets we're looking for in a defensive lineman, and what he showed on practice squad and scout teams was he was doing a good job with effort and technique and motor,” defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon said.

But Malveaux remained a roster longshot for 2022, and after bouncing around from the Dolphins to the Cards to the Chiefs to the Washington Football Team to the 49ers to the Browns over a five-year period, he decided it was time to try something else.

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“For many years, I have dedicated my life solely to the game of football,” Malveaux wrote on his Instagram. “I am grateful for every opportunity I was given from God to compete and make my childhood dream come true. Through all of the many ups and downs football has changed my life for the better.

"After much time and consideration, I have decided it’s time to step away from this game. As hard of a decision as it was, I know it’s time to move on.”

He went on to thank the Eagles and other teams for giving him an opportunity to play professional football.

Malveaux, 27, has been released 11 times by various NFL teams. According to Spotrac, he’s made $1,189,393 in parts of five seasons. Including his practice squad salary, he earned $252,066 for spending most of the year with the Eagles. He was under contract through 2023 but with no bonus, so there’s no dead money against the cap.

Malveaux played in 18 games for the Dolphins, Cards, Browns and Eagles and had two sacks, 22 tackles, four tackles for loss and four quarterback hits.

With Josh Sweat signed through 2024, Brandon Graham returning for a 13th season, the Eagles hoping to get Tarron Jackson more playing time and Derek Barnett re-signing, Malveaux was a longshot to make the 53-man roster.

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